Instructional Coaching for ERWC Fidelity

1. Instructional Coaching for ERWC Fidelity Kathleen D. Rowlands ERWC i3 Instructional Coaches

2. A process thorough which professional educators work together: • to reflect on current practices; • to expand, refine, and build new skills; • to share ideas and teach one another; • to conduct classroom research; • to solve workplace problems How to Plan and Implement a Peer Coaching Program Pam Robbins, 1991, ASCD p. 1 Broad Definition of Coaching

3. “To improve the instructional practices of teachers in order to increase student learning” (163); • To develop teacher potential; and • To support teachers. Professional Development: What Works Sally J. Zepeda 2008 Coaching Purposes

4. To help experienced ERWC teachers teach the revised curriculum. • New modules • CCCSS alignment • Clarified theoretical base • To support the implementation of the ERWC with FIDELITY in the core i3 research classrooms. What Are We Trying to Accomplish?

5. Collegial coaching • Instructional coaching • Literacy coaching • Mentor coaching • Peer coaching Professional Development: What Works --Sally J. Zepeda 2008 Types of Coaching

6. Assume many of the roles of peer coaches Critical Friends

7. Number of Districts: ? • Number of Schools: ? • Number of Teachers: ? Taking Coaching to Scale

8. Critical Friends Coaching • For colleagues in a building to use together for support, to improve instruction, and to address grant issues. Instructional Coaching • For the Advisory Board member or the ERWC Professional Developer to use with individual teachers or a school. Two ERWC Coaching Models

9. Solid professional development models. • CLEAR separation of coaching and evaluation. • Focus on fidelity of implementation and student learning. Both ERWC Models

10. Will train their teachers in Critical Friends and encourage them to find critical friends at their schools. Instructional Coaches

11. What the teachers know and can do…and what we NEED them to know and be able to do—with FIDELITY!. Bridging the Gaps

12. Effective Adult Learning

13. Adults face specific difficulties when learning. These include the following: • Their knowledge may not be systematic; • They have little time; • Their awareness may be slow and they may be afraid of learning theory; • Their listening and observation skills may be weak; Difficulties for Adult Learners

14. They may be shy in group situations; • They may be highly conservative and often disregard the views of others; • They may lack self-confidence and want to avoid making mistakes; and • Their attitude toward learning is affected by their past experiences, positively or negatively. Difficulties for Adult Learners

16. Adults like to learn in a self-conscious way. By contrast, children learn something as requested by adults, even if the subject is not interesting. Adults decide what they want to learn for themselves. • Adults learn best if the subject meets their needs. Eight Adult Learning Principles

17. Adults learn best by doing. This idea is expressed in the proverb: “What I hear is what I forget; what I see is what I remember; what I do is what I understand”. • Adults learn through experiences. When learning, adults bring along their own experiences. It is therefore necessary to respect and incorporate their experiences in the learning process. • Adults bring their own opinions to the learning environment. Those opinions affect their learning and awareness. Eight Adult Learning Principles

18. Adults learn best in a non-formal atmosphere where they can feel accepted and supported by the trainers and other trainees. • Adults learn by solving the problems relevant to their lives. Solutions must be based on their practical understanding and analysis drawing on in their experiences. • Adults can easily adapt to different teaching methods. They prefer not to receive grades. Eight Adult Learning Principles

19. Adult learning is most effective when it is based on experiences, reflection, addressing immediate needs, self-responsibility, participation, feedback, empathy and takes place in a safe and comfortable environment. In Summary…

20. Translating theory into practice

21. It is interactive (shows AND tells!), using active learning strategies such as demonstration, practice, and feedback. • It takes place over time (“one shots” are ineffective). Effective Professional Learning

22. It is embedded throughout the school year. • It is integrated into existing instruction. Effective Professional Learning

23. It provides needed resources, particularly time to process and discuss new ideas, and allows teachers to explore how new ideas will work in their classrooms with their students! • It is collaborative and supports teachers developing new knowledge and new skills. Effective Professional Learning

24. It should be seen by participants as purposeful, meaningful, useful, and doable. • It has administrative support. Effective Professional Learning

25. Experiential Learning Cycle

26. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE COACHING(Both Models)

27. Collaboration • Communication • Consistency • Clarity of Vision 4 C’s of Effective Coaching

28. Collaboration, NOT evaluation • Trust • Friendly, supportive, and interactive learning environment. Key Coaching Components

29. Instructional coaching

30. Coaching tied to a specific strategy or curricular approach. • Purpose of instructional coaching is to facilitate skill transfer from the workshop to the classroom. • Observation is NOT steered by the teacher being coached, but is linked to the concept or curriculum. How to Plan and Implement a Peer Coaching Program Pam Robbins 1991 ASCD Instructional Coaching

