Supporting Teacher Growth & Development

initial plan to orient the teacher

I will lay out the process of observation and feedback in my CALAPA cycle 3.  First we will discuss the population he teaches and discuss their strengths and needs.  I will explain how we will have a pre-observation meeting that will be recorded where we will go over the upcoming lesson plan he presented and how we will discuss the goals for this lesson.  Next I will go over the lesson itself and how I will be observing, recording the lesson and taking notes.  I will explain that the video will only be seen by him and myself and that he will get access to my notes from the observation.  I will then explain how we will have a post-observation debriefing that will be recorded where we will go over success and opportunities for growth.  When I orient the volunteer teacher, I will ask him what he most wants to achieve during the process.  I will explain where I see some of his strengths and discuss how I think he can use those strengths to drive growth in other areas, based on our history of working together and based on his input. I will address his concerns by notifying him that I will be working to scaffold CSTP standards to show him how he can apply them to his own practice.  I will embed in every step of discussion how this is a collaborative process and I want to hear his concerns, understanding and goals as we go through the process.  I know he will have great ideas on how to effectively work through the process together.

In our pre-observation meeting I plan to discuss the details of the volunteer teacher’s student population, their needs, strengths and the dynamics of the classroom.  I will ask about the greatest challenges he expects to encounter during his lesson and how he plans to pivot if flexibility is required.  I will discuss the teacher’s goals, lesson plans and application of CSTPs and state standards.  I will also discuss differentiation, accommodations and modifications as it applies to his students.

I will discuss with the volunteer teacher how he will be assessing students during the lesson so that we can plan to collect copies of student work for our analysis and learning process.  I will also arrange a time to observe and find a spot in the room that will not interfere with the lesson  I will explain how I will be taking notes while also recording the lesson on video.  I will explain how and when he will have access to the video for observation and my notes during the observation.  I will offer every accommodation possible to help the volunteer teacher to be comfortable and jointly engaged in the process.

The volunteer teacher and I will jointly review the student work and look for patterns and trends.  I will discuss my notes and feedback based on the goals he set for himself and have a discussion about how he felt the lesson went as well.  I will ask him about the challenges of the lesson and the successes of the lesson.  We will discuss how we can see the progression towards the lesson objective and if we think it was achieved.  We will discuss ideas from both of us about how to build on the lesson and implementation of further supports and pedagogical mechanisms.  We will collaborate on what we think should happen next and what the major take-aways from this lesson are.

main activities

The challenges in completing the coaching cycle were various IEPs that got in the way of access to time to meet together.  Another challenge was the unpredictable classroom environment.  He teaches students with moderate to severe autism and some students have severe behavioral challenges that require the classroom to shut down at any given time to prevent students from self-injuring themselves.  I conducted drop-ins with his students before the lesson was implemented to build more familiarity with his students and do some fun activities with my students in their class so that we could pave the way for a successful observation where my presence would not be a factor in disrupting students.  I already have a good rapport with his students, but I made sure my presence was regularly seen in his class to prepare for my observation.  I also blocked out some time with our SPED office asking them not to schedule any new IEPs during scheduled coaching and observation sessions.  The best course of action was to draw from our working relationship and work around his schedule while building relationships with his students.  This approach would work with any coaching relationship.

reflection

The post-observation discussion reflected the collaborative relationship between the volunteer teacher and I.  We have been working together a long time and the coaching process benefited from our ability to work together and support each other.  This facilitated his ability to give open and honest feedback.  

The Volunteer Teacher gave me insight into how regular check-ins are an important part of collaboration in a coaching process.  It can’t just be scheduled formal visits, but has to be daily or near daily discussions about progress, challenges and events.  

Our post-observation discussion showed me that addressing a challenging subject like CSTP 2.3 in relation to safety can be done with professionalism and empathy.  I see that I really saw this teacher’s most pressing needs in his classroom and built a space for us to discuss it and make plans to address it.  I was able to coach him in a way that built support in our teaching relationship.  I was kind and positive and encouraging and that helped create room for open dialogue.

Another strength I have, that was noted in the Volunteer Teacher’s feedback, is that I have a good relationship with this teacher, his staff and his students and my knowledge of how they work and who they are really helped me in being able to observe and understand the dynamics of his classroom.  I think ongoing coaching relationships benefit from such understanding.

An area for growth is that I wish I had started supporting him earlier on a deeper level as a colleague with the CSTP area 2.3 regarding safety in the classroom.  Starting a process like this at the beginning of the school year would be an ideal way to implement a coaching relationship.  We had discussed his concerns surrounding safety in the classroom earlier and I offered some suggestions, but I wasn’t a collaborative partner to him until this coaching process started.  It shows me that teachers and staff need to be set up more to support each other because teaching can often feel very isolating as we each manage the challenges of our classrooms.  I hadn’t been observing him enough prior to this process, which prevented me from providing any meaningful instructional feedback.  Working on building coaching into our practice will help both of us look forward to positive accountability.

Another area of growth would be for me to build a system of accountability for when I work with teachers to collaborate as a coach and a colleague.  Because of my own negative experiences with evaluations in the past, a formal system of coaching did not appeal to me.  However, this process showed me that a more formal system, when implemented with equity and collaboration, this system could be a positive and supportive experience for both coach and teacher.  In my relationship with the Volunteer Teacher, prior to this process, I often offered reactionary supports based on events that took place in his classroom.  But I think if I regularly observe his teaching practice, create spaces for dialogue and feedback and collaborate with him about steps we could take to improve his pedagogy, it could be a mutually beneficial collegial relationship.  I learned so much through this process and think a collaborative relationship would help any teacher.

CAPES

Supporting Documents