"Everyone needs a coach"! Bill Gates was emphatic in his TED talk about our teachers and I totally agree. I am fortunate to work with a team of administrators and coaches in my district devoted to coaching our teachers each and every day to improve student learning. Our coaches (I'm referring to both admins and coaches as coaches here.) provide teachers with praise, lead them to an action step with a thought-provoking probe, and follow up with them to help support and continue the feedback loop. As coaches, they have a strong foundation in LFS and ‘traditional’ teaching pedagogy. We give specific ‘bite-sized’ steps to improve classroom management and reference 'Teach Like A Champion’ to hone in on a specific instructional strategy. All of that has been amazing and powerful in impacting teaching and learning in our schools.
But, the shift to blended/personalized learning has happened and where are we? We spend millions of dollars on devices, infrastructure, professional development, and tech support, but what about the coaching of individual teachers. This is the real driver of change...coaching! We need to understand the pedagogy of the classroom of today and, more importantly, tomorrow! We still get mesmerized by the cool tech tools…kindergarteners working iPads, 5th graders using Animoto for a presentation, and teachers walking around making sure they are on the ‘right’ app....that's not enough anymore! Actually, it was never enough, but we just didn’t realize it. Or maybe we did, but we didn't want to admit it. Or maybe it was necessary to get people just to 'dip their toes' into using tech. Regardless, admins and coaches need to understand the complexity of tech integration in K-12 schools...how to plan for it and how it should create efficiency and meaningfulness in a classroom. We need to coach teachers to leverage technology to differentiate by time, place, path, and pace. Opportunities for technology learning outcomes are different today than 5 years ago!
The problem is that many admins and coaches didn't teach with the types of technology available today. How many coaches (again...think admins and coaches) have taught an elementary classroom using Google Apps For Education or through an LMS? How many coaches know enough about the availability of free software to help a teacher screencast and why they should screencast and when they should screencast? How many administrators have ‘flipped’ a faculty meeting? We (I am one of them) have to learn through observing...learning...collaborating and if you are not of that mindset then how are you coaching your teachers as we continue striding through the 21st century?
What does a leader need to know about technology to coach a teacher to meaningfully integrate technology? Is it akin to a former English teacher who is now an administrator trying to coach an AP Chemistry teacher? The answer is no…it’s different! Maybe if they couldn’t push the content, the former English teacher (now admin) could at least help with management or pedagogy with the AP Chemistry teacher. In this case, the administrator can’t coach the pedagogy or the content now…they probably can’t coach the management either as management in a blended learning environment is different than a traditional class.
But, the shift to blended/personalized learning has happened and where are we? We spend millions of dollars on devices, infrastructure, professional development, and tech support, but what about the coaching of individual teachers. This is the real driver of change...coaching! We need to understand the pedagogy of the classroom of today and, more importantly, tomorrow! We still get mesmerized by the cool tech tools…kindergarteners working iPads, 5th graders using Animoto for a presentation, and teachers walking around making sure they are on the ‘right’ app....that's not enough anymore! Actually, it was never enough, but we just didn’t realize it. Or maybe we did, but we didn't want to admit it. Or maybe it was necessary to get people just to 'dip their toes' into using tech. Regardless, admins and coaches need to understand the complexity of tech integration in K-12 schools...how to plan for it and how it should create efficiency and meaningfulness in a classroom. We need to coach teachers to leverage technology to differentiate by time, place, path, and pace. Opportunities for technology learning outcomes are different today than 5 years ago!
The problem is that many admins and coaches didn't teach with the types of technology available today. How many coaches (again...think admins and coaches) have taught an elementary classroom using Google Apps For Education or through an LMS? How many coaches know enough about the availability of free software to help a teacher screencast and why they should screencast and when they should screencast? How many administrators have ‘flipped’ a faculty meeting? We (I am one of them) have to learn through observing...learning...collaborating and if you are not of that mindset then how are you coaching your teachers as we continue striding through the 21st century?
What does a leader need to know about technology to coach a teacher to meaningfully integrate technology? Is it akin to a former English teacher who is now an administrator trying to coach an AP Chemistry teacher? The answer is no…it’s different! Maybe if they couldn’t push the content, the former English teacher (now admin) could at least help with management or pedagogy with the AP Chemistry teacher. In this case, the administrator can’t coach the pedagogy or the content now…they probably can’t coach the management either as management in a blended learning environment is different than a traditional class.
So, you ask, what do we do? How do we get better at coaching? The answer is not simple...it takes time, it takes practice.
We get better by working together, by talking, by collaborating and by working with teachers on a regular basis. We get better by visiting classrooms to see what works and what doesn't. We get better by hearing what works and what doesn't. We get better by allowing teachers to struggle to find the '3rd way' and being allowed to take risks. We get better by watching students in the classroom or responding through an LMS. We get better by learning from each other. We get better through focused instructional rounds to push our thinking and coaching.
You certainly don't get better by sitting in your office. You don't get better by going to a conference. You get better by doing! So, get out and do....visit classrooms, talk with teachers, talk with students, talk with other coaches, coach teachers. Empower teachers to make choices and create environments of risk taking. We will not get better by creating the best classroom of today...by the time that happens, it will be yesterday's best class. Let's create the best classroom of tomorrow!
You certainly don't get better by sitting in your office. You don't get better by going to a conference. You get better by doing! So, get out and do....visit classrooms, talk with teachers, talk with students, talk with other coaches, coach teachers. Empower teachers to make choices and create environments of risk taking. We will not get better by creating the best classroom of today...by the time that happens, it will be yesterday's best class. Let's create the best classroom of tomorrow!