Mindfulness and Coaching Are Necessary For Positive Reading Growth

In 2019, I began a doctorate while simultaneously enrolling in an educators' course on mindfulness in the classroom and a separate course focused on coaching struggling learners and their families. What I began to learn in these courses profoundly influenced my research on the reading curriculum and students who struggle. I dove head-first into this new knowledge of how coaching affects learning strategies and skills.  I was specifically interested in exploring the positive influence of mindfulness and coaching on reading skills. Despite the limited research on this combination, especially for older struggling readers, I was sure there was a connection and I wanted to uncover its potential benefits.

My intuition proved correct as this body of research began to grow. I observed positive effects when quality coaching and daily mindfulness practices were implemented and nurtured.  It wasn’t only my experience and intuition guiding my research, it was also first-hand knowledge.  For 15 years, as an educator in schools worldwide, I’d always used the idea of “coaching” with my students.  It simply made their learning more meaningful.  It didn’t have a formal name yet, “coaching” but I and other educators were using it and seeing its benefits.  In addition, I used the idea of mindfulness in the classroom.  This too had positive effects.  Soft music, downtime, and breathing deeply were strategies to calm students down in stressful or difficult situations.  However, researchers and scientists were now proving this with evidence-backed data.

When COVID hit, like many, I had to pivot. As a single teacher with four children, I suddenly found myself without a classroom, and my children were also learning from home. Overwhelmed by managing their education and home life, I had to make a difficult decision to pause my doctorate studies. This allowed me to focus on becoming a better teacher for both my children and my students. But, not all was lost!  I had spent over a year reading and analyzing scholarly articles and picking apart research to understand the data.  It’s obvious to me that reading for struggling readers will grow faster when mindfulness and coaching are regularly implemented as strategies.

Coaching for students is a powerful tool that can significantly accelerate a reader's progress. Effective coaching involves paying close attention to the student, using their progressive data to create actionable steps, and guiding them regularly.  Not telling them what to do, but paying attention, listening, and asking the right questions at the right time. Without coaching, students may merely go through the motions of a curriculum. For the best quality differentiation and individualized learning, teachers should not rely solely on standardized assessments. Progress for older struggling readers needs to be monitored every 2-3 weeks using coaching techniques to evaluate action steps and assess growth.

A common mistake among educators is assuming that students just need to relearn phonics or that any curriculum will suffice. Older readers have often developed their avoidance strategies and "fake it" through lessons. They have low confidence in their reading ability.  Think about something you are not good at, where your confidence is very low.  For me, if I were asked to join NASA as a scientist, or swim 100 laps, or climb a mountain, my confidence and fear would stop me from even trying.  I would be completely unmotivated to do these things. Older struggling readers are beginning to fear reading and this stops them from trying.  Their motivation is low!  In addition, for these readers, systematic learning diminishes over time, presenting significant challenges for both parents and teachers. Did you know that only 40% of readers learn without struggling? According to the US Department of Education, 66% of 4th graders are not reading at a proficient level. How does this compare to your country?

Although my research pool is small, my findings, supported by new research and evidence-backed resources, indicate that mindfulness can help students relax and focus, paving the way for effective learning strategies and skills for fluency and comprehension. Combined with student coaching, these practices act as a superhero duo, providing struggling readers with the right action steps and ensuring they stay on the right path for their success.

In conclusion, integrating mindfulness and coaching into reading instruction not only benefits struggling readers but also empowers educators to deliver more effective, personalized support. By focusing on the individual needs of each student and regularly monitoring their progress, we can help them develop the skills and confidence needed to become proficient readers.