August is off to a strong start with some great coaching content from around the web! Read on to learn how one coach uses Instagram to support her coaching role, the five levels of listening, a few tips for connected professional learning, and more. Enjoy! 👍

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The Power of Instagram

Social media can be a lot of fun, but it's also a great way to grow and develop professionally. Nita Creekmore shares how she uses Instagram to support her role as an instructional coach and why she got started.

"Three years ago, I became an instructional coach and I captured my transition from classroom teacher to coach right on my Instagram page. I soon realized that fellow coaches on Instagram were eager to share their resources and tips, allowing me to learn some of the tricks of the trade from coaches in the field. . . . I could connect with them for help with specific issues I was facing and they also provided a virtual shoulder to lean on for support."

Tune In

Vicki Collet highlights the five levels of listening—a key attribute of coaching—that ICs should practice.

"Strategic listening includes absorbing new information and making connections between ideas. We may ask questions to clarify, and we synthesize the current conversation with previous ones to get the big picture. As we listen strategically, we may also summarize what the teacher is saying in ways that provide clarity for her."

5 Tips for Connected Professional Learning

Grant Atkins covers how organizations can meet the technological, social, emotional, content, and pedagogical needs of their teachers remotely.

" A connected professional learning system that is flexible, personalized, collaborative, and sustained will enable teachers to reflect on and improve their instructional practices, build capacity within the school, and improve students’ social and emotional well-being and academic achievement. This sort of system will build connections through webinars, virtual coaching, and online collaboration, all connected to an assessment system and high-quality curriculum materials."

Being a Classroom Management Pro

Christine Weis relays a few tips for taking control of your classroom virtually.

"So now that we may not be physically in the classroom, what expectations do we need to teach in our virtual classroom? First, you showed your students where to find what they need in the virtual space (LMS), now you'll show them how and what you expect of them."

Mastering Live and Recorded Virtual Lessons

Blake Harvard overviews five evidence-based principles for refining the effectiveness of your instructional videos.

"When designing instruction in my classroom, I try to incorporate strategies having research supporting the effectiveness of the strategy. It just makes sense to me that I want to teach my students using methods that support student learning in an efficient and effective manner."

How to Improve Remote Learning Experiences

Eileen Belastock believes a team approach and starting with what you know are key components of distance learning.

"Educators and support professionals collaborate, share data and support students on an ongoing basis through department, grade-level and team meetings. These invaluable opportunities result in increased attendance, reduced numbers of discipline issues, improved academic performance and better identification of high-risk students. . . . It is important to keep three things in mind: Take time to reflect on the experiences gained, the skills learned and the more robust relationships with colleagues, students and parents."

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