31. Is as much about building relationships with teachers as it is about instruction. • Partnership philosophy: authentic respect for teacher’s professionalism. • Collaborative work between the coach and the teacher. • Start by working one-to-one with teachers. Instructional Coaching

32. What coaching needs to be: • Teacher-centered • No-fault • Strengths-based “The Coach and the Evaluator”Bob Tschannen-Moran and Megan Tsechannen-Moran

33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY75MQte4RU Understanding the Relationship

34. Clarity concerning the differences between evaluation and professional development is crucial (11). • Coaches foster increased self awareness and mindfulness in teachers • Encourage teachers to clarify what they want and need, build on strengths and experiment in the service of mutually agreed-on goals. • Coaching space needs to be a “no-fault playing field” (15). “The Coach and the Evaluator” Bob Tschannen-Moran and Megan Tsechannen-Moran Clarity Essential

35. Teacher • Mentor • Partner • Facilitator • Supporter • Resource Provider • Problem Solver • Sounding Board • Consultant • Leader Coaches Wear Many Hats

36. Take a partnership approach; • Identify teacher’s goals; • Listen attentively; • Ask questions; • Explain teaching practices; and • Provide feedback. Effective Coaches…

37. Equality:Take a partnership approach to collaboration; coaches and teachers are partners and the teachers bring a lot to any interaction. • Choice: Teachers must have choice on what and how they learn. They have to be the final decision makers and decide which practices to adopt and how to interpret data. • Voice: The conversations are as open and candid as conversations with a trusted friend. • Reflection: This is an integral part of instructional learning; both coach and teacher should reflect on what is being learned. Jim Knight’s 7 Principles of Effective Coaching

38. Dialogue: In an authentic dialogue, nobody is pushing for one point-of-view. • Praxis: Teachers should apply new knowledge and skills to real life practice as they are learning. • Reciprocity: In each learning interaction there is an opportunity for everyone to learn. Coaches should expect the get as much as they give. Jim Knight’s 7 Principles of Effective Coaching

39. Help with setting goals • Encouraging action • Acting as a sounding board • Giving feedback • Prompting • Questioning Tasks of the Coach

40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_4VP3gBWY • As you watch: what do you notice about the relationship? • What roles does the coach assume? • Who does most of the talking? • What kinds of questions does the coach ask? David Ginsburg Instructional Coaching: Classroom Procedures (A Model of a Debriefing Session)

41. Common language • Specific focus • Hard evidence-objective data • Interaction • Predictability • Reciprocity Effective Conferencing(separating the person from the practice)

42. Experienced ERWC teachers need: • Big picture of what we hope to accomplish; • Clear picture of the ERWC instructional coaching model (differentiating it from others they may be familiar with); Mentored Teachers

43. Experienced ERWC teachers need: • Clear understanding of the PEER coaching model (differentiating it from others they may be familiar with); • Clear understanding of their role, rights, and the role, rights, and responsibilities of the coach in BOTH models. Mentored Teachers

44. Critical friends coaching …is different…

45. Helps ensure the transfer of newly learned skills from an in-service learning opportunity into practice. • “In-class training by a supportive partner who helps a teacher correctly apply skills learned in a workshop” (Joyce and Showers 1982, p. 5). Critical Friends Coaching

46. THINKING PARTNERS: we are thinking through this and learning together as a team. • Less formal than instructional coaching • Teachers should select their own partners. • Should have a rule: peer coaches can get a divorce. Critical Friends Coaching

47. Critical Friends partnerships are voluntary. • Information shared within the relationship is strictly confidential. • Each participant is responsible to complete any work that both have deemed beneficial. Some Characteristics of the Relationship

48. “Inviting teacher” steers the coaching process: • Observation focus; • Form of data collection; • Agreed upon guidelines for coach’s and mentee’s behavior; • Discussion parameters; • Date and time of observation. Critical Friends Coaching Model

49. Effective coaching partnerships focus on the practical, not the abstract. (“It’s About the Questions” p. 76) Focus on the Practical

50. “One of most difficult aspects of peer coaching , after conquering feelings of discomfort abut teaching publically, is deciding on a focus for the observation” (29). • Inviting teacher might start with a safe focus—something the teacher is confident about and does well. • Brainstorm menu of options • Determining data collection method • Essential that inviting teacher and coach talk about data collection instrument in detail so that data collected matches desired focus. • Data collection must be manageable for the coach and relevant for the inviting teacher. Data Collection Focus