Coaching in a Culture of

Common CoreThursday October 2, 9:15-10:15

Robert H. Plonka

Introduction

High School English teacher

English teacher/Literacy Coach

Interventionist/Reading Teacher

Literacy Coach/Interventionist

Objective

Encourage modeling to promote teachers taking risks in the classroom

Begin a plan of coaching for a specific teacher

Make a list of issues or frustrations that a coach encounters when working with a teacher.

Teachers feel apprehensions of an outsider coming in

Sometimes reluctance to collaborate

There’s not a relationship of trust

Little implementation and professional growth

Confusion and feeling over-whelmed Disorganization

Feel stressed out Assessments Mandates Common core Evaluations

What problems do teachers face with the CCSS?

Fear of unknown

Don’t know the standards Grade-level Spectrum or continuum

Pressure to perform on PARCC

Modeling Cycle

3 Session

Pre-lesson Conversation

Model Lesson

Post-lesson Conversation

5 Session

Pre-lesson Conversation

Model Lesson

Post-lesson and Co-planning Conversation

Assessment Observation

Modeling Cycle Debrief

Coaching Models

Facilitative – You do

Collaborative – We do

Instructive – I do

Pre-lesson Conversation(Session 1)

Coaching Log

Strength-based Begin with celebrations

Determine a focus

Co-plan Coach may take on more responsibility and

assume the instructive role Use primary documents!!!

CCSS REACH - rubric

Clarifying Goal – Next Steps – Roles

Teacher – Scripted notes and write down the questions I ask students

Coach – Modeling

Model Lesson(Session 2)

Why model? Adult learning theory It’s the reality and not the “perfect”

environment As a coach, where’s your classroom cred?

Have you taught under the demands of CCSS? Ever-changing state of education

Puts coach back in classroom

Provide a lesson plan Goal/skill/standard on LP Prompt teachers to follow and take

observable notes (Teacher’s role) Utilize observation tool Have teachers record

Model Lesson(Session 2)

Model the skill(s) or strategies trying to be implemented

Have a piece of evidence to analyze Video Alternatives

Audio – phone Scripted notes Immediate debrief the day-of

Post-lesson and Co-planning Conversation(Session 3)

Post-lesson Conversation (part 1)

Self-selected (Coach) points of interest from the lesson to review Aligned to the teacher’s goal

Discuss lesson success within the context of the pre-lesson conversation Model self-reflection (Think-Aloud)

Lay out explicit metacognition throughout the lesson

Strengths and weakness from the data Weaknesses show reality and risk

Prompt the teacher Focus on teacher, not students Share ideas for improvement Adjust plan

Post-lesson and Co-planning Conversation(Session 3)

Co-planning Conversation (Part 2)

Plan for the follow-up lesson that you will observe

Teacher takes more responsibility Facilitative or collaborative role

Use primary documents CCSS REACH - rubric

3 Session Vs. 5 Session Determine observation date

Assessment Observation(Session 4)

Observe the teachers’ implementation

Script notes or video tape

Keep an evidence based focus

Modeling Cycle Debrief(Session 5)

Use the data you gathered to have the teacher self-assess their implementation Utilize primary documents to create

that measurement

Debrief on the cycle as a whole

What the teacher said…

“I really liked using that lesson template! It made it much easier to plan.”

“The conversations are becoming so rich and deep.”

“When they answer their questions, the discussion is so deep because they’ve looked at it so closely.”

“Oh yeah, I love that hand-out.” (accountable language stems)

This is the end of the cycle “Success.” with two thumbs up

Lessons Learned (Session 1)

Align to the current content

Check with the teacher to make sure it’s new

Clarify teacher’s role!!! Scripting notes Observation form Video taping

Determine measurement/rubric together

Lessons Learned(Session 2)

Be sure the planning is tight

Builds that trust and credibility

You can’t hide with video

Lessons Learned (Session 3)

Be sure you are gauging your role and the readiness of the teacher

Don’t let this be your first time in a classroom To help guide your goal setting with

the teacher so you have background knowledge

New teachers may need more instructional approaches

Lessons Learned(Session 4)

Keep it positive and concentrate on growth and risk-taking

Determine how you are going to measure implementation early! Use the rubrics or standards to

create that form of measurement

Lessons Learned (Session 5)

Make sure the teacher knows how you will both be measuring success of implementation

Keep it positive and concentrate on growth and risk-taking Motivation is key!

3 Session Modeling Cycle

Pre-lesson Conversatio

n

Model Lesson

Post-lesson and Co-planning

Conversation

5 Session Modeling Cycle

Pre-lesson Conversatio

n

Model Lesson

Post-lesson and Co-planning

Conversation

Assessment Observation

Modeling Cycle

Debrief

What did this accomplish?

Issues

Teachers feel apprehensions of an outsider coming in

Sometimes reluctance to collaborate

There’s not a relationship of trust

Little implementation and professional growth

Confusion and feeling over-whelmed Disorganization

Feel stressed out Assessments Mandates Common core Evaluations

Solutions

You have met at least 5 times consistently

You provided them with a break from the day-to-day grind in order to allow for real reflection

Builds trust and credibility

You’ve scaffolded your coaching to gradually release responsibility

If there was a particular skill/strategy they were confused about, you have spent days-months studying it

There is a breakdown of the unknown and it becomes less intimidating

Solutions

Gets rid of “that won’t work with these kids”

Gives opportunity to model reflective teaching and metacognition in practice

Promotes risk taking in teachers New strategies Video taping themselves for analysis Being observed Welcoming outsiders Critically reflecting based on

standards or rubric (REACH) Engaging in CCSS-based planning

If coaches take more risks to collaborate in

modeling good instruction and critical

reflection, teachers will be more likely to

take risks in the classroom and try new

strategies.

Questions?Comments?

Suggestions?