**The post below was originally written prior to COVID19 and the current school closures. I feel this is even more relevant due the current circumstances of schools and home/continuous learning.
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The "TC"/"IC" Myth
The "TC"/"IC" Myth
March 2020
The first time I presented at ISTE, I presented alongside my coaching partner (Kate Piland) in the EdTech Coaches playground. We were presenting on the structure of professional learning that we use at our site. And what I remember most about that experience was the way people looked at us during our presentation - like we were oddities at the zoo.
You see, my coaching partner, Kate, was considered a "tech coach," while I was considered an "instructional coach." And the questions we got during our presentation had more to do with how we were working together as a team, than what we were doing for professional learning.
- You’re a tech coach?
- You’re an instructional coach?
- How did you get your tech/instructional coach to work with you?
This experience led me on a journey of considering why the roles are seen as separate. Why did people think we were - weird? It was natural for us to work together and be a team. Didn't other tech coaches work closely with their instructional coaches? Other people didn't seem to think that was normal.
So, I'm kind of a researcher. If something doesn't make sense to me, I'm going to look into it and figure it out. I had this nagging question - Why do people see TC’s and IC’s separately? I went on an expedition.
I began exploring the roles of a tech coach and an instructional coach. So here's what I discovered in the research:
Tech Coach AND Instructional Coach:
- As a tech coach and an instructional coach, you work side-by-side with teachers in classrooms for teaching to meet learning goals.
- As a coach you’re not the expert with the answers.
- In both roles, you assist teachers to differentiate and personalize learning for all students.
- Supporting teachers in meeting the learning needs of their students and supporting teachers as they shrink equity and accessibility gaps, and adapt learning experiences to meet the diverse needs of all students.
- Both tech coaches and instructional coaches support teachers in analyzing assessment data and making data-based instructional decisions.
- Both roles help teachers analyze resources to determine which resources are the best for their students’ needs.
- Both tech coaches and instructional coaches support teachers in aligning teaching and learning experiences with the mission and vision of the school.
- Both roles help teachers in creating authentic, rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning experiences that are standards- and curriculum-aligned that include collaboration, creativity, and innovation, and prepare students to be productive citizens (after all, whether it is digital or in person, leadership is leadership, kindness is kindness, and citizenship is citizenship).
- Both tech coaches and instructional coaches assist teachers as they reflect on their practice and set goals for areas of growth.
- In both roles, you engage in ongoing personal professional growth and learning.
- Both tech and instructional coaches PARTNER WITH TEACHERS TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING.
Here are the differences I found:
Tech Coach AND Instructional Coach:
- Not a single one.
Here was my biggest take-away from the research. These roles both focus on student learning.
Why is it that in this day and time, we divide these roles into two separate entities?
They're the same!
What I discovered on this expedition was a new "critter" for the zoo. Think about how powerful it is to merge this role into one.
In an evolving world of education where technology is being infused with instruction, that’s how the role should be - infused. If you treat them separately, they are separate. However, technology should enhance the learning experience. It should make an impact on instruction, and it should not be separate from learning. Technology for technology-sake does not make learning happen. True learning begins with the instructional goal in mind, selecting appropriate strategies and technology tools that will guide students to the learning outcomes. Especially in a 1:1 environment, you cannot have one without the other. Having two separate roles creates a false sense of “separateness.” It must be one role to effectively support teachers with intentional instruction and intentional instructional technology choices for better student learning.
In today’s world and as the use of tech in education evolves, it is necessary to blend the roles. Tech should begin with instruction, then selected with purpose to enhance instructional goals. The TC/IC Myth is the habit of seeing the roles as separate parts of the education process. Viewing TC’s and IC’s separately is clunky, and it undervalues how they are the same.
Kathleen Sheehy & Leslie Ceballos state:
“Technology use must, first and foremost, be designed to support learning goals, not the other way around...the learning goals must come first, with technology second in a supporting role.”
My coaching partner, Kate, and I didn't realize how different we were. We put student learning first and that led us to work in one role - as instructional technology coaches.
Doesn’t it make more sense to have a combined role? Think about how powerful it would be to have one role with a shared vision of supporting teachers and student learning.
- Ginny
Resources:
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