Instructional Coaching Blocks - Getting Our Feet Wet

The focus for the first 2 blocks of coaching would be Digital Citizenship and Documenting For Learning. These themes come from defined needs in classrooms and across the grades. We had set out first identifying some lessons for 2 or 3 weeks. Once this was set the coach met teachers to plan either a lesson or plan to observe a lesson. The idea being that once we have discussed what you would like to accomplish, the coach can see with an expert’s eyes and judge, decide, note and wonder where and when technology can be used to add value.

Once in a lesson, the role of observer instantly made the whole thing come together. I was not the outsider imposing my Edtech knowledge and agenda on a teacher or class of student. I was a partner given the opportunity to watch the teacher and how the students were behaving. The time spent in the lesson was judged not on how well the use of the iPads went but more on what I was able to see that would lead to discovery and planning that ultimately made the experience(s) better.

What I discovered, by accident, was that my discussions with teachers were richer after I had been in the classroom. Somehow the discussions had with teachers before we shared that space and an experience were not as fruitful and were mostly false starts. After seeing the students and the teachers approach we were better equipped to discuss the starting point. In each conversation, I tried to consistently talk about what the teacher felt needed improvement and what ‘better’ meant. In the different conversations about documenting for learning, for example were varied but meaningful.

Based on what I saw and what was discussed, I attempted to share ideas in context of the lessons and the students in the classroom. Often times the discussions were about classroom management not technology integration. Additionally, the discussions also revolved around student behaviours. These points led, in most cases, to a teacher having more ownership of an idea or strategy. There was very little feeling that I was imposing an agenda or way of working that the teacher was not comfortable with.

Finally, I took time to reflect on the outcomes of the sessions and the relationships I was building. One thing that resonated with me was an idea I heard Steve Barkley talk about. The idea is that Instructional Coaching needs to be a relationship that goes beyond collegial. Collegial is nice and in many calls beyond collegial. More on this later.