Learn a collaborative model for PD, nine tips for aspiring tech coaches, how to juggle the role of evaluator and coach, and more in this week's Weekly Coaching Roundup.
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Mia Pumo believes leaders can juggle the role of evaluator, coach, and manager through active listening and general curiosity.
"The key to knowing which hat to wear in a situation comes from using the most critical coaching skill: listening. Only by deeply listening to the person's issue will you know whether you need to give information from the leader's perspective, give a directive, restate a school or district policy, or know if it's an opportunity to coach and help someone grow."
Jo Lein highlights a decision-making matrix ICs can use to assess their classroom intervention approach based on teachers' beliefs in themselves and their students.
" Co-teaching can be effective at accelerating teacher skill-building. . . . After years of testing, iterating, and refining, my team and I finally figured out the two factors that influence how to intervene when a teacher needs support. First is the extent to which the teacher believes in their students, both academically and behaviorally. The second factor is whether the teacher believes in themselves and has high or low self-efficacy."
Dani Fry suggests using "labsites" with teachers to foster real-time learning experiences.
"A labsite is a highly effective professional learning model that takes place in a classroom with students during the school day. It consists of a specific learning piece and modeling of a teaching strategy, followed by teachers' applying the new learning with students and then debriefing to discuss the learning experience and get feedback. . . . Learning this way requires vulnerability, risk-taking, and being completely in the moment, which can be uncomfortable."
Katie Ritter offers nine pieces of advice for teachers looking to leap from the classroom into a technology coach role.
"Coaches have to have a growth mindset, and they have to have a positive attitude if they plan to make any difference in schools. Good coaches are incredibly collaborative beings, both with admin and teachers in their school, and with other coaches in their professional learning network (PLN). If you have a coach, reach out to collaborate with them… good lessons can always be even better!"
Steve Barkley feels that ICs can shift a teacher's view of coaching from "need to" to "get to" be coached by taking the time to listen to their needs and moving forward accordingly.
"I have pushed reframing coaching to be seen as something teachers deserve rather than need. Coaches can work from pictures of a teacher's desired future for her students. . . . If teachers are seeing working with the coach as 'busy work,' the coaching is missing being driven by the teacher's agenda. Coaching needs to uncover the teacher’s desire for something that she wants to happen that isn’t happening now."
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