COACHING CULTURE

Establishing Coaching Culture


Getting started in a coaching role presents challenges, particularly for new coaches and recently created positions. The challenges all stem from the new: teachers do not receive training on how to work with a tech coach, lack of clarity regarding the position frequents most districts, and teachers often associate tech coaching with tech support. The solution manifests in establishing a coaching culture within your school and district. To begin, you must define your role to engage teachers and begin establishing relationships.


But what is a Technology Coach?


Ultimately, a tech coach aspires to help teachers authentically use technology to support student growth and learning. Coaches provide hands-on support for teachers, so that they gain confidence in taking risks and creating student-centered 21st century learning environments. Coaches should feel passionately about skill development in students, and should have familiarity with creating skills-based curriculum and utilizing instructional methods that bridge the gaps between course content, skill development, and student engagement. These methods and skill-focused approaches establish the core of the mission refreshED Coaching represents.

This may sound all fine and dandy, but HOW DO COACHES DO IT?

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Tech Coaches offer much more than tech support to teachers. Often, teachers (at no fault of their own) do not yet understand the vital role coaches fill in creating effective and rigorous instructional practices. To begin, a coach must decide what they plan to offer their teachers. In our coaching practice, refreshED coaches consider themselves collaborators, innovators, trainers, and teachers. If teachers do not understand this, they cannot possibly take advantage of all that a coach has to offer. For this reason, coaches must first define their roles with teachers in the district. For more information, or for ideas on how to clarify and communicate the coaching role to teachers, consult the resources on this page.


Step 2: Clarify and Communicate Coaching Services

Coaching Services Menu

It is important for coaches to remind teachers often that whatever their needs are, they will meet them where they're at. A simple one page flyer or infographic is a useful tool to give teachers a general idea of what they have at their fingertips.

DHS Tech Coaching Menu of Learning Opportunities

Coaching Choice Board

Giving teachers a visual of the services and support coaches can provide is a useful tool when there is so much they offer! Each of the coaching services is linked to a slide that explains each in greater detail.

Meet and Greet with TIS Jess UHS

Coaching Services Slides

Coaches can clarify and communicate their services by attending CPTs, PLCs, or by addressing the teachers at an early faculty meeting. RefreshED coaches recommend all of these options.

Step 3: Clarify and Communicate Appointment Procedures

Single Building Coaching Request Form

When a coach is first starting to build relationships and outreach to teachers, a google form works great to assist with that first point of contact and communication. Click on the form to the left to see what worked for Coach Jen in her first year on the job.

Self-Scheduled Calendar Appointments

Once a coach has spent time establishing and buildling relationships with teachers, something as formal as a Google Form may not be necessary. Coach Jen found this to be true and decided to transition over to using Google Calendar Appointment slots; her teachers now self-schedule coaching times and utilize the notes field to share any important information regarding the nature of the coaching appointment. Click on the video tutorial to the left to learn more about the new features of Google Calendar Appointment Schedules!

Multiple Building Appointment Form

If you coach in multiple buildings, establishing a method for appointments can pose unique challenges. During Coach Jess's first year, she struggled to find a method that allowed her to accommodate teachers in three different buildings. At first, she tried spending full days in each building and rotating her time throughout the district. She then tried using appointments in Google Calendar, only to find this didn't really work either (there was far too much chaos). Finally, Coach Jess decided that a simple Google Form made the most sense. This example includes the information Jess needed to manage and control her schedule including which school (it's hard to remember in the beginning) and preferred days/times.

Step 4: Establish Your Role as an Instructional Leader

Regular Meetings with Admin

To effect change in a coaching role, coaches require the support of building administration. To this end, coaches should begin establishing routines to meet with building administrators at least once a month. During these meetings, the coach and administrator should discuss the district/school goals, instructional practices, and other key action items so that the coach supports school and district initiatives with teachers in the classroom.

If your school has a leadership team, we recommend that you participate, as establishing yourself as an instructional leader proves vital in your success. Teachers should see you as a role model and as an instructional coach as much as a technology coach.