So what does an Instructional Coach do? As Instructional
Coaches, our role is to support teachers actualize their
professional goals. It is a co-constructive partnership where we
may plan, collaborate, explore, problem-solve, reflect and experiment in
areas of curriculum, instruction and assessment.
Coaches work within cluster teams consistently, and we also collaborate and share learning within our larger Professional Learning Community which includes all Lead, Elementary and Secondary Instructional Coaches, and other ACPS leaders.
(My) Guiding Essential Question Frame for this first year of coaching: "So... what are you interested in ______? " (place appropriate verb in blank) | Some details...Instructional Coaches are on cluster teams that include 3 or 4 coaches.
Each instructional coach has 2 or 3 designated schools within their
cluster. My designated schools are Brownsville and Meriwether Lewis. I am transitioning from my Hollymead involvement as of October, 2009. I'm a member of the "Crozet Cluster" Team which includes my colleagues, Hollins, Sarah, and Christa. We often travel in teams and we are to be thought of as a unified face. Keep in mind that we are teacher peers and our schedules and work is teacher-driven based on teachers' interests. We are to be thought of as generalists and not experts, even though we bring different strengths and experiences to the coaching role. We want to be side by side with teachers and learning together!
Our schedules are sent out via email each Friday. If we do not have specific plans at a school, we still plan time to be in each school every week. We often attend PLCs, meet with teachers individually, find resources, co-plan and co-teach lessons, visit classrooms and spend time with students and teachers in whatever is going on! Each school has a space designated for their coaches, so we have a desk to check email, meet, collaborate and plan.
Need to contact me? Places you can find me or my work, when I'm not in your school: on ACPS email, gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Schoolnet, Diigo, Delicious and Yammer.
My home school for storage, telephone communications and the "pony" is Crozet Elementary. My Crozet Cluster Team shares an office space there. We call it the "Huddle-Trailer".
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