Learn
I have learned so much working in my school for the past 14 years. My colleagues are some of the best there are and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. I can always go to them when I am struggling to find an answer to a solution or need new strategies to help close gaps in student learning. I will be transitioning to a new journey very soon as a District Instructional Coach for Math and Science within my county. While I am so nervous and anxious, I know that I will bring with me the plethora of learning that has taken place over the years.
According to Reid (2019), “instructional coaches are uniquely positioned to support teacher development and student learning, but must be enabled to engage in this work”. Our school is well equipped with both a reading and a math coach that are housed at our school. Instructional coaches are so important for the development and growth of the school. Our reading coach is new this year. I feel that she needs to build relationships with the teachers. Knight (2019) explains “the effectiveness of professional developers is directly related to how well they know the material they share" (p. 102). I know for me personally, if I feel that a coach is not knowledgeable about the content and strategies presented, then I will check out. I feel that when teachers have that relationship built then buy-in is created by the teachers. Only then can you really begin your coaching journey.
The biggest struggle schools face with instructional coaches is not really understanding what they do. Reid (2019) states, “by providing clear roles and responsibilities of all involved in a coaching program, teachers might be more willing to engage in the coaching process”. We do not know what we do not know. So having clear communication and expectations from all parties is extremely important.
Instructional Playbooks are great resources for coaches to create for teachers that pair down their strategies, implementations, and organization of said strategies. A playbook is composed of a one-page list of teaching strategies, descriptions for those strategies, and checklists. The one thing I loved most about this reading is how Knight (2019), discussed the need for checklists. I love a checklist. These particular checklists help describe the teaching strategies and act as a quick reference. “If coaches don’t have ways to assess whether their audiences understand what is being discussed, they may leave the audiences behind” (Knight, 2019, p 107). It all goes back to communication. These checklists can serve as an assessment tool to gauge understanding.
Improve
As a teacher and coach enter the Improve Stage of a coaching cycle, it is more important than ever to ensure collaborating is taking place. Knight (2019), refers to this stage as where “ideas turn into action” (p.133). This cannot be one sided. It is a difficult stage because of how in depth it goes but also the most rewarding because it is focused around student success. The teacher and instructional coach can move through Knight's (2019), four step system to ensure that improvement is being met.
Confirm Direction
Review Progress
Invent Improvements
Plan Next Actions
The stages can really elevate the improvement of the coaching cycle. Buy-in and discussion is the most important goal. If there is not buy-in and dialogue is not taking place then I would argue that improvement is not either. Teachers need to strive to be lifelong learners and never be complacent with where they are. To learn from and improve our instruction is what makes the difference. Education is always changing and with that so should we in our learning.
References:
Alderete, F. (2018). The impact cycle. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxZG51hv4ek
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Giphy. Connecticut Sun Basketball GIF By WNBA. https://media.giphy.com/media/3og0ITdsSYRD8kzANG/giphy.gif
Kelly, M. (2019, June 6). The Instructional Playbook: The Missing Link for Translating Research into Practice. Instructional Coaching Group. https://www.instructionalcoaching.com/the-instructional-playbook-the-missing-link-for-translating-research-into-practice/
Knight, J. (2018). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. Corwin.
Reid, D. B. (2019). How school principals enable instructional coaches: Evidence from New Jersey educational leadership review, 201(1), 87-100.
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI know how excited, yet apprehensive you are to start on your new coaching journey for the district! It is a crazy world that changes constantly, but like you said, as long as you focus on not just building relationships, but maintaining them as well, you will do great! Referring back to the points Knight (2017) made in reference to the importance of checklists, I couldn't agree more. Keeping up with everything that is thrown at you is almost impossible and I find that creating lists keeps more organized and focused. I had no idea that something I do everyday is actually extremely beneficial to my coaching cycles with teachers.
References
Knight, J. (2017). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching (1st ed.). Corwin.
Erica,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading yours and April’s blogs, I think we are all checklist people. I agree that buy-in is very important to the success of instructional coaching. It is also true that dialogue must take place. This all comes down to having a relationship that is built on trust and understanding. Without that, a teacher will not be receptive to feedback or ideas. Knight quotes Deborah Mitchell in The Impact Cycle (2018), saying, “I think the most important thing is to build a trusting relationship with the people you are working with” (p. 113). This may take some time, but can be done easily with a good staff of workers.
Knight, J. (2018). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. Corwin, A Sage Company.