Instructional Coaching: A Success Story

Each week as I contemplate the topic of my blog post, I usually get so overcome by what instructional strategies I'm currently over-the-moon excited about trying out in the present or future that I forget to stop and reflect about past work with the teachers I collaborate with. This week, I'd like to share a success story (don't worry -- I won't be naming names -- confidentiality is important with instructional coaching!).

This story involves a teacher I've worked with for a bit of time now. He and I have gotten to know each other well and have developed a routine and a rapport that works for both of us.

Like many of the ambitious and dedicated teachers I work with, when I first began working with this teacher, he had a dozen goals, all kinds of areas of his teaching he wanted to work on. Upon my observing him teach and having structured conversations about his classes and his students, we were able to narrow his focus by prioritizing a few goals at a time. This was a key first step. Just like we wouldn't give our students too many areas to focus on improving at once, we can't bog ourselves down with too many goals, either! Through our time together, this teacher has developed mastery in several of his goal areas, allowing us to add in other goals to work on. Even though we had placed those goals aside for awhile to focus on our top picks, we hadn't forgotten them.

One area this teacher expressed a lot of interest in working on -- an area that would have high impact on his students' learning -- was his questioning techniques. He was struggling (as many of us have and continue to) with adjusting his questioning strategies so that he wasn't always calling on the same students. He knew he wasn't checking for the understanding of all his students. That's where I came in. As a second set of eyes in his classroom, I was able to make suggestions he could incorporate fairly smoothly into his teaching style. We worked together on his comfort level with "cold-calling" on students. I acknowledged his concern (a concern many teachers share) that he'd be putting students on the spot, and we worked on ways to scaffold a student toward a correct answer if he or she were struggling. We also worked on turning a student's question over to the rest of the class as another way to check for understanding, instead of it always being the teacher's job to answer questions. Eventually, when this teacher had vastly changed the way he asked questions in class (over 90% of the questions he asks now are "cold-calls" and his students are really rising to the occasion!), we were able to analyze when and why he sometimes falls into his old habits (typically when he was feeling rushed, nervous about getting to all of his lesson) and we worked on ways to prevent that from happening.

Nothing I've written about above is ground-breaking. These are effective, but simple, ways to change one's questioning techniques for the better. But the beauty of instructional coaching is the on-going, job-embedded professional development. If this teacher had merely read an article or attended a one-shot workshop about questioning strategies, he may have tried some new ideas out for awhile. But, as we all know, he may have eventually lapsed with this goal, becoming distracted by all the other aspects of one's day as a teacher. Instructional coaching can help, as I've been told by the teachers I've worked with, because it's more consistent, it involves conversations and observations and goal-setting, even because the teacher knows she's got an appointment with me coming up so she needs to get going on some of the things we discussed during our last conversation. It's a judgment-free, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," pleasant method of professional development that I think can help teachers to make big and small changes in their classrooms.

If you're interested in exploring your own questioning techniques (or any of the other myriad of instructional strategies out there!), just let me know!

Time on Task

As educators, we all want our students' time-on-task to be as high as possible. We don't want our students to waste precious learning time! Sometimes our students have other ideas about this, though, and can spend time off-task for a whole boatload of reasons (boredom, anxiety about an issue outside of class, daydreaming, lack of understanding. . . . . ).

While teachers conduct a lesson, check for student understanding, make on-the-spot decisions about objectives and behavioral management, handle interruptions, give directions, etc., etc., etc., however, it can be tricky to factor in a way to document how much time on task (or off!) students are spending.That's where I come in!

As an instructional coach, this is just one of many areas I can help teachers out with by being a second pair of eyes in the classroom. If a teacher has a goal of increasing student time-on-task, it's good to first establish a base-line. How much time, on average, are students already spending on task? As coach, I can come in to observe a lesson and narrow my focus to just recording on- and off-task behavior. Since this is my main focus, I can even narrow my observations further, recording behavior that is on-task, passively off-task, verbally off-task, and actively off-task (all three of these off-task behaviors can benefit from different intervention strategies, so it's important to distinguish among them). Later, I can share my findings with the teacher, presenting him or her with the percentage of time students, on the whole, are off-task during class, and even the percentage of time students are off-task passively, verbally, and/or actively. We can then work together to plan some interventions with the hope of reducing the amount of time off-task. What's great is that I can continue to come in to collect the same data at different intervals, which means the teacher can have very specific data to inform her about how she's doing with her goal, or about how his interventions are working.

