Shine Magazine, Issue 3, April 2010 - Department of Education and ...
Shine Magazine, Issue 3, April 2010 - Department of Education and ...
Shine Magazine, Issue 3, April 2010 - Department of Education and ...
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SCHooL neWS<br />
More Koorie literacy coaches<br />
available for schools<br />
Literacy learning is continuing to flourish thanks to the appointment <strong>of</strong> 15 Koorie literacy coaches<br />
to schools across Victoria, writes Emily Stoikovich<br />
Under the Literacy lmprovement<br />
Team Initiative the <strong>Department</strong>’s existing<br />
coaching program was recently broadened<br />
to focus on the specific needs <strong>of</strong> Koorie<br />
students. The coaches are working closely<br />
with school leadership teams <strong>and</strong> teachers<br />
in <strong>and</strong> outside the classroom to build<br />
knowledge, skills <strong>and</strong> classroom practice<br />
around literacy. They work in identified<br />
primary <strong>and</strong> secondary schools that have<br />
more than 20 Koorie students.<br />
Collette Caffrey, a Koorie literacy coach<br />
for the Hume Region, says that teachers<br />
are coached to provide inclusive <strong>and</strong><br />
sustainable teaching practices. This is<br />
done through, “reflective conversations<br />
<strong>and</strong> co-construction <strong>of</strong> explicit teaching,<br />
development <strong>of</strong> precise learning tasks<br />
to meet the learning needs <strong>of</strong> individual<br />
students, <strong>and</strong> the development <strong>of</strong><br />
culturally inclusive teaching practices”,<br />
she says.<br />
Feedback from the existing program,<br />
implemented in 2007, shows that Koorie<br />
students have already benefited from the<br />
initiative. According to results from the<br />
VCAA’s On Dem<strong>and</strong> Adaptive Test <strong>of</strong><br />
Reading, Koorie students in the program<br />
have improved by 0.4 <strong>of</strong> a VELS level<br />
over 6 months. This is above the 0.25 rise<br />
expected. The gain is consistent with that<br />
<strong>of</strong> the general student population within<br />
the coaching program.<br />
The literacy coaches are also optimistic.<br />
Ms Caffrey says that she gets great<br />
satisfaction from her role. “I love the idea<br />
that every student has the opportunity to<br />
learn in a more engaging way <strong>and</strong> I also<br />
really enjoy seeing the teachers excel in<br />
their practice.”<br />
The Koorie literacy coaches have joined<br />
a current team <strong>of</strong> 45 general Literacy<br />
Coaches already working in targeted<br />
schools. All coaches are provided with<br />
ongoing job training, which includes<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional development, Disciplinary<br />
<strong>and</strong> Pedagogical Content Knowledge<br />
Workshops looking at literacy, math <strong>and</strong><br />
science, <strong>and</strong> online information sessions.<br />
28 <strong>Shine</strong> APRIL <strong>2010</strong>
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