Students sit in classrooms every day trying to get the
attention of their teacher. Some students misbehave, some speak out of turn,
and some just sit in silence. Their end goal is attention from the teacher.
Teachers that are 100% present in their classrooms and with their students see
more success than teachers that are trying to get through the day. Teacher
education programs do not prepare new teachers for the true meaning of a day in
the classroom. Maneuvering lessons, classroom management, and the many levels
and types of students in every classroom takes time and experience to master.
The high turnover rate of new teachers demonstrates the difficult time they
have finding their comfort zone.
Experienced teacher mentors and coaches can guide teachers
in finding their way through rough waters to have long, happy, and fulfilling
careers. When teachers begin a lesson they usually quiz their students to see
what they already know about the skill being taught. A coach needs to do a
similar evaluation of the teachers they are coaching. In the beginning of the
coaching process, the teacher should complete a self-audit with the coaches’
help (Marzano, Simms, Roy, Heflebower, & Warrick, 2013). The teacher will
complete a profile
and then select a “growth goal” (Marzano et. al, p. 24, 2013). Once the profile
is completed, the goals are documented, and the fun can begin.
The first hurdle for a teacher to accomplish their goal is
to start on a path to the goal. Just like a teacher helps students reach their
goals, a coach is there to help a teacher reach theirs. Once the coach knows
what the teacher wants to improve they can get to work. The coach’s job is to
explain the background of the goal element and help the teacher plan strategies
to accomplish their goal (Marzano et. al, 2013). The coach will demonstrate the
proper way to complete the strategy if needed and monitor the teacher’s
progress. Now that the teacher is at the beginning stage of completing their
goals, it is time to move to Development stage. In this stage the teacher will
need to execute all elements of the strategy on their own. While the teacher is
concentrating on the strategy the coach will monitor the students’ response to
the teacher. The next step in this process is Applying. In this stage, the
teacher does all steps on their own including monitoring the students.
When new teachers reach the Applying stage, they have successfully
completed their goal. Even though there is a fourth level referred to as Innovating,
reaching the level of Applying is considered as successfully reaching the goal.
If necessary, the process starts again with a new goal. The coach will always
be available for support and guidance during and after the process.
One of the most important parts of the teacher/coach
relationship is the immediate feedback from the coach (Marzano et. al, 2013). Just
like students, teachers improve more quickly when they receive immediate
feedback about their performance and how to continually improve their skills. Please
watch the videos below on innovative coaching. In addition, please review the
table below on Marzano’s Growth Scale.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/instructional-coaching-nvps
Marzano, R. J.,
Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. (2013). Coaching
classroom instruction. Bloomington: Marzano Research Laboratory.
Marzano, R. (2012). Observer Growth Scale [Digital Image].
Retrieved from
Instructional Coaching [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org
Innovative Coaching Models [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org
Instructional Coaching; Plan, Instruct, Reflect [Video
File]. Retrieved from
https://www.teachingchannel.org
A positive coach-teacher relationship is crucial to help the teacher move through the levels of strategy application. Marzano and Simms (2013) explained the importance of coaches knowing how to support teachers so they can improve their instruction. I like that you mentioned continuing to check in with teachers even after they have reached their targeted goal. This is a way coaches can continue to support teachers after the coaching cycle has concluded. I have found that when grade level dynamics change, teachers can shift back to less effective practice. This is usually due to a new and dominate personality on the grade level. To keep teachers moving forward, the coach needs to continue to be a touchstone for the teacher.
ReplyDeleteReference
Marzano, R. J., Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington: Marzano Research Laboratory.
Great post! I definitely agree with what you wrote about immediate feedback for teachers being most beneficial. Just as Marzano and Simms (2013) pointed out, it is hard for a teacher to improve his/her practice if they do not know what they could improve. I recently received some feedback from a lesson observation and I am excited to start implementing the ideas we came up with. I feel that if the observer had waited a few weeks before sharing her feedback, it may not have been as effective.
ReplyDeleteMarzano, R. J., Simms, J. A., Roy, T., Heflebower, T., & Warrick, P. B. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.