Coaching Plan -- Pre-Scenario

This module is based on a sample scenario.


What is Mr. Park's most important coaching role?
In this scenario, the school is new to coaching (as well as the Mr. Park) and with most teachers, I think it would be best to ease into the role. Using this as a guide, I think the two scenarios Mr. Park should take are:

Classroom Supporter
Mentor

Bust since this is supposed to be a single role, I'll go with Classroom Supporter. I think both roles are important, but of the two, I think coaches should be in classrooms as much as possible, hence, classroom supporter.


Whom should Mr. Park coach?
In this scenario, there are two groups of teachers interested in working with the coach: Group 1 is not experienced, Group 2 is a little more experienced.

This is a hard call to make, but since the coaching program is new, I think the choice would be to work with the more experienced and confident group first. That way, this group could get up and running and be used as a support group for others.

The danger in supporting the less confident group first is that less experienced individuals usually take longer to grasp concepts, which takes valuable time. While it is not the goal to speed through coaching cycles, and it is important to take time with those who need it, I think it is important for the coach to use time wisely.

That's what I thought before I reread each scenario. The school's academic focus is writing across the curriculum. Since the first group is interested in writing, that's where Mr. Park should start. In addition, the two groups don't seem as far apart as they did when I first read the scenarios.

What could Mr. Park do to align his coaching work with the school's focus on writing across the curriculum?
For one, he could work with the first group of teachers who specifically said they want to integrate writing. He could then use those examples to show other staff in the school what they did. I would share the results whether they were successful or not; teachers could learn from both the exemplars and learn what not to do with the examples of failure. 

Mr. Park could also offer workshops and/or roundtable and/or create a book club that talks about how to integrate writing into the curriculum. These could be safe places for teachers to suggest ideas and take a more leadership role. 

I think Mr. Park should also work with the administration to figure out the best strategies to repeat the message of the goal the school is striving toward. This can be in meetings, placing posters strategically around the school, and could include the goal in the teacher evaluation -- anything to keep the message alive and in teachers' minds.


What resources could the school contribute to the coaching teams?
This is an interesting question. I suppose this is to get coaches/potential coaches thinking about what resources they potentially need to ask their administration for -- before starting an initiative.

In this scenario, the administration could supply resources such as books on writing, additional professional development related to writing, and most importantly, could think of ways to make time for teachers to collaborate and work together.

I am left pondering the following questions for my own situation ...
Who will you coach?How will coaching align with your school's academic goals?What kinds of support will your school or district provide?

Creating Norms

What roles will you take when coaching? 

What roles and responsibilities will the peers you collaborate with assume?

Review the list of example norms below.  

Norms

Creating norms for a group, even groups as small as two participants, establishes a set of ground rules to help teams work together more efficiently. When establishing norms, consider the following key categories:

• Time
• Decision making
• Listening
• Participation
• Confidentiality
• Expectations - (Delehant and von Frank, 2007)

Sample Norms

Begin and end on time Stay on agenda Reach decisions by consensus Listen respectfully Observe basic conversational courtesies Listen attentively Attend all meetings Discuss issues, not people Honor confidentiality

Silence all cell phones Respect questions Monitor your own airtime Do assignments prior to meetings Hold yourself personally accountable Respect the group Attend to goals and objectives Limit distractions Probe ideas, do not criticize people Show respect for views of others Avoid side conversations Assume positive intentions

1. As you review them address this question: How would adopting this norm help us work most effectively as a team?

Time - Keeping meetings tight (starting and finishing on a set time) is important because teachers are limited in the time they have. There is so much to do with grading, preparing, and duties that teachers will not willingly attend another meeting that wastes their time.


Decision making - Small group meetings could rotate the facilitator responsibility to a different member each session. Coaching meetings could be run by the teacher, with the coach mostly following. This could give everyone a chance at leading a meeting, allowing for all to feel more involved.

Listening - Listening well to the person who is speaking, makes him/her feel important. Listening is a sign of respect to all members of the meeting they are respected. Along those lines, listening attentively also signals you are able to learn from your colleagues.


