Instructional CoachingA MODEL FOR TEACHER SUPPORT

Laura Foote- Instructional Coach, Rotolo Middle SchoolMegan Hoffman- Instructional Coach, JB Nelson Elementary SchoolHaley Nickolaou- Instructional Coach, Batavia High School

Batavia School District 101Batavia, IL

Batavia Public Schools

Western Suburb--Population 26,000 1 High School, 1 Middle School, 6 Elementary Schools Over 400 staff members This is our 3rd year in the coaching model

High School- 2 part time coaches Middle School- 1 full time coach Elementary Schools- 4 schools with

full time coaches, 2 without coaches

Coaching is about…

Conversation

Collaboration

Side-by-Side Learning

 

Benefits of Coaching…

Personalized, confidential support for teachers

Ongoing, job-embedded professional learning

Time and support for teachers to reflect, converse

about, explore and refine our craft

Improvement of student learning

A Coach Is... A Coach is not...● A colleague who co-teaches or co-

models a lesson● Someone who teaches small groups or

classes

● A colleague who co-plans with teachers

● A paraprofessional

● A colleague who co-plans differentiated assessments with teachers

● Someone who administers individual student assessments

● A colleague who observes teachers and offers feedback to improve teaching and learning

● An administrator who evaluates teachers or disciplines students

● A colleague who assists teachers in  looking at ways to use data to drive instruction

● A data analyst

● A colleague who facilitates professional learning or provides training for staff

● A building-level tech who can fix your instructional technology

● A colleague who covers classes so a teacher can observe another teacher for short periods of time

● A substitute teacher

Foundations- Starting Coaching

● District wide instructional technologist● Central Office Admin-

o Read and Researched- Harrison, Knighto Attended Harrison Seminar on coachingo Peer Coaching Skype

● Year 1- Pilot yearo High School- 2 teachers, 1 release block eacho District- gifted specialist, reading specialist, behavior interventionist, LRC directoro Microsoft Peer Coaching Model- Trainingo Building conversations/chats with staff

● Year 2- o 1 coaching champion, 2 part time coaches, 3 full time coaches

● Year 3-o additional 2 FTE split throughout district

Training

Coaching Academy

Presented by Cindy Harrison and Cathy Berlinger-

Gustafson

Cindy Harrison is the author of Coaching Matters

Five full days of training in our district

Three other districts joined us

Included the opportunity to learn, practice and

develop our coaching skills

Coaching Academy Topics

Roles of Coaches Partnerships Communications & Conversations Change & Resistance Classroom Supporter Data Driven Conversations Finding Time Facilitation Skills Presentation Delivery

Benefits of Our Training

Provided a common understanding of coaching

Allowed our district to define our role together, with the

assistance of an expert

Included modeling from Cindy Harrison

Time for us to practice coaching in a safe environment

Administration involved throughout training.

Professional Learning for Coaches

Summer Workshops

Conferences

ROE Training

Regular PLC Meetings

Coaching is for…

Everyone,

from the novice to the virtuoso!

Principal/Coach Communication Plan

A Culture of Coaching

In progress…

Informing

Advertising

Advocates--principal, teachers

Talking...lots of talking

Establishing Relationships

Say Yes!

Start as resource provider

Be a learner

Persistence

Work with teams

How to access coaching…

Partnership Plan

Coaching Highlights

Elementary School

Guided Reading● Constant area of need in elementary classrooms

● Still working on using data to guide instruction

● Areas of Support for coach-o Resource development

o Co-planning

o Modeling

o Co-teaching

Jan Richardson’s The Next Step in Guided Reading

An instructional tool for all grade levels Able to co-plan, model, co-teach and

observe in multiple grade levels Opened many doors Helped establish numerous coaching

relationships

Guided Math Adoption

Needed to make a change math instruction

Guided Math Resources-

Guided Math: A Framework for Mathematics Instruction by Laney Sammons

Guided Math in Action by Dr. Nicki Newton

Math Exchanges by Kassia Omohundro Wedekind

Observed guided math in other schools

Using my learning...

Created a professional learning presentation that was presented in Spring 2014.