Having another set of eyes to collect student data in the classroom can be helpful in a multitude of ways -- this is just one example of the benefits of instructional coaching!

Instructional Coaching in Action

Since the role of instructional coach is still quite new in the district where I work, I'm hoping this post serves to paint a picture of what the collaboration between a teacher and an instructional coach can look like (it's also a decent look at what some formative assessment practices can consist of).

I’ve been coaching a teacher towards a goal of using formative assessment practices in his classroom. This week, we were both able to see just how simple, effective, and eye-opening formative assessment can often be.

I met with this teacher (let’s be mysterious and call him “Mr. X”) late last week to talk about an upcoming lesson that would be fairly content-heavy. We discussed what he felt the major take-aways for students should be, and quickly decided on using an exit ticket (or ticket-to-leave) as a way to check for understanding of these take-aways. The exit ticket we designed had two parts to it: the first asked for a definition of a major concept that would be covered during class that day and would be essential for student understanding throughout the unit; the second asked for three causes and three effects of the particular movement in history introduced in class that day.

Mr. X and I next met up after school on the day he had collected these exit tickets from students. Together, we quickly skimmed the students’ responses and discovered they fell into one of 3 categories: five students were in the Didn’t Get It category (responses were missing most or all of the information and/or contained misunderstandings); nine students were in the Yes! category (responses indicated a level of understanding that indicated the student was ready to continue with this unit of study); and six students were in the Halfway There category (students were able to list the causes and effects, but had difficulty with the definition on the first part of the exit ticket).

Skimming through these exit tickets and categorizing them took us probably about ten minutes. We didn’t grade the exit tickets or assign any points; we didn’t even lift a pen to write on them. We were solely interested in determining where all the students were with their understanding. And there was a major revelation (this is my favorite part of formative assessment!): Mr. X told me that, before looking at the exit tickets, he assumed students would all breeze through the definition portion, but have difficulties with the cause and effect. It wasn’t until we collected and analyzed the exit ticket data that he realized the opposite had happened with about half of his students. Does this mean the teacher failed? NO. Mr. X succeeded because he chose to check for understanding in this way, which enabled him to see at a glance that there was a need to go over this concept again.  Without such a check for understanding, he would only have had his assumptions to go by, and this would not have been enough.

It was time to make a plan for the next lesson – formative assessment is only truly formative if it informs our future instructional moves. Since 50% of the class struggled with the definition portion of the exit ticket, we decided it would be best to begin class all together. Mr. X would let the class know he was concerned that they didn’t all fully understand this particular concept yet. Then he would call on a few of the students that he knew (again, based on the exit tickets) had a good grasp on it, and ask them to share how they defined the concept. The teacher would reiterate each aspect that was brought up, reinforcing these ideas with the whole class.

Feeling confident now that the majority of students had grasped this concept, the teacher would then move on to a group activity. While getting students into groups of four and disseminating instructions on the work they were to do, Mr. X would pull aside the five students who fell into our Didn’t Get It category, letting them know he had looked at their exit tickets and was concerned about their understanding of yesterday’s lesson. He would tell them that he wanted them to be successful with the rest of the unit, but that depended on them having a good understanding of the major concepts addressed yesterday, and so he’d like to spend some time reviewing those with them now. Once Mr. X feels satisfied that these students have grasped the concepts, he’ll release them to join a group and jump into the group activity currently underway.

I observed this lesson plan in action the next day in Mr. X’s classroom. Later, we met up to discuss what we felt had gone well, and what we may do differently next time.

Using formative assessment can (and usually should) be quick, simple, and, sometimes, surprisingly effective! It doesn’t always have to look like the above scenario. Sometimes, based on checking for understanding, a teacher may realize the whole class (or a vast majority of it) needs to step back and review. Or he may realize that there is a wide range of understanding or skill level and that he needs to plan for tiered instruction in his next lesson.

