Teacher guide Four-dimensional coaching support for teachers of literacy and numeracy

TLF ID S7068

This is a teacher resource describing a collaborative model of whole-school change to build teacher capacity and improve student outcomes in literacy and numeracy implemented in 45 Catholic primary schools (F-7) in South Australia. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; Next steps; Lessons learned; Research base; Further reading and links; and Contacts; with four appendices, the resource identifies the four dimensions of the model as school-based coaches, principals as instructional leaders, literacy and numeracy networks, and expert consultants.





Educational details

Educational value
  • This is a valuable resource for primary schools seeking an effective way of improving students' NAPLAN literacy and numeracy results and their attainment of the English and mathematics achievement standards from Foundation to year 7. While targeting the improvement of all students' learning outcomes, moving students out of the lower two bands of NAPLAN was a particular focus of this model. Data described in the resource shows its success - eight out of ten schools that were below the year 3 national literacy average were above the year 5 national average two years later. Eight out of ten schools achieved gains greater than the national and state gains in year 7.
  • The advice contained in the resource is particularly useful in ensuring coaching models of this type work as well as possible. It points out the need for data and evidence-gathering involving systematic classroom observations, anecdotal records and criterion-referenced rubrics and tests, and indicates the value of support from expert consultants. It identifies the need to overcome staff resistance, emphasising the importance of the principal in leading learning and achieving change. Principals who allowed coaching to occur but gave no overt support limited the effectiveness of the model.
Year level

F; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7

Learning area
  • English
  • Mathematics

Other details

Contributors
  • Contributor
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Commonwealth of Australia
  • Organization: Commonwealth of Australia
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.australia.gov.au
  • Publisher
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organization: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Description: Publisher
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Generic
Learning Resource Type
  • Online
  • Text
Rights
  • © 2014 Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise indicated. This material is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike licence (CC BY-SA 3.0 AU) unless otherwise indicated. You may distribute, remix and build upon this material, provided that you include the acknowledgement '© Commonwealth of Australia 2014' and license under the same terms any new creations you have based on the material.