Teachers of all experience levels have times when they need
assistance. New challenges are easier with help (Marzano, Simms, Roy,
Heflebower, & Warrick, 2013). Your school may be implementing a new
curriculum program, subject content standards, or technology program and you
just need guidance. These are a few circumstances where a coach is needed. The
relationship between a teacher and a coach is very similar to the relationship
between a teacher and student. The coach/teacher relationship must be one of
trust (Marzano, et al., 2013). Aguilar (2016) states that members of a team
have to work together for successful results. Coaching is like leading a team
even if there is only one team member. The theory of coaching is straightforward
and simple, “coaching serves as a way to pass along knowledge that has been
accumulated over time” (Marzano, et al., p.3, 2013). 
Coaching is a partnership and success is measured not on how
good the coach is but how receptive the teachers are (Marzano, et al., 2013). Marzano,
et al. (2013) state that coaching requires trust and feedback and the ultimate
goal is to make the teacher a better teacher.
The goal of all teachers is successfully helping their
students become better people. This is a lofty goal that cannot be accomplished
alone (Marzano, et al., 2013). An educational coach, when used properly, removes
much of the burden from the teacher by guiding and assisting. The coach’s
ultimate responsibility is to make the teacher better so the teacher can help
their students. Educators can feel alone and helpless when they are unsure of
what to do or where to go to find answers. Through the coaching process
teachers are asked to set goals for themselves, self-audit, and reflect. All of
these things are difficult for teachers to accomplish. Although some teachers
are reluctant to accept help, the idea that someone is there just for them can be
comforting.
Please check out the video and blog below for more
information on coaching.
Teachers of all experience levels have times when they need
assistance. New challenges are easier with help (Marzano, Simms, Roy,
Heflebower, & Warrick, 2013). Your school may be implementing a new
curriculum program, subject content standards, or technology program and you
just need guidance. These are a few circumstances where a coach is needed. The
relationship between a teacher and a coach is very similar to the relationship
between a teacher and student. The coach/teacher relationship must be one of
trust (Marzano, et al., 2013). Aguilar (2016) states that members of a team
have to work together for successful results. Coaching is like leading a team
even if there is only one team member. The theory of coaching is straightforward
and simple, “coaching serves as a way to pass along knowledge that has been
accumulated over time” (Marzano, et al., p.3, 2013).
Coaching is a partnership and success is measured not on how
good the coach is but how receptive the teachers are (Marzano, et al., 2013). Marzano,
et al. (2013) state that coaching requires trust and feedback and the ultimate
goal is to make the teacher a better teacher.
The goal of all teachers is successfully helping their
students become better people. This is a lofty goal that cannot be accomplished
alone (Marzano, et al., 2013). An educational coach, when used properly, removes
much of the burden from the teacher by guiding and assisting. The coach’s
ultimate responsibility is to make the teacher better so the teacher can help
their students. Educators can feel alone and helpless when they are unsure of
what to do or where to go to find answers. Through the coaching process
teachers are asked to set goals for themselves, self-audit, and reflect. All of
these things are difficult for teachers to accomplish. Although some teachers
are reluctant to accept help, the idea that someone is there just for them can be
comforting.
Aguilar, E.
(2016). The art of coaching teams: Building resilient
communities that transform schools.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Aguilar, E.
(2018, September 25). Editorial Projects in Education. Retrieved from
https://blogs.edweek.org
eriksonmath (2016, May 9). What is Teacher Coaching? [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com
How to Wrap up
a Coaching Cycle [Digital image]. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.mshouser.com/organization/how-to-wrap-up-a-coaching-cycle
Marzano, R. J.,
Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. B. (2013). Coaching classroom
instruction. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
I can definitely say I have felt in need of help many times throughout my short teaching career. Teaching is a profession you feel you are ready for until you are in it, then you feel under prepared. I know I have felt like I needed someone's guidance through some instructional decisions or simply guidance to help me be a more effective teacher. I also feel like teachers can never have enough help. We have so many things on our plate to handle, and help in one or two areas would be such a relief to me. Knowing how many different talents and experience levels there are in just one school, I think an idea to start a coaching practice would be to have all teachers take the self-audit as described by Marzano and Simms (2013) by themselves and then get matched up with someone to mentor/coach, and another person to mentor/coach them based on their strengths and weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteMarzano, R. J., Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. B. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
I agree that there is always a time in our teaching career when we can use some additional support. However, not all teachers and administrators view coaching in that light. I have observed some administrators who use the coaching cycle as a punitive measure for uncooperative teachers, which denigrates the entire process. The teacher-coach relationship, the teacher-principal relationship, and the coach-principal relationship suffers from a breach of trust when this occurs. Marzana, Simms, Roy, Heflebower, and Warrick (2013) explained that relational trust within schools was crucial for student improvement. They wrote, "One factor affecting the levels of relational trust in school is the quality of teacher-teacher and teacher-principal relationships" (p. 10). Administrators have to either support or step back and let the coaches engage the teachers.
ReplyDeleteMarzano, R. J., Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. B. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
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