It can be really helpful to have someone to discuss what the check for understanding should look like; to have another set of eyes to analyze this data together; to have someone help you brainstorm and plan for what your instruction should look like the next day based on this data; to have someone come on in during that next day’s lesson and model a teaching strategy you may not be comfortable with yet or co-teach a portion of the lesson together; or even just to observe and meet up with you later on to discuss how it went, and to make future plans. Guess what? I’m that someone! This is a good picture of what instructional coaching can be all about!

Giving Thanks

      I typically post on Fridays. It’s the end of the week, and I love taking the opportunity to reflect on everything I’ve read and researched about instruction and assessment and everything I’ve seen in classrooms over the course of the week. It’s a nice chance to synthesize the ideas that have been flooding my brain all week, as well as to stop and remind myself of the big picture.

     Well, today is Tuesday, but it’s fake Friday for all of us who are fortunate enough to have the rest of the week off to celebrate Thanksgiving. So, I thought I’d post not about everything I’ve learned and thought about this week (it’s been a two-day work week, people!) and instead share with you some things I am grateful for.

I give thanks for:

·      My new job as an instructional coach. This position has reinvigorated my passion for education by allowing me to stretch my muscles and try out a new way to be an educator. Having the chance to work with teachers from grade K all the way to grade 12, in science classes, in art classes, in ELA and in history has been challenging, exciting, interesting, and definitely NOT boring!

·      All the teachers in my new district who have volunteered to work with me so far. In my first two and a half months in this position, I have worked with 36 teachers (many of whom I continue to work with). These teachers give up their free time during prep periods, before and after school to meet with me, all because of their dedication to their craft. It’s inspiring and motivating, to say the least.

·      My soon-to-husband (the big day, 2/2/13, feels right around the corner!). He ceaselessly believes in me, and is the best partner this girl could ever ask for.

·      Friendships. I have a few friends who have known me for so long, I cannot even picture my life without them. Being known so well by someone (or in my case, a few someones) is priceless.

·      Family. I don’t think mine always understand everything I do or believe in – in many ways, we can be polar opposites of each other. But I am blessed to have a nuclear family that, regardless of differences, offers me unconditional love. Especially thankful for my little nephew, who just turned one! He has taught me that I actually CAN get along with a baby – who knew?!?

·      This blog. I’ve never blogged about anything before, so starting a blog was a new challenge for me. I’ve grown to really appreciate the opportunity to sit back and quietly reflect on where my thoughts stand, where my questions lie, where my ideas are coming from. I am thankful to any readers who view my posts, and hopeful that they are learning from and reflecting on what I share.

·      And finally, today I am quite thankful that I was invited to a second grade Thanksgiving feast. Readers, I have never experienced something quite as cute. These are students I have been working with for a while now, and it was sweet to have them welcome me into their celebration. Every now and then with this new job, I really miss being a classroom teacher. Days like today make me still feel that I am part of classroom life, of students’ lives. It was a special gift.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Instructional Coaching -- an Extended Metaphor

