Instructional Coaching Journey - Day 1

Today was the first day of school. This is something I have experienced from both sides of the desk over 40 times. However, for the first time since 1998, I did not begin my day greeting a new group of eager and excited students. Instead, I made a left turn at the end of my driveway and traveled to the Board Office to meet, mingle and learn with an eager and excited group of Instructional Coaches & Math Coordinators. This was the first of many upcoming Professional Development sessions that will help me acclimate and settle in my new role as an Agent of Change for the Thames Valley Board.   

The supervisory team welcomed us with a fun video and a thoughtful treat. In many ways, they demonstrated the collaborative, collegial and professional approach that I hope to present.

Ice Breaker Activity

There was a new twist on an old icebreaker activity. Much like my students, I alternate between liking and loathing these activities. I do enjoy meeting new people and sharing my ideas but, I often find myself caught up in moments of awkward silence at the end of these encounters. More frustrating is being stuck in a veritable "no-man’s-land" between tables and a human log jam, waiting for a chance to move or engage someone else. I know it is in my head - but I always feel utterly graceless and oafish in these moments. I was fortunate today, I was stuck near the snacks and coffee table.

We broke down some numbers from EQAO (The Grade 3 & 6 Provincial Standardized Tests) and solidified our focus as coaches. I summarized it quickly as a personal mission statement and put it at the top of my calendar and into a Canva poster for Social Media. I’m not sure why that works for me. I think it is something about making things concrete for me. It reads as follows “My Focus needs to be intentional & precise, and must be directed toward tangible improvements in Literacy and Mathematics.” I will reflect on it regularly as I begin this challenge.

It is nice to finish at exactly the end of the day. It is also a treat to be able to spend a little time on professional reading & writing. Typically, the first day after school is spent organizing lesson plans and preparing for another frenetic school day. Instead, I did some reading and wrote this reflection. More PD tomorrow.

#BookSnapping my way into Instructional Coaching

On Friday, June 30, at approximately 8:00 am, I got to the end of my driveway and made a left turn.

This is significant because, for the last six years, the start of my work day has always required a right turn, westbound, to Eagle Heights Public School.

As I made this slight kinesthetic adjustment, a cognitive shift occurred. A new reality became tangible and I drove, east, toward the Board Office, reflecting on my new career path.

I began my first day in a new role as a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) working as an Instructional Coach (IC) with a focus on Literacy and Math with Kindergarten to Grade 8 classes for four schools in our Board.

When asked by friends to describe this role, I have had to rely on my own experiences working with the IC's assigned to my schools. Last April, I accessed release money provided by our Federation (ETFO) and had the chance to “shadow” a colleague, @Kylede08, for half a day. This helped me solidify my understanding.

Recently, I was provided with this article by Heather Wolpert-Gawron called “The Many Roles of an Instructional Coach”. I was asked by the supervisory team to read it and ...

• Identify three, very important points.
• Identify a personal “aha” moment.
• Reflect on how I see this impacting our work (as IC’s) moving forward.

I have decided to use this article as an opportunity to do some professional writing and also to explore the idea of #BookSnaps that I had read about on the @TaraMartinEDUTwitter feed and through her R.E.A.L. Weblog page. #BookSnaps make use of Snapchat and Bitmoji to annotate and share ideas from things that you are reading.

So, here are my “three, very important points” using #BookSnaps.

"The position is defined differently...and attempts to standardize (it) can undermine its effectiveness."

TOSA's don't evaluate teachers/ We're teachers just like them. Through a partnership based on trust & respect...(we) help teachers reach their fullest potential."

"Instructional Coaches...have a lot of insight into the daily victories that occur in all classrooms. He or she would know that photos need to be taken & tweeted for all to see."

My personal “aha” moment came here.

"I use all of the walls and don't have a front of the room, per se."

I had no idea that some Instructional Coaches had access to a classroom where they could set up a flexible seating space for students and teachers to visit. That would be a wonderful situation. Many teachers with whom I speak are interested in moving toward a flexible seating/student centered classroom design. Wouldn’t it be great to provide them, and their students, with an opportunity to experiment with the experience, rather than making a bold and sudden transition.

Here is what I will reflect on as I move forward into this role.

Know your role.

Identify your strengths.

Keep learning.

Model learning.

Enjoy learning.

This is what I am going to focus on next.

That Change will do you Good ... or maybe not.

I am in the back-end of a wonderful March Break. I have had time with my wife, family and friends. I have gone hiking, played hockey, taken care of paperwork, had a haircut, eaten royally and slept-in. I am feeling fantastically recharged and I am looking forward to Monday and the final stretch of the school year. I also have a group interview on Monday evening and my first chance to secure a new role next September.

I recently applied for a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) role as an Instructional Coach for elementary students. If successful, I would be assigned to a small family of schools (likely 3 or 4) that are geographically close to one another.  I would then make myself available to work with teachers and their classrooms in a variety of ways:

• supporting teacher development (particularly in literacy & math),
• co-teaching and co-planning collaborative inquiry opportunities,
• helping create meaningful cross-curricular connections,
• differentiating instruction for students,  
• building capacity with new challenges (ex: coding or computational thinking),
• reviewing good pedagogy and research based practices, and
• supporting school improvement plans and board wide initiatives.

At least that is what I think I would be doing based on the memorandum I read and the things I have seen from our school’s instructional coaches - past and present. I will get a deeper insight next Tuesday when I shadow a colleague who is currently in a coaching role. I know I will also learn more about the expectations during my group interview on Monday. I wish I could have arranged those two events in the opposite order...oh well.

