Weekly Coaching Roundup: May 6th, 2019

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Weekly Coaching Roundup - May 2019 (Half) (Seasonal)

This week we learned how end-of-year coaching cycles encourage risk-taking, the importance of self-management, how to promote teacher learning through a backward planning process, and more!

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3 Reasons Why End-of-Year Coaching Cycles Are the Best

Tonya Moody believes end-of-year coaching cycles are the perfect time to encourage risk-taking and promote a culture of learning.

"As teachers, we often see ideas and worry that it may not be the best time to try something new. However, there's no better time to try out a new instructional practice then the end of the year because it can give teachers the confidence they need to start the school year strong. In turn, you become the coach that partners with teachers to accomplish all they yearn and desire for their students current and future!"

Keep on the Sunny Side

Vicki Collet promotes the importance of self-management in coaching and why optimism is necessary.

"Being able to manage our own emotions is a step toward recognizing and responding to the emotions of others. And if we want others to listen to and have trust in us, we need to be in tune with how they are thinking and feeling. . . . As a leader, it's important that you keep your optimism quotient high!"

The Role of Assessment in Coaching

Fiona Hurtado explains how coaches can support formative assessment to promote student-learning.

"When coaching is founded in the formative process, we are perfectly placed to support teachers in realising their beliefs around what we should be measuring: academic standards, transdisciplinary skills and dispositions/approaches to learning. During planning, coaches and teachers can work together to identify those beliefs (or reach to shared school values through the Vision and Mission). During coaching cycles we may use them as one of the success criteria by probing at 'how' academic standards are realised. Then we might ensure these skills, in conjunction with the academic standards, are part of what we teach and assess."

What Do Our Students Need Us to Learn?

Steve Barkley encourages a backward planning process—one that starts with desired student outcomes—to find targeted ways to promote teacher learning.

"Planning backwards from student desired outcomes eventually leads to identifying teachers' needs for understanding or learning. . . . When we know what students need to do to cause the desired learning, we can explore the teacher behaviors/actions that will generate, motivate, and coach those student behaviors."

Staying Motivated as an Instructional Coach

Kim Cofino shares four techniques to stay positive and become your own cheerleader throughout your coaching journey.

"It may sound silly, but make sure you have your own support network of colleagues even if they aren't coaches. You can seek out the teachers that are willing to take risks and try new things, and build in structures to both support them and ensure that you have a team you can turn to when you need advice or support too. The goal here is to connect and collaborate with colleagues who are moving forward, and to create a self-sustaining community of like-minded and positive colleagues."

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