A number of US schools have recently introduced specialist instructional coaches, who work together with class teachers to help young students with early reading and literacy skills, according to an article on the website Reading Rockets.
There is clear evidence that improving teachers’ classroom practices can be of great benefit to the development of young learners, and a clear correlation between better reading instruction and improved results in so-called ‘struggling schools’ has been found recently.
The research points to three specific characteristics shared by successful coaches, which are pedagogical knowledge, content expertise and interpersonal capabilities. A wealth of experience in teaching methods and an in-depth knowledge of how children learn are without doubt of enormous value, but it is only through the ability to relate to and elicit positive responses from a child that marks the true success of a coach.
There has generally been a clear improvement in early child literacy and reading skills in schools where specialist coaches have been introduced, and it remains to be seen when similar initiatatives will be introduced to other English-speaking countries. It is certainly something to be praised.