I’m not particularly stressed about the interview. Like most teachers, I am an outgoing, Type A personality who loves to talk and share. Additionally, I sincerely believe I have much to offer, and I know I would put my full effort into any opportunity. I guess, if anything, I am being reflective. This is the reason for this post. I need to take a few minutes to organize the main pros and cons that surround this decision.

Pros

1./ I know that new opportunities will invigorate my career.

2./ More Professional Development (PD) opportunities will be available.

3./ Other coaches have raved about the experience.

4./ New colleagues mean new growth.

5./ After 6 years in the same school/division, I should make a change.

6./ Different classes in different divisions sounds exciting.

7./ I am genuinely excited about sharing my passion with other colleagues.

8./ My school is growing (again) and I might be back in a portable….ugh!

Cons

1./ I really like my classroom, school, students and colleagues.

2./ I do not like packing and moving and storing things.

3./ Not having my own class for a year is something I might miss.

4./ I won’t be able to coach sports when in this role.

5./ My current program is sweet, complete and ready to go next year.

6./ This position means more driving and I am currently 2 km from my school.

7./ Additional driving means added wear & tear on my vehicle and greater risk.

8./ A placement out in the county means treacherous winter driving.

Okay, I realize that there is theme “driving” my con list - but these are legitimate concerns that I need to consider and, most importantly, justify to my loved ones.

I’ll also admit that my current grade five group is making this a tough decision. They are among of the kindest, funniest and smartest bunch of kids with whom I’ve ever had the opportunity to work. We are doing so many cool things and I have been part of incredible growth (mine and theirs).  Additionally, they have helped me immeasurably as I continued to explore, and build my comfort with, coding and computational thinking. We launch Genius Hour next week and, as my friends will attest, I can’t stop talking about the great ideas that they are exploring.

Now, I realize they will not be my students next year. I guess it is the recognition that leaving the classroom is something I am afraid I will regret. As ridiculous as it sounds, I would have hated to have missed out on this particular year of teaching - even though I wouldn’t have known what I was missing.

The March theme at Eagle Heights is Optimism and I have try to be a “glass half full” kind of guy. Additionally, I haven’t even been offered the job yet. I do know that I need a change and, if this doesn’t pan out, I will certainly investigate a new school or even grade level. Regardless, I get three more months with my Rockstar Class and lots of new opportunities in my future. Thanks for reading, I hope to share my experiences soon.

2016 Reflections

My summer goal was to have 12 posts published this year. if I can finish this entry in the next two hours, I will exceed that expectation - with plenty of time to see the puck drop at the Canada vs U.S.A World Junior hockey game. So, here is a quick reflection of some of the best things that happened to me in education in 2016.

TLLP

I, along with a group of highly motivated colleagues from three Thames Valley schools, successfully applied for a grant through the Ontario Government’s Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP). With the money from the grant, I was fortunate enough to attend two conferences, the TLLP Learning Summit in May and then the Bring it Together (BIT) Conference in November. Additionally, we secured plenty of new technology (Chromebooks, IPads, Spheros, Ozobots, Dash & Dot) for our schools. We were also provided with release time to learn how to use them in our classrooms with an eye toward a  changing curriculum that necessarily embraces coding and computational thinking.

My understanding of both coding and computational thinking grew by leaps and bounds through this wonderful opportunity. I benefited greatly from the experiences of both my "Grant Colleagues" and from the many, passionate educators who shared their knowledge at these informative events. It has also helped me build my Professional Learning Network through Twitter and that has become an invaluable resource.

Lego Mindstorms EV3 Robots

I was also fortunate enough to be selected by my Principal to attend three, half-day, workshop sessions to learn about Lego Mindstorm EV3 Robots. Eight of these high-tech kits were purchased for our school and I have been asked to learn how to incorporate them into the Junior curriculum. After this year, I will provide the resources and support required for other teachers to share them in their classrooms. My students and I explored the  DRiVe Inquiry Approach supported by the Thames Valley board and took on a number of coding challenges. These included the navigation of a floor hockey stick maze and programming the robotic arms to throw a ping-pong ball. I am keen to expand my understanding in the first few months of the 2017 school year so that I have much to offer my colleagues when they explore the kits.

Feedback Driven Evaluation

For several year, I have been trying to move student focus away from “marks” and toward “feedback”. This year, I have had increased success. I have made it a priority to give prompt, written feedback with both "Next Steps" and constructive praise through this version of a no marks rubric*.

(*A rubric is a document that articulates the expectations of an assignment. It often includes some form of mark)

Some challenges have persisted

• Parents and students still think in terms of marks - the question: “Did I get an A?” is hard to shake.
• Report Cards still require "Letter Grades". Consequently, I eventually have to quantify this feedback and distill it to a mark.

However, this approach has been most enhanced by two changes in my practice. The first is incorporating more “ongoing feedback" during an activity.  This is typically provided through Google Classroom and Google Documents. For example, a student completing a writing task will submit it after the completion of a first draft. I will provide feedback for some of the work and encourage them to review their work with my recommendations in mind. Google Docs "suggestion" feature is wonderful for this process.

Additionally, I have encouraged students to make a copy of the rubric and self-evaluate. If they are able to self-reflect and determine their own “Next Steps” they have time to make the changes. Not only does this encourage students to be critical of their own work, it also inspires personal celebration. Students benefit greatly from discovering the intrinsic value of work that is well done.

Well, “game time” approaches. I think I will end things here. 2016 was a year of growth for me and I experienced many successes. I enthusiastically look forward to 2017 and I hope to write my next post before the first week is over...however, with report cards looming, I make no promises.

Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year!