Participation - "Showing up is 80 percent of life."Everyone's voice and opinions are important. You never know where the next bit of inspiration will come from. This builds on the last norm, but if you have a culture of listening and showing respect to others, people will be more willing to participate. It is important to get everyone participating so all feel equally involved.

Confidentiality - Secrets, mistakes, and private thoughts and opinions are just a few of the things we entrust our colleagues to keep to themselves. Someone who can keep your secrets safe will most likely be someone you can trust.

1. Decide on the five or six norms that will guide the behavior of your Peer Coaching community.

I was imagining a 1-1 coaching situation, as was the majority of my experience from last year. Of the options above, the following four were most likely to apply.

1. Begin and end on time 
2. Stay on agenda
3. Listen attentively
4. Respect questions
5. Accept ownership for your own learning

1. If you have not already included it you may want to add this norm: "Accept ownership for your own learning." The goal of this norm is to encourage all participants take responsibility for their learning. It helps each participant in the team to develop their capacity to improve teaching and learning.
   
   
   
   
   

Building Trust: A Scenario

Scenario:

Ms. Kim works with a fourth grade team at her school. She always leaves her door open to encourage her colleagues to feel free to come in, and if she is busy she acknowledges their presence and arranges to meet them as soon as possible. She sends the team regular emails with Internet resources she feels they may be able to use and then encourages them to have candid conversations about what kinds of skills and support they may need to use these resources in their classrooms. She visits their classrooms often to model lessons, co-teach or just observe. The teachers feel comfortable with Ms. Kim because they know she has knowledge to share and will not be judgmental about their abilities.

I have always tried to put myself into the shoes of my colleagues and think what I would want if I were in their shoes. The above graphic shows what I basically try to do.

1. Don't Make Extra Work For People
The first thing that stood out to me in the above paragraph was this line: She sends the team regular emails with Internet resources she feels they may be able to use

This wouldn't be my style. Our inboxes are flooded as it is, and I have come to the conclusion over the last few years that having a central repository, that is easily searchable, is the way to go. This fictitious coach is curating content for her staff but is leaving it up to them to clean their own inboxes and organize the resources.


2. Know what is going on
3. Build Trust
She visits their classrooms often to model lessons, co-teach or just observe. The teachers feel comfortable with Ms. Kim because they know she has knowledge to share and will not be judgmental about their abilities.

This final part of the scenario show what a good job this coach is doing. Getting teachers to feel comfortable working with you is the biggest part of the role -- it is relationship building.

Building a positive relationship, free of judgements, also builds trust. Teachers who feel they are being judged are less likely to try to branch out and push their own teaching farther; they are less likely to take risks. And that goes against what [technology] coaches are trying to accomplish.

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Questions to ponder --
Why is it critical for a coach to build trust? 

What can coaches do to build trust?

Reflect on Roles and Trust

Behaviors That Build Trust in the Workplace

• Acts consistently and responsibly
• Listens attentively to others' ideas
• Uses communication skills to promote open discussion
• Keeps promises and commitments
• Is open minded
• Advocates for others
• Communicates accurately, openly and honestly
• Treats others with respect
• Displays compassion for others
• Shows confidence in others' abilities
• Respects others' time
• Maintains a strong focus on teaching and learning
• Strives to be knowledgeable
• Is committed to personal success for self and others
• Listens to and values what others say
• Actively encourages others

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Really? I am supposed to choose those that would be critical for me to adopt? They are all important. Of the above behaviors, I chose the following five:

• Listens attentively to others' ideas
• Advocates for others
• Communicates accurately, openly and honestly
• Maintains a strong focus on teaching and learning
• Is committed to personal success for self and others

And after grouping them, and arranging them in order of importance ...

Maintains a strong focus on teaching and learning

Listens attentively to others' ideas
Communicates accurately, openly and honestly

Is committed to personal success for self and others
Advocates for others

I try to keep the focus of what I do on student learning and I believe that technology integrated well follows good teaching. 

The next level I have grouped two behaviors that deal with communication. I think I put these here because I believe that a good coach needs to be able to listen well. 

The last set of behaviors is about building trust with those I serve. After all, it is the teachers who make it happen.

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