SEVERAL OREGON DISTRICTS PREPARE FOR COACHING

I recently worked in three Oregon School Districts as they invested in professional development to maximize the value of coaching programs.

The following piece from Joellen Killion in the Winter 2007 (Vol 28,No 1) illustrates the importance of training coaches.

In the Lebanon, OR district ,building administrators and coaches completed two days of training last January where they practiced the conferencing skills of coaching. This August, coaches and administrators returned to a full day of professional development and brought teacher leaders along. These teams practiced coaching conferencing skills with each other and planned for spreading the coaching culture in their buildings. They committed to coaching each other, then sharing their coaching experiences with other staff and inviting them to join.
In Corvallis, Oregon, school administrators and literacy coaches collaborated during two professional development days on coaching. The district is implementing a new teacher evaluation system based on Charlotte Danielson’s Frameworks and expanding literacy coaching. Substantial conversations examined the roles of administrators as evaluators, supervisors, mentors, and coaches as well as what the communication flow between coach and administrator should be. “How do we combine confidentiality, awareness, and support for maximum teacher growth?”

Facilitating the Lebanon and Corvallis sessions, I was reminded of the value of teachers and administrators learning together. Critical conversations emerged that are often missed when receiving the same training separately.

Salem Keizer School District extended its commitment to instructional coaching adding new coaches at additional schools. New coaches completed the first two of eight days of coaching conferencing training that will be provided by Performance Learning Systems. In addition coaches are scheduled for ½ day of training weekly throughout the year. The principals at the schools that are adding coaches attended a session where we focused on “how to introduce coaches and coaching to their faculties.” Several of these administrators agreed that they would be the first to model vulnerability by asking the coach to publicly coach them either teaching in a classroom or conducting a faculty activity.

To build in system capacity, five experienced coaches, who assisted in the training I conducted, are preparing to be the trainers for future new coaching cadres. The experienced coaches provided great encouragement and insights to the new coaches as well as to the principals who are new to working with a building level coach. Salem Keizer coaches have a website and list serve to support each other- http://www.coachtogether.net/. As an added component to creating the coaching culture, Salem Keizer offers a three day coaching course for teachers. Participants learn skills for peer coaching and are prepared to capitalize on the availability of an instructional coach in their building.

ADVISORS AND MENTORS: USING OPEN QUESTIONS AND CONFIRMATORY PARAPHRASES

I have been working with the principal, Charlie McDaniel, of the new East Ridge Middle School (ERMS) in Lake County, FL. The administrative and guidance leadership of the school worked to create an advisory program for the 6th,7th,and8th grades students coming to this brand new school. Students will stay in the same advisory group through their three years but will have a different advisory teacher at each grade. These teachers will form an advisory unit working together during the three years focusing on each student’s needs. One guidance counselor will stay with the students through their three years.

I was asked to create a workshop to assist teachers in their advising role and to explore advisors’ communications with parents as the school year started. I decided to focus on open ended questions and paraphrases as verbal skills that used consciously would increase teachers “knowing” their students.

I defined opened ended questions as those where the answer to the question drives the direction of the conversation and closed questions as those were the question controls the direction of the conversations. We identified purposes for open and closed question in classrooms. This activity pointed that the purpose of the advisories would often require an open environment.

Teachers then practiced forming open questions identifying students’ past school experiences and future plans, and questions for initial calls to parents.

Here are some examples I shared:
• Describe a project you did last year that you spent a lot of effort on….Why did you put in effort?

• What would you look for when picking a future job? Why?

• What was your impression after our orientation program?

• As your daughter’s advisor, what do you think is important for me know?

•What are your expectations of a middle school program?

•If you were selecting teachers for your son, what would you look for in the teacher? Why?

We then explore how confirmatory paraphrases could be used to extend responses that you might receive from the open ended questions:

Student: I put a lot of effort into an English project where my best friend and I wrote a story and illustrated it as a book for 1st graders. We got to read it to the kids and they really liked it.

Possible teacher paraphrases:
* You enjoyed working hard with your friend.
* Sounds like you are skilled in writing.
* When the kids enjoyed it, the hard work was worth it.
* You were proud of your work

Parent: I’d pick a stern, caring teacher for my son. He can talk his way out of work if you let him.

Possible teacher paraphrases:
• Your son has the gift of gab.
• Sounds like you have a charmer.
• You want the sternness to come from caring.
• You want your son to put effort into learning


Teachers were provided with the following cue card to prepare for their initial call to each advisee’s home:

Several days after this workshop for middle school teachers, I was in Gainesville, FL (Alachua County Schools) facilitating a session with coaches and mentors for beginning teachers. I was asked for suggestions on how to hold the initial conversation of introduction with beginning teachers. I pulled up the above examples from the advisor workshop to practice open questions and paraphrases. Then we discovered that with a little tweaking the plan for parent calls could be transformed into initial conversations with beginning teachers.
Take a moment and try it!

THE PRINCIPAL/COACH PARTNERSHIP

I had another of those weeks where several projects that I am working on run together or overlapped. I am preparing to facilitate a training for the Arkansas Department of Education for principals and coaches. They asked me to include partnership agreements as presented by Killion and Harrison in Taking the Lead: New Roles for Teachers and School-based Coaches published by National Staff Development Council. I conducted two sessions at the National Reading First Conference in Nashville for participants in an advanced coaching strand. I spent two days in Rochester, NY training teacher and administrator mentors. The importance of the agreements/understandings between coaches/mentors and principals continually arose in each of these settings.

“Partnership agreements are a form of contract or mutual agreement between a coach and his or her principal, teacher clients, or others with whom the coach may be working.” The principal/coach partnership might included the following:" (Killion and Harrison)

Roles and Responsibilities: What are the roles and responsibilities of the coach? What will the coach be doing and not doing?

I find that quite often coaches begin working in buildings without this conversation occurring. Often coaches are receiving direction from a central office director which at times may at least appear to conflict with the principal’s expectations. If the role is unclear to the coach and principal, teachers are sure to be unclear and that doubt will impact the coach’s effectiveness.

Clients— Which teachers do coaches work with? Individuals or teams? Volunteers or everyone?

At the Reading First Conference I shared my belief that the strongest professionals on a staff should receive the most coaching…that practice counters the myth held by many that coaching is a deficit program "just for those who NEED help.” Many coaches suggested their principals saw the coaches’ time best spent with a few struggling teachers. In Rochester, I suggested that mentors invite the reading coach to observe them and let the new teacher observe the process. Who to work with is a big question for coaches. Should they spend more time working with teams of teachers? It is critical that a coach knows the principal is supporting his /her prioritization of time.

Boundaries of Work—Defining what coaches will and will not do.

This conversation should allow for the principals’ expectations to be compared to program or “funded” guidelines or rules, thus avoiding pressure on the coach from conflicting requirements. Again, sharing the information with teachers increases understanding and trust.

Support and Resources Needed for Success—What space, technology, and materials are needed to support the coach’s work?

Some commitment to the coaches’ needs helps communicate to teachers that the program is important.

Expected Results- when coaches and principals agree about expected outcomes, coaches can have a greater focus on their work.

I often find that reading coaches are informed that the expected outcome is increased reading scores. I suggest that coaches get principals to define observable changes in teachers and students that they would see as predictors (precursors) to students’ success.
These initial results can provide important feedback and encouragement.
Example—seeing more “focused reading” occurring when students are at centers. – finding teachers asking more higher order thinking questions

Timelines- can help measure progress toward goals

My thought is that, at least initially, these changes (progress/goals) should be stated in terms of teacher behavior. Ex: Teachers’ plans will show that___________. Or, in classrooms you will notice that____________. Administrators noting their observation of the change in teachers will provide reinforcement and encouragement to the coach.

Communications- When and how and what will coaches and principals communicate?

The elementary reading-coach program in Hillsborough County, FL has scheduled a half day principal/reading coach session in each of the past several years. Every time that I have been involved, I have heard both principal and coach comment how valuable setting aside that time together has been.

Processes-How will the coach work to achieve the desired results?

One of the issues that we discussed substantially in my Rochester group was the importance of teacher collegiality on student achievement and the degree to which people felt that teacher collegiality was a desired/expected outcome of the coaching program. If it is, that influences the process of how the coach goes about her work. Creating teacher’s sharing and observing each other with a common focus becomes a critical activity to promote.

Confidentiality-- Coaches and principals need to clarify their agreement and expectations to others concerning confidentiality.

In Quality Teaching and a Culture of Coaching , I describe 4 models for defining the communication and confidentiality agreements between coaches and teachers and principals:

#1- In the first model, there is two way communication between teachers and administrator and two way between teachers and coach. There is no communication between coach and principal regarding their observations of the teacher. So, if the coach was in my classroom today and on my way out at the end of the day I see the coach in the principal’s office, I don’t know what they are discussing, but I know it’s not me because we have agreed to model #1.

In each of the following models the two way communication between teacher and administrator and teacher and coach continue:

Model #2- Here we add the principal talking to the coach, but the coach not reporting back. So if the principal observed in the classroom and saw students off task when they were at centers, the principal would report that to the coach and expect the coach to explore it with the teacher. The coach does not comment on his/her observations.

Model #3- Contains all the elements of model #2 and adds that the coach shares “good news” (progress) with the administrator. Some principals like this model as it sets them up to provide positive feedback and encouragement to teachers quicker then they might without the coaches’ reporting.

Model #4- Has full communications and sharing of data, thoughts, observations and expectations among teacher, administrator, and coach. Everyone is on the same page focusing on teacher growth for student achievement.

Many issues can influence what model is required for maximum teacher growth:
*history of the administrator in the building
*history of past administration with teachers
* previous coach
* history of present coach with teachers
* individual teachers confidence

Ongoing conversation among teachers, coach, and administrator is critical for creating the environment where teachers are comfortable making themselves vulnerable for growth. Coaches and principals becoming vulnerable is important. Trust built through partnership agreements will be helpful.

Send me thoughts or questions these partnership conversation possibilities raise for you. sbarkley@plsweb.com

ENGAGEMENT FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

In a recent article in Education Week (July 16, 2008) Engagement is the Answer, Joseph Renzulli, www.renzullilearning.com, suggests schools need to adopt a new guiding principle, “No Child Left Bored”. He recommends that the drill and practice teaching especially present in the classrooms of poor and struggling students be replaced with teaching to develop high-end learning skills:

*Plan a task and consider alternatives
*Monitor understanding and the need for