Hands On Heads Literacy Coaching
About Me: I’m Amanda Sutera, an Instructional Literacy Coach and Literacy Consultant with over 13 years of dedicated experience in literacy and leadership. My journey has taken me through various roles, former Head of Curriculum, PYP Coordinator and Literacy Coach, and currently as an Instructional Literacy Coach and Literacy Consultant. These leadership roles have equipped me with a deep understanding of evidence-informed instructional practices and literacy strategies to drive student achievement and growth.
My Vision for Educators: I believe leaders should be INFORMED, teachers EMPOWERED and students ENGAGED. I value the importance of developing the professional learning of ALL teachers, especially those in Years 5-8. My work centres on building teachers’ literacy practices with side-by-side, in-classroom support, through instructional coaching. My focus is on collaborating with leaders and teachers to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and practical implementation, enhancing the depth and rigour of literacy instruction.
My Approach: I bring a ‘coaching way of being’ to my work, drawing on my training in Instructional Coaching, the Coaching Certification Program, and Coaching in Leadership. This approach is evident in every aspect of my practice—from formal coaching cycles to facilitating workshops and planning sessions with colleagues. My multidimensional approach combines explicit teaching of instructional practices and literacy strategies, while harnessing student agency, collaboration and creativity.
My Experience: I’m highly familiar with Knight’s Impact Cycle and the G.R.O.W.T.H framework from Growth Coaching International, having successfully become a Trained Leader and Instructional Coach. I have effectively applied these experiences to transform literacy practices in various coaching settings, across all three educational sectors. With a solid understanding of High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS), The Gradual Release of Responsibility, Cultures of Thinking and The Inquiry Cycle, I ensure that these principles are embedded in literacy practices, aligning with Sharratt’s 14 Parameters of System and School Improvement and Hattie’s Visible Learning.
My transformations: I’ve used instructional coaching to enhance the literacy capacity of Year 5 and 6 teachers for the past 7 years. I’ve witnessed shifts in teacher practices to enhance literacy outcomes that extended to students through to Year 9. I’ve empowered teachers to strengthen their literacy skills when teaching a literature analysis, and I’ve collaborated with teams to embed a text-based unit to combine the explicit teaching of literacy skills. The teams I’ve worked with have integrated retrieval practices, structured spelling lessons, embedded explicit teaching of Tier 2 vocabulary, fostered authentic connections between reading and writing, used collaborative learning strategies and embedded thinking routines and graphic organisers.
DOWNLOAD: To take a ‘coaching approach’ to transform your literacy practices, this coaching guide provides leadership support, literacy-focused questioning, and practical ideas for team use. Download The Coaching Approach to Literacy Success here.
Contact Me: For more information about how to provide your Years 5-8 teachers with sustainable professional learning through instructional coaching, please visit my website or contact me directly. Let’s collaborate and connect!
Download Hands On Heads Instructional Literacy Coaching information pack