Information shared at grade level meetings

Set up observations for all grade levels to see guided math in action

Follow up professional learning sessions this fall

3 guided math additional sessions

2 session on Number Talks

Middle School Menu Strategy based

QFT and questioning--from teacher notes to student inquiry Seminar--from answering questions on Quia to student discussion

Differentiation Assessments--from 4 different tests to one that’s accessible for all Instructional strategies--from whole class to flexible grouping by skill

Classroom and lesson structure PD sessions Virtual Coaching

Record classes and annotate Watch with teacher

Plan

Co-Teach Observe

Reflect

High School

Part time-- Working with 1-2 teachers at a time

Coaching Relationship with Teacher A: Concerns with wide range of reading levels in US History Essentials Data collection and brainstorming Created groups and differentiated readings Led to conversations about differentiation, then to skills based, then to Common Core, and

eventually to engagementTime Frame:

2 Months- met on weekly basis to plan and reflect, while also co-teaching and observing1 Month- met on weekly basis to plan and reflect, weekly observations1 Month- Weekly check in to reflect Now- consultative basis, occasional check-ins, questions, brainstorming

Bonus: Teacher shared with others which turned the teacher into a coach and sparked new coaching relationships for the coach

High School

Two Major Changes in this classroom:

Some Resources Used:DBQ’s, QFT, CCSS

Before After

Note Taking Teacher Led PowerPointStudent Questions- answered in pieces, through research, and through reading

Discussions Teacher Q & A Socratic Seminar, differentiated and student led

Difficulties

Class size

One more thing

Admin/peer--establishing trust

New and unknown

Advantages

Embedded Professional Learning

Personalized and differentiated

Non-evaluative

Time and support for teachers

Improved student learning

Primary Coaching Role (1190 Total Sessions)

Primary Coaching Role Start-Oct. 15

Oct. 16-Jan. 15

Jan. 16-Apr. 15 Total

Data Coach 24 29 27 80

Instructional Specialist 185 361 378 924

Learning Facilitator 17 55 75 147

Other 9 17 13 39

Grand Total 235 462 493 1190

What Was the Staff Saying in January 2014?

We have been more able and

open to collaborating and

meeting together as teams--

we've been doing this more

purposefully so the new

initiatives have continued to

grow rather than get stopped

due to a lack of (time, plan,

materials, etc).

I think that when the teacher improves the students

naturally improve as well. I am seeing much higher scores on

pre-assessments and formative/summative assessments since the coaching has occurred.

It was the first time I had

done differentiation for an

entire lesson, and my students assessments

proved that the differentiation was beneficial to them.

Students are receiving much more targeted instruction in a small group setting - I am also better able to plan for

their needs while maintaining a vision of the

big picture.

We have been able to

better identify students

that are struggling and

have done so in a more

timely fashion than in years past.

Allowed material to

be achieved by all

students despite

varied learning

learning abilities.

What Was the Staff Saying in April 2014?

The Coach has had a very positive impact. She has served as an instructional model, helped me improve my planning and refocused my instruction on key aspects of the common core.

I learned planning techniques including focusing on several skills,

using common core standards, I definitely improved my questioning technique, introduced close reading,

used and made short formative assessments that helped with

assessing learning, and helped to see & hear myself as a teacher which was

an eye-opening experience.

We are able to see areas of need with our current

model for math instruction. This has been instrumental

when looking at interventions and student

need.

My students are now

receiving a more

comprehensive curriculum

in a structured setting.

With the adaptations I

plan to make to this

curriculum I will be able to

help my students further

succeed in writing.

We've had an amazing year

working together and have

seen tremendous student

growth. The team approach

to teaching works well with

us and the flexibility of

service has been wonderful

The Coach has opened my

eyes to the different ways

I can differentiate lessons

and text in my class. This

has been extremely

helpful and encouraging.

Resources

Post-coaching Feedback

Daily Coaching Log

Partnership Plans

Coaching Matters by Joellen Killion, Cindy Harrison, Chris Bryan,

and Heather Clifton

Taking the Lead by Joellen Killion and Cindy Harrison

Contact Information

Laura Foote- Instructional Coach, Rotolo Middle SchoolLaura.Foote@bps101.net

Megan Hoffman- Instructional Coach, JB Nelson Elementary SchoolMegan.Hoffman@bps101.net

Haley Nickolaou- Instructional Coach, Batavia High SchoolHaley.Nickolaou@bps101.net

The coach is not a problem solver, a teacher,

an advisor, an instructor, or even an expert;

he or she is a sounding board, facilitator...who

raises awareness and responsibility.

John Whitmore, 2002