     First things first: I ran into a teacher from the district I am working in as an instructional coach (IC) the other day and she told me she has been reading my blog!!! It's so exciting to know I have a reader. But, in all my excitement, I now forget this wonderful and wise woman's name (was it Rhonda? I'm just not sure), but here's a shout-out anyway to my faithful reader! 
     For this one lovely reader and for anyone else who may be tuning in, a little recap as context for this week's blog. As I ran around town in my new district, presenting at each of the schools an introduction of what instructional coaching is all about, I spoke about a metaphor I happen to like for the collaboration between a teacher and an IC. Here's the recap: 
     I've been long-distance running since I was 14. In high school, I ran cross country and track and had some good and not-so-good coaches along the way. Now, many, many years beyond high school, I know how to be a long-distance runner. If I go out for a 10K, I know how to approach it. But recently I decided to train for a marathon -- something totally new to me. So, even though I'd been running since the age of 14, I decided to partner up with a new friend of mine who had some marathon experience so that we could train together. He didn't need to teach me how to run -- I already knew how to do that. But, trying something new like a marathon is just simpler and more effective when you're doing it alongside a partner, coach, friend. 
     This is a great metaphor for how ICs and teachers should work together. As an IC, I know I am not here to teach established teachers how to teach -- they're already doing it. But they may want to try something new in their classrooms, and it just might be simpler and more effective to have someone by their side while they're doing it.
     Here's the update on this metaphor, extending it, if you will. I moved a couple weeks ago, so I now live about an hour or so from my running buddy. This past weekend, my training plan dictated that I go for an 18-mile run. Not being able to hook up with my now long-distance pal, I decided to go it alone. In case you've never tried, let me tell you that 18 miles is a long time to run by yourself. Three hours with nothing but my own thoughts. It became a mental game. I had a hard time keeping myself motivated, I was grumpy and distracted. So distracted that I ended up making silly running mistakes I thought I was beyond making, like starting off too fast and running too many hills within the first half of my run. In the end, I only made it to 16 miles before I gave up (I know, in retrospect, 16 miles is nothing to sneeze at).
     The moral of the story -- and of the metaphor -- is this: Even though I have been training with my running partner for a couple months now, doing one long run together each weekend, I wasn't completely ready to go it alone. I regressed a bit to some of my older, solo running habits. I lost my motivation. 
     I've been doing a lot of research on how to be an effective instructional coach. And much of it has told me that as a support for the teacher, you shouldn't remove yourself too quickly. Just because the teacher has tried out a new teaching strategy and it went well once doesn't necessarily mean the relationship is over. Often, teachers need the IC to continue to stick it out until the new strategy becomes second-nature. Adopting a new practice can be challenging!
     So, this weekend I am making the one-hour trek down to my old stomping grounds to run with my friend. We have a couple more really long runs before we get to start tapering (shortening our distances before the big race day). I know I can do those shorter distances (anything under 14 miles or so) alone. But for now, I realize I do still need support during those long, long runs. 
     For teachers who are or will be working with me as an IC: I know each of you will work with me for different lengths of time. Some of you will need my support for much longer than others, depending on what it is we're working on in your classroom. I hope that we can reflect together to know when to start "tapering" our work together, and not to do it too soon!
     In closing, I'll say to you, reader(s?!?!), something I used to say to my former high school English students which was often followed by understandable groans at my cheesiness:

                                                         ~Metaphors be with you.~


(If you don't get it, try saying it in the voice of Yoda or Obe Wan Kanobe.)

Welcome!

Welcome to my first adventure in blogging!
My decision to begin blogging about my pedagogical ideas and those of others coincides with the beginning of a new career path for me. After 12 years in the classroom (as a secondary ELA department head), I am now an instructional coach for a public school district in a suburb of Boston, MA. Instructional coaching has been a dream job for me ever since I began the doctoral program at Northeastern University three years ago. Since then, I have learned a lot about this up-and-coming position in school districts nationwide. The professional development opportunities that instructional coaching affords are exciting!
In the district I'll be working in, instructional coaching is for everyone, be it a teacher in his or her first year or in his or her fortieth year. Teachers will be electing to work with me on goals formulated by them and for their classrooms. What is most exciting to me about instructional coaching is that it is truly authentic, job-embedded professional development that differs greatly from the types of "one-shot" workshops teachers have been used to. Instead of attending a two-hour workshop and then being left alone to try out a new teaching strategy or innovation (amidst all the other day-to-day concerns and decisions teaching presents), teachers who choose to work with an instructional coach (in this case, me!) will have support throughout the duration of their implementation of a new strategy in their classroom.
This support can include the following: reflecting, creating, and thinking together; modeling new strategies; observing (as a second set of eyes, not as an evaluator); gathering and collaboratively exploring classroom data; and preparing materials, easing the transition into a new teaching strategy. Teachers can choose to collaborate with me one-on-one or in teams. And what will we collaborate on? The possibilities are endless: classroom management, unit planning, essential questions, Understanding by Design, differentiated instruction, Response to Intervention, authentic assessment, formative assessment, interdisciplinary units, project-based learning . . .
It is these matters of pedagogy (as listed above) that I'll blog about here. I'm sure that as I begin and continue my work instructionally coaching and collaborating with teachers, I will find myself constantly reflecting on such pedagogical and instructional issues. This blog will be a forum to share my reflections.