I think that this week's reading reflected what we discussed this weekend in class and were related to each other for a few reasons. They disused the time commitment that coaching entails, the required knowledge that coaches must possess, and the relationships required for effective coaching. I think the two most important ideas about coaching that I learned are the commitment of time and the importance of relationship building although I they seem like givens. For any program to be effective, there has to be buy-in, and the only way to get staff buy-in is through time and relationships. Without sufficient relationships, coaching and changing perceptions are not going to be effective.
Anytime you are trying to help someone or get them to try something new, you must establish a relationship and gain their trust. Taking a school's culture into consideration when designing and implementing a PD or coaching program is essential. As the WSQ reading states, "Culture includes the willingness to explore change, trust leaders interested in promoting coaching, and opportunities for buy-in by stakeholders" (46). Coaches must assume roles that will allow them to become a part of the culture in such a way staff will be receptive to their advice. The "Guiding Principles" article also made the same assertion by stating that "coaches must build on that foundation by establishing trust, maintaining confidentiality, and communicating effectively with teachers. Coaches establish trust by openly respecting teachers' professional expertise" (4). I think this relationship building should be the primary focus of a new coach or instructional leader.
Relationship-building and time commitment go hand-in-hand; you can't build relationships overnight, and you can't effectively change classroom practices overnight either. The time commitment of an effective coaching cycle is evident in Figure 18.1 in EP&L. With a minimum of 5 phases of the coaching cycle and each needing 30 minutes or more to adequately complete, just one cycle could easily take 2 1/2 hours not including any planning or preparations. When a literacy coach in the secondary setting has upwards of 30 or more staff members to help, the time commitment is astronomical, and the use of small groups as outlined in WSQ becomes a more effective option. This time commitment does not take into account the amount of time needed to get to know someone to such an extent as they will allow you to observe their classroom, work with them one-on-one, and trust you enough to communicate potential areas of improvement.
Team coaching, if done correctly, should mirror individual coaching. Teams should be small and be composed of teachers at the same level with the same skill sets which would allow the coach to focus their attention on more applicable strategies than if they had generalize for a large, diverse group. I think that they differ in that a coach's time cannot be focused on each participant equally in a group, so invariably, there may be participants who receive more or less attention than needed. Done effectively, though, team coaching should be a more effective use of both the participants' and coach's time.
Questions for group:
1) How would you create buy-in for pockets of staff members who are resistant to change or are vocally negative about everything?
2) Who would you devote your time to as a new literacy coach: the new teachers, the veterans who haven't tried new instructional strategies, or co-teachers who are in a co-taught classroom as well as an individual skills classroom?
3) What do you think would be the most effective way to gauge where your help is needed most? Survey, observations, word of mouth, etc?
I agree about the importance of relationships and trust. You are eloquent in your discussion of how important it is. Yes, there is a time commitment to individual coaching that can look daunting, but you really wouldn't have to do all 5 aspects of the cycle every time. Key are the goal setting conversation, observing, and debriefing. I'm looking forward to reading how your group answers your questions!
ReplyDelete1) How would you create buy-in for pockets of staff members who are resistant to change or are vocally negative about everything?
ReplyDeleteI would try and shape some questions that are reflective of their practices currently and whether or not their students were meeting those expectations. I could do this through "Buzz Groups" or the "Pairs Discuss" concepts from chapter 3 of WSQ. These would be great ways to have teachers talk about the types of literacy that go on in their classroom and whether or not their students are meeting those expectations. They could even discuss different literacy elements that need more support or aspects of their own literacy instruction that seems weak. Group discussion and reflection of their practices would prompt some change and set all the teachers at ease about difficulties they might be having in their own classroom.
3) What do you think would be the most effective way to gauge where your help is needed most? Survey, observations, word of mouth, etc?
I think that a combination of all the suggestions that you have brought up, but for different teacher groups. I think that if you chose to do a survey with veteran or experienced teachers that asked about the knowledge they already have it would make them feel better or at least know that you think they have some levels of understanding/ competence and wisdom already. I think that observations would be better for the first year teachers or newly transferred and even teachers that are taking on new roles or grades. It allows you to get acquainted to their teaching style and newer teachers will be more open to observation and used to that type of information gathering. Finally, I think word of mouth would be great for reaching into other subject areas and fields that you, as the coach, don't feel as strong with; it makes the coach build up those new relationships with conversation. Building these relationships becomes extremely important if the coach wants to not only help the English department or reading area teachers, but truly become a literacy leader and expand to all aspects of the school literacy environment.
I still feel like some teachers would maintain an "I'm doing everything right and don't need anyone to 'interfere'" attitude even if you did those reflective activities. I wonder if there's a particular way you could structure the discussions to discourage those sorts of comments and thoughts?
DeleteLauren, I like your suggestions on how to get staff members to buy-in. I think that anything would be worth a shot because you never know what will incite them to participate.
Delete"Relationship-building and time commitment go hand-in-hand" - I just love that! It really encompasses both how relationship-building works and how interwoven the aspects of being a literacy coach really can be.
ReplyDelete2) Who would you devote your time to as a new literacy coach: the new teachers, the veterans who haven't tried new instructional strategies, or co-teachers who are in a co-taught classroom as well as an individual skills classroom?
I think that the most willing teachers, in my experience, would be the co-teachers. They seem to be pretty flexible and always have their minds on differentiation and learning, since their job demands it more directly than other teaching situations. I think some first year teachers might be a little reluctant to have someone working so closely with them when they're making all of the nervous mistakes that first year teachers inevitably make. Veteran teachers might be more hit or miss. Some are lifelong learners who would be eager, but many others tend to be more stuck in their ways. For my coaching practice, I'm approaching a young woman who is both a first year teacher and who works as a co-teacher. I'm hoping it works out well!
Angela, I agree that co-teachers would be a great place to focus time as a literacy coach. I hope that your coaching experience goes well!
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