LESSONS LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCED

SPECIALIST TEACHERS:

COACHING MODEL USE TO IMPROVE

PEDAGOGY

Patricia H. Marino, PhD, NBCT

www.pathmarkinnovations.com

Copyright October 2010

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Three-Story IntellectP

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There are one-story in te l lects Two-story in te l lects and three-story in te l lects wi th sky l ights . A l l fact co l lectors who have no a im beyond the i r facts are one-story people . Two-story people compare , reason, genera l i ze , us ing the labor of fact co l lectors as the i r own.

Three-story people idea l i ze , imagine , predic t—

the i r best i l luminat ion comes f rom above through the sky l ight .

—Ol iver Wendel l Holmes

THREE-STORY INTELLECT

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CORE CONSTRUCTD e f i n i t i o n s

C o n t e x t s

A s s u m p t i o n s

P r o b l e m s & B e n e f i t s

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Coaching is pragmatic approaches used to help people acquire, manage, and improve their skills or skill sets.

Coaching is also the method used to develop individuals and help enhance their performance.

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Coaching creates the opportunity for individuals to enter into

an ongoing dialogue & relationship to improve skills,

techniques, and behaviors that lead to professional

and personal success.

(America’s Choice Coaching Handbook, 2007; Barkley,

2005; Hart, 2003; Trevitt, 2001).

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A way to support growth & move

teachers toward us ing new instruct ional strategies .

The prac t ice o f empathy regarding an individual teacher ’s s i tua t ion , l ead ing tha t teacher in tu rn to d iscover a l te rna t i ve pe rspec t i ves and possibi l i t ies for change.

A method for improving instruct ion &

teach ing s t ra teg ies , exper iment ing w/ new approaches & techniques , prob lem so lv ing , and co l leg ia l re la t ionsh ips .

Gallacher, 1995; Greene, 2004; Jackson, 2005; Trevitt; 2001

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ASSUMPTIONS

Relationship

Performance &

achievement

BeneficiariesCurriculum &

classroom management

Knowledge and skill

Hart, 2003; Hawk & Hill, 2003; Poglinco & Bach, 2003

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VALUESo Building the coaching relationship

as foundational

o Trust as the heart of the coaching relationship

o Coaching to influence people’s

behavior w/out use of power or

manipulation.

Hart, 2003

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Challenge Areas

Coach isolation

Principal cooperatio

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Coach availability

Hawk & Hill, 2003; Poglinco & Bach, 2004

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ISSUESIMMEDIATE

Group meetings

Coach overwhelm

Administrator mistrust

EMERGING

Task complexity

Tested principles

Task-to-model fit

Teachers’ workday

ST qualifications

Gallacher, 1995; Hart, 2003; Little, 1995

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BARRIERS

Agenda divergenc

eTeacher

resistance

Gallacher, 1995; Hart, 2003

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CM VARIATIONS

Peer

Technical

Collegial In-class

Coach /mentor

Mentor Challenge

Curricular

Principles-based

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CM BENEFITS

1. Interaction and motivation

2. Individual needs

3. Isolation reduction

4. Psychosocial support

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MORE BENEFITS5. Limited evaluation

6. Support & encouragement

7. Fine tune & feedback

8. Teacher reflection

Griffin et al., 2001; Hart, 2003

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STUDY OVERVIEW

FOCUS

TARGET

MAIN IDEA

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QUALITATIVE INQUIRY

Explores the experience of specialist teachers (STs)

Specific to the individual role of STs within the coaching model.

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REASONS FOR IN-DEPTH STUDY

a) Rochester’s struggle to meet federal and state student achievement benchmarks

b) Practitioner frustrations from site-level resistance or CM use

c) Shifting role expectations for those trained in CM use.

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STUDY FOCUS:

Coaching model use by

Specialist “lead” Teachers in an

upstate New York district.

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TARGETContrasts among perceptions, understandings,

& assumptions of English Language Arts Specialists.

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MAIN IDEA

Maximum teacher professional development

requires on-going critical understanding of coaching progress.

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PART 4 The Question:

How can the assumptions of

experienced ELA Specialist

be used to facilitate

improved teaching practice in

a district with such high needs as Rochester?

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SUB-QUESTIONSHow do RCSD specialist

teachers (STs) regard the effectiveness of coaching?

How do they describe the development of their coaching expertise?

How do STs coaches describe the influence of school culture on their relationships with peers?

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TSUB-QUESTIONS CONT’D

What coaching insights can be gained from understanding the experiences of STs?

What impacts do the assumptions of STs have on their coaching practice?

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TRI-LEVEL REVIEW STRUCTURE

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RESEARCH

We all carry with us certain sets of recognized and unrecognized assumptions.

Strauss & Corbin, 1998

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R E S E A R C H

Even small modifications to the Big Assumptions can have considerable impact on a person’s behavior and performance.

Wagner & Kegan, 20120

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R E S E A R C H

“We cannot question our thoughts

if the relationships we draw

remain invisible.

Worse, we cannot question

what is handed to us by others

if we allow the relationships they draw

to remain invisible.” Cabrera & Colosi, 2009, p. 55

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R E S E A R C H

When relationships aren’t stated explicitly, it often behooves us to bring them to light and name them.

Cabrera & Colosi, 2009

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C M R O O T S I N P O S I T I V E P S Y C H O L O G Y

” A strengths approach, then, is not

just a catchy idea or a feel good strategy.

These are solid numbers

and specific evidence suggesting that

it is an approach to work and

an approach to life that works.”

