Coaching Literacy

From CTLpedia

Summary: This project orginated many years ago when English faculty, Gene Fazio, tried a new approach in teaching reading and writing to under-prepared students.

Contents 1 Project Goals 2 Relation to CTL Department Plan Initiatives 3 Project Staff 4 Project Timeline 5 Project Resources 6 Project Outcome

Project Goals

The goal is to create a PowerPoint presentation that effectively explains what Coaching Literacy means and why it works.

The PowerPoint also needs to be transferred to videotape and DVD as another avenue for distribution.

Relation to CTL Department Plan Initiatives

This project falls under the 2006-7 #6 CTL Innovative Instructional Technologies Program. Gene Fazio's coaching literacy approach has gotten wide-spread praise and use. It is often cited as an extemely innovative approach to teaching. The CTL's assistance will support this innovation.

Project Staff

Gene Fazio: Gene has been English faculty member at MCC for 40 years. He has been dedicated to helping students who have struggled with reading and writing. Gene also has championed the coaching literacy methods.

Ken Costello: Ken is internationally known as a PowerPoint guru and innovative instructor. He has collaborated with Gene Fazio on the coaching literacy approach for many years.

Project Timeline

Even though the coaching literacy approach has been evolving over many years, this project was to create a PowerPoint that effectively communicated its principles.

Gene requested help on this in January 2007.

The first use of this PowerPoint presentation was to be shown in MCC's Kiva Room. Instructors, school administrators, students, and interested citizens were invited to this workshop.

Gene brought an outline of his presentation to Ken on January 24th. January 27th was the day of the presentation. On January 24th, Ken quickly turned a text-based presentation into a visually rich presentation. Images were chosen to reinforce each idea being presented. A segment from the Karate Kid movie was also to be shown near the end of the PowerPoint presentation. Ken had edited this segment several years ago. It is a great example of a student learning by doing without the need for technical explainations.

In February Ken adjusted the PowerPoint so it would look good when transferred to videotape and DVD. This involves enlarging fonts, subduing pure colors, and pulling text away from the edges of the slides. The video version allowed another form of distribution and was useful in submitting project to Innovation of the Year committee. Gene and Ken also tweaked the PowerPoint for more clarity.

Project Resources

Hardware:

1. Standard computer for PowerPoint development.

2. A computer with S-Video output needed for conversion of PowerPoint to video for transfer to videotape and DVD. These computers are not common; however, some brands of laptops have it. An HP laptop was used here.

3. A stand-alone DVD burner was also needed.

4. A VCR was needed.

Software: 1. PowerPoint 2003, Windows version.

2. Microsoft's dgl.microsoft.com website for retreiving images from their image database.

Project Outcome

The workshop on January 27th was highly successful. It had a great turnout of people. Students were there who gave great testimonials on their success using the Coaching Literacy methods.

The PowerPoint was shown early in the workshop and was quite effective. Many compliments on the PowerPoint were heard.

The demand for this approach to be used in high schools has grown. On March 30th, 2007 Gene Fazio will show the PowerPoint to the Maricopa Colleges Governing Board.

To view or download the PowerPoint follow the link here: Coaching Literacy PowerPoint