Embedded Files
school context
Keeping record of the coaching process is shared both by the coach and the teacher. Usually, a running record such as a Google file or document is shared by both parties to document every step of the process for every cycle. This practice ensures that there is transparency and builds trust among the participants. There is no fixed format that is used by all coaches and teachers; instead it is the product from the discussion between the coach and the teachers. Due to the varied experiences in coaching from all participants, the forms and/or documents that are used to guide pre-observation meetings, collect data, and focus post-observation meetings can differ slightly from one group to another. However, the core questions to be discussed remain consistent across the school. For pre-observation, the coach and teacher would discuss what the focus of the coaching cycle would be for the year or for each cycle. The focus area is usually grounded on the professional teaching standards, the school’s vision and mission, the school’s goal, etc. Another important item to specify is the role of the coach during the observation. This is where both parties discuss how the coach can conduct themselves in the classroom--whether they should sit in one place or navigate around the classroom, whether they can talk to students or keep to themselves, and/or how long they should stay in the class to observe. Equally important is the discussion about what data or evidence to be collected for post-observation. Depending on what the area of focus during the observation, the data and evidence could be the script of the dialogue, student work samples, recordings, etc. Finally, the pre-observation concludes with the scheduled time for the observation and the post-observation. During the observation, the two parties debrief on the data or evidence collected during the observation. As a general practice, the teacher begins the debrief with a self-evaluation of the lesson after examining the data and/or evidence collected by both parties. Then the coach gives his/her assessment of the lesson and guides the conversation toward the next step. After both parties agree on the next steps--whether to re-teach the lesson, implement a new strategy, attend a professional development, using new resources, etc.--then the two sides schedule a follow-up meeting to observe the next step. The follow-up meeting could be another observation to document a new teaching method, a meeting to verify the completion of a training or using of a resource. In every step of the way, both parties are responsible for documenting it in the shared document/file to keep a record of the teacher's development.
One of the challenges I may face in conducting a coaching cycle with the volunteer teacher is the timing. During distance learning, my school uses a staggering class schedule where students go to every other day. Under this schedule, there are half as many classes in a week to have the flexibility to choose to observe. In addition, the volunteer teacher also teaches History on top of English Language Arts. This means that there are even fewer English classes for me to observe and provide feedback in the event that scheduling is a problem. However, if there are conflicts that would prevent me from conducting observation in English Language Arts, I can suggest that the observation can also be done in History. Even though this would deviate a little from my normal practice, it would not make the coaching cycle any less effective.
self-reflection
Strength
One of my coaching strengths is the ability to provide opportunities for the volunteer teacher to discuss her lesson plan and her strategies. That is the feedback she gave me for this coaching cycle. She referred to the pre-observation and post-observation meetings as opportunities to discuss her lesson. Part of the reason that is my coaching strength is connected to my other coaching strength. I think my facilitative style of coaching is very conducive for the volunteer teachers to open up and discuss her plans. My facilitative style uses open ended questions, listens attentively, and puts the volunteer teacher at the heart of the coaching experience. In other words, I help the volunteer teacher to examine the lesson by digging deeper into their assumptions and beliefs using open ended questions and active listening skill. By listening and asking probing questions, I create the opportunity for the volunteer teacher to see their own strengths and areas for growth.
Area of Growth
One of the areas of growth based on the feedback I received from the volunteer teacher is to provide the option of co-facilitating a lesson. This feedback is very valuable because it helps me to see a broader role of coaching, observing and providing feedback. In the same vein, it widens the range of coaching services that I can offer for teacher professional development. During the pre-observation with the volunteer teacher, I unintentionally steered the direction of this meeting to the traditional way of coaching--the coach observes and provides feedback to the teacher. Now I can offer co-facilitation--where the coach and volunteer teacher co-plan and co-teach a lesson, and/or demo-ing a lesson--where the coach teaches the lesson while the volunteer teacher observes. With this extended list of options, I think more teachers will buy-in to the process because they will have a voice in choosing the kind of coaching service that suits their needs the most. Along with the ability to choose the lesson, allowing teachers to choose the type of coaching service will elevate the level of input teachers have in this process.
Area of Growth
Another area of growth I believe would benefit the coaching process as well as the volunteer teacher is to use a proficiency scale for the agreed-upon CSTP-standard/element. Looking back at the pre-observation, I noticed that even though both the volunteer teacher and I jointly chose the CSTP standard/element--I don’t think we had the same idea about what constitutes its effective practice. For that reason, I should have used a proficiency scale/rubric of that CSTP-standard/element to ground our pre-observation discussion. First, I would ask the volunteer teacher to self-assess herself to see where she is at on the scale/rubric. Then, we could discuss how a higher or more effective level of that rubric would look in her classroom setting. By doing this, I believe the volunteer teacher and I would be able to visualize the success criteria during the pre-observation and analyze more effectively the lesson during the post-observation.
CAPES
Supporting Documents
Student Work Sample.pdfPart E--Observation Form.docxPart C.docxPage updated
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