Biswas-Diener, 2010, p. 32

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RCSD FINAL REPORT 2006

RCSD’s primary professional development delivery source, the Instructional Support Specialists, is an evidence-based district strategy for improving the quality of instruction.

Learning Point Associates, 2006

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RCSD FINAL REPORT

Long-held assumptions and stereotypes may need to be challenged attitudes and beliefs regarding learners with unique needs, their families, and their communities may need to change.

Learning Point Associates, 2006

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ANALYSISPrimary

Categories

Principal Concepts

Understandingvs

Assumption

Process

Central Category

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PRIMARY CATEGORIESEffectiveness Expertise Student

learningCulture Experience

Collaboration Training/Support

Levels School Strength/Weakness

Role preference

Leadership Strategies Coaching Best/Worst

Role demands

NCLB Benefit

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TSTUDY-WIDE CONCEPTS

Skills Role Expectation Students Challenge

Reflection Responsibility Training At-risk Culture

Support Teacher need Balance Teacher impact

Reluctance

Relationship Commitment Qualification Administration

Outcome

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Understanding versus Assumption

To answer the research questions!

CAN ELA SPECIALISTS BE USED MORE EFFECTIVELY?

HOW CAN THEIR ASSUMPTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO MORE EFECTIVE USE?

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TUNDERSTANDING AREAS

Challenge 9 5th

Culture 7 7th

Students 11 3rd

Relationship 11 3rd

Efficacy 11 3rd

Skill 13 1st

Training 8 6th

Teacher 12 2nd

Administration 10 4th

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ASSUMPTION AREAS

Students 7 3rdRole 7 3rdTeacher 9 2ndSkills 16 1stRelationship 5 4thSupport 7 3rd

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IMPLICATIONS: UNDERSTANDING AND

ASSUMPTION

RANKING UNDERSTANDING

ASSUMPTION

1st Skills Skills

2nd Teacher Teacher

3rd Students Efficacy

Relationship

Students Role

Support

4th Administration Relationship

5th Challenge

6th Training

7th Culture

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“PERSONALIZED” COACHING

Identification Involvement Core Identity Significance

High demand for support in at-risk

classrooms

Adjustment time needed w/ colleagues

Execution of multiple roles

Navigation with relational savvy

Overcoming the trust challenge

Flexibly to support content

teams

SS & Math literacy strategies

Ability to sync mentoring and

coaching

With a teacher, looking at

assessments and identifying skills

Showing classroom

teachers it’s doable

Creating opportunities for

coaches

National curriculum trainer

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TCM PROCESS MATRIX

Levels Building Cadre Director

Individual C - fear of ST coming into classroom C - The building was falling apart with new

principal. C - Coaching expectations really stretch STs,

A - modeling cross content literacy A - Advocated for change to prevent chaos.

A - Brand new at this coaching thing, how much really can you take in.

O - lead to classroom opening & welcome

O - Lost principal’s trust. O - Depending on where coaches are, that’s how effective training has been.

School C - No more a specialist, but still find myself coaching.

C - Springboard implementation seen as an answer to district concerns

A - Student learning must drive everything.

A - Specialists learn and coach the design effectively.

O - You become better at dealing with people & helping them improve.

O - Taking teachers to where they were trained

District C - District shift to principal option

A - May choose an alternative instructional reform strategy

O - Example - co-teaching

State-National

C—NCLB D.I.C.A. Status

A—Curriculum Audit

O—Final Report - 2006

Note: C—Condition; A—Action-Interaction; O—Outcome

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GROUNDED THEORY1. Experienced ST assumptions

provide insight into things like alignment with best practice and district policy.

2. ST assumptions are critical because they reflect what Specialists value and why they operate as they do.

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GROUNDED THEORY

3. With an established culture of monthly support already in place, STs can engage in strategic identification and MONITORING OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL ASSUMPTIONS on an on-going basis.

4. Losing track of underlying assumptions traps schools in a bias cul-de-sac that hinders their ability to see what is really going on.

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GROUNDED THEORY

5. Sustained reflection at this depth could lead to skill development that is successful due in part to being more and more targeted and strategic.

6. STs (and their schools & districts) could benefit from training on how to identify and monitor their assumptions.

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GROUNDED THEORY

7. Making professional assumptions explicit can result in greater creativity and innovation, and in addition, to improved problem solving skills in serving teachers and students.

8. The end result in time--aligned assumptions that yield much sought improvement in classroom teaching practices, even for the most at-risk.

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Key findings

Recommendations

Future research46

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KEY FINDINGS: #1More critical understanding

of CM application and related assumptions

may improve, if not maximize, instructional coaches as

professional development resources.

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KEY FINDINGS: #2School culture conditions

help to gauge school progress

in using reform strategies

such as coaching.

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KEY FINDINGS: #3ST understandings

and assumptions

may provide trustworthy means of monitoring

how different school cultures view coaching.

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TRECOMMENDATIONS:

#1

Improve how

schools use coaches

as on-site resources

of professional development.

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RECOMMENDATIONS: #2

Prepare principals to be attuned to

the big picture of

CM potential

for improving teaching.

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TRECOMMENDATIONS:

#3

Continue to improve

coach capacities

to navigate the developing

cultural contexts

in which they work.

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RECOMMENDATIONS: #4

Incorporate the paradigm of CM use, distinctions & praxis potential during pre-service training.

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FUTURE RESEARCHa) The common practice of lead teachers

serving as coaches and mentors simultaneously is one area recommended for future research.

b) Another area with potential for future research is to explore why some schools that could do not include literacy and numeracy coaches as key reform initiatives. Are results comparable?

c) With an eye toward assumption, a similar study with a larger participant sample.