Douglas Reeves believes that clarity and succinctness are integral to success. He indicates that, “There is evidence that schools are well served by one-page plans that are clearly focused and simple enough that every participant in the process understands his or her role in executing the plan.” So, what does this mean for instructional coaches?

In the 2009 Status Report on Teacher Development in the United States and Abroad, Stephanie Hirsh states that “… improving professional learning for educators is a crucial step in transforming schools and improving academic achievement.” She continues by saying that we have a responsibility to ensure that teacher skills and knowledge must be strengthened so that every teacher is equipped with the tools necessary to teach “diverse learners, be knowledgeable about student learning, competent in complex core academic content, and skillful at the craft of teaching.”

Schools need to make sure that professional learning is planned and organized to engage all teachers regularly and to advance the learning of all students. This, of course, means that high-quality, sustained professional learning must be available so that all teachers are given an opportunity to nourish their own professional growth. Enter the coach!

As you prepare for the relaxing summer and reflect on your work as instructional coaches, mentors, administrators, or other school leader, take some time to think about how you have impacted student learning, encouraged teacher professional growth, and improved student and teacher engagement. Without influencing these elements in schools, student growth will not happen.

If you are like me, I’m sure you’ve had your share of advice not taken immediately or your suggestions for a different approach to student learning met with less than an enthusiastic response. When that happens, I reflect and engage in an internal monologue and think about how my intentions are shared and what my expectations are with respect to that conversation. I think back to Stephanie Hirsh’s words and remind myself that my role is to support, encourage, refine, and improve each and every coach’s and teacher’s practice so that every student is the beneficiary of a highly effective instructional practice delivered by a highly effective instructor.

Take some time and reflect on all the changes that have occurred in schools. Celebrate those changes and use this reflective process as part of the planning for next year. Build on the successes from this year and think ahead about next year’s goals keeping the focus clear and deliberate: improve professional learning for educators which will transform schools and improve academic achievement.

As I reflect on instructional coaching, mentoring, and one-on-one support, I am reminded about the power of watching, listening, and sharing what our colleagues learn. Several coaches with whom I’ve been communicating talk about how much being an instructional coach means to their own teaching practice, to collaborating with their colleagues, and about changes they’ve seen in classrooms. They talk about how rewarding it is to be part of a practice that honors the teachers’ voices and recognizes the importance of ongoing teacher professional development that leads to professional learning.

Seeing is believing… take a look at the videos by accessing this link: http://piic.pacoaching.org/index.php/resources/piic-videos/199-videos. You’ll see and hear from two instructional coaches, a principal, an instructional mentor, and a regional mentor coordinator talk about their experiences in their respective positions and schools and the impact of instructional coaching on teachers, their classrooms, their instruction, and their students.

Instructional coaches make deliberate time to talk, plan, and reflect with their colleagues. They understand that planning before, visiting during class time, and debriefing after classroom visits is the process to follow when providing support to their colleagues. Watch these videos and reaffirm what you already know… instructional coaching takes time but it is time very well spent!

Last week, the PA Institute for Instructional Coaching held its last multi-day professional development and learning conference for the year. It was very well attended and instructional coaches from across the state were able to network with each other and share their insights, experiences, and new learnings.

One of the things that was abundantly clear was the need to continue sharing new information and providing ongoing opportunities for coaches to talk to one another about practice, consistency of instructional support, and how adults learn. Guess what, adults are not just “big” kids! They want to learn and collectively problem solve and they do it in ways that are different than the ways in which our children learn.

Have you ever heard of the term, “Andragogy”? This is the science of helping adults learn and refers to the learner centered method (adult as learner). Much of the work on adult learning is credited to Malcolm Knowles and based on five critical assumptions about a person’s maturation process as a learner: 1) adult learners are self-directed; 2) adult learners “collect” experiences which become resources for their learning; 3) adult learners are ready to learn; 4) adult learning is relevant with the learning focused on problem solving; and 5) adult learners are motivated to learn. (infed.org)

So, how does the theory of andragogy apply to instructional coaching? Adult learners have diverse and distinctive characteristics and to be an effective coach, recognition of these characteristics will make the difference between an instructional coach who coaches “light” and an instructional coach who helps change instructional practice. Instructional coaches must understand how adults learn and provide them with ample opportunities to learn new things, practice what they have learned, and then talk about that practice and what worked well.

When you reflect on your year as an instructional coach, think about the art and science of working with adults and your practice as a coach. Have an internal monologue and answer these questions: Where do you need to nourish your professional growth? What are you doing to help teachers improve their practice? Which of your own practices need to be strengthened, revamped, and realigned with the greater good for increased student engagement and improved student outcomes?

Several states are now requiring student teachers to take a performance-based exam. The exam is called called the edTPA. This is a test that measures the student teacher’s readiness to begin teaching. It involves videotaping and analyzing one’s own teaching style, skill set, knowledge base, and ability to engage students. Central to that are the actual lesson plans, the assessments that are aligned with the instruction, and the daily feedback that teachers give to their students.

The practice of videotaping and analysis can be very powerful. It is certainly a reflective practice and done effectively, helps the teacher really focus on what worked well and what areas of support are needed. What makes me nervous, however, is that there doesn’t seem to be a focused attempt to have the student teacher work with a colleague or instructional coach to discuss the practices on the videotape and share ideas with his/her colleagues about the instruction.

In the April issue of the Journal of Staff Development (JSD), authors Fahey and Ippolito indicate three concepts for adult learning to take place and ultimately influence students: 1) Educators need a learning practice as well as a teaching practice; 2) Adult learning practice changes over time; and 3) How adults’ learning practice changes makes a difference in their teaching practice. So, if the videotaped lesson is the mode by which schools will determine teacher candidate readiness, where does the collaboration take place to ensure that teaching and learning are discussed and necessary adjustments are made to help teachers teach more effectively?

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” Peter Drucker

One of the most valuable practices an instructional coach can help teachers implement is the process of reflection. It’s really not just reporting about action, ideas, or plans; it’s all about making thinking and actions visible and then discussing why and how those actions, ideas, and plans worked. It’s all about the deliberate and intentional conversations that must occur when talking about teaching and learning.

The difference between reporting and reflecting is easy to understand: reporting means to give an account, write a summary, or provide an explanation for some transaction that has taken place. Most reports repeat what happened in some detail or make some announcement; there is no analysis, only the details without any interpretation. On the other hand, a reflection is a thought provoking, meditative process that involves serious thinking, introspection, immersion, and engagement in some action. It is an analysis and commentary of an encounter with the primary purpose of interpreting what happened, determining if the action was appropriate, and making necessary adjustments to make the next encounter more successful.

Making time to sit quietly and think about your actions and then discussing those actions with an instructional coach is liberating and cathartic. It gives an individual the “permission” to talk about practice and discuss ways to make that practice even more effective. It is an internal monologue at first followed by a deliberate conversation with like-minded practitioners who can give focused advice. It’s an authentic way for practitioners to practice with each other without the anxiety of an evaluation.

In the March 27, 2014 issue of EdWeek, bloggers Jill Berkowicz and Ann Myers talk about the usefulness of the observation process schools use to ostensibly improve teacher practice. They state what I think we all know, “There is little evidence that the observation methods we currently employ improve student achievement.”

 

This is another one of the “no brainer” kind of common sense approach… how can an observation without pre-planning or debriefing be effective? What makes us think that just because an administrator observes what is going on in a classroom, at a given moment, is anything more than a snapshot in time? Why do we think that a momentary (or class period) observation will naturally yield a dialogue between two people which will then result in changes in classroom instruction, climate, or content?

Berkowicz and Myers offer a great alternative… “a purposeful coaching model” whereby a process for communication and collective problem solving is intentionally planned, deliberately executed, and determinedly reflective. They realize that the coaching process is ongoing, specific, descriptive, and timely and uses the co-constructivist approach and collaborative thinking to identify areas of strength and areas of need. They understand that coaching is a non-evaluative practice that depends on open communication and the willingness to explore thinking in ways that may be alien at first but welcomed when implemented regularly. When teachers recognize that their voices are honored, their practice becomes much different. 

Instructional coaching holds the key to great change…it is one of the most effective ways to talk about practice and make changes to that practice. Coaches are on the side of helping teachers identify effective instructional practices and then implement those practices in ways that stimulate thinking, raise expectations, and acknowledge the potential for learning.