VIRTUAL LITERACY COACHING: CASE STUDY OF A RURAL INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S SOLUTION TO TIME, SPACE, AND RESOURCES

Abstract

Literacy coaching is an individualized, job-embedded form of professional development that can boost teacher knowledge and correlational student reading achievement (MDE, 2018). Substantial research supports literacy coaching as an effective way to improve teacher instruction (Byington & Kim, 2020; Johnston, 2022; Vikaraman, Mansor & Hamzah, 2017; Wetzel, Maloch & Hoffman, 2020). Limited coaching resources in rural settings could directly impact access to a literacy coach. By modifying the coaching platform and introducing a virtual literacy coaching model, school districts can transcend issues of time, space, and resources. This qualitative case study examined the relational and reflective actions influencing literacy coaching in a virtual space. Through reflexive thematic analysis, themes were established to enhance the program's development. The following questions influenced the research: (1.) Perception and Reflection: How does classroom video reflection influence a professional learning model? (2.) Relational and Dialogic: What relational practices exist within a virtual coaching model? and (3.) Efficacy and Capacity: What do teachers perceive to be the impact of virtual coaching on student learning or teacher learning?