Coaching for the Whole Teacher: 10 Humanistic Practices for Reflective and Relational Literacy Coaching

Authors

• Emily Caylor, Saginaw Valley State UniversityFollow

Abstract

At a time when teacher professional learning often emphasizes compliance and efficiency, literacy coaching can serve as a humanizing counterbalance that centers teachers’ identities and professional agency. This article draws from a yearlong coaching partnership between a literacy coach and an experienced elementary teacher to illustrate how reflection, relational trust, and dialogic interaction cultivate teachers’ intrapersonal awareness and willingness to change. Grounded in Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs as a foundational layer of psychological safety and Korthagen’s (2004) onion model as a framework for identity-centered reflection, this work positions coaching as a relational, dialogic, and context-sensitive process. The article translates research findings into ten practical, flexible practices for humanizing literacy coaching—approaches that honor teachers’ humanity, foster psychological safety, position teachers as partners in inquiry, and strengthen the link between beliefs and instructional practices. Barbara’s case illustrates how these practices operate together, demonstrating how coaching for the whole teacher supports both professional learning and identity development.

Author Bio

Dr. Emily Caylor is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Saginaw Valley State University. She is interested in professional learning, child-centered literacy instruction, and school-wide systems and partnerships. She can be reached at eccaylor@svsu.edu.

Recommended Citation

Caylor, Emily (2026) "Coaching for the Whole Teacher: 10 Humanistic Practices for Reflective and Relational Literacy Coaching," Michigan Reading Journal: Vol. 58: Iss. 3, Article 11.
Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj/vol58/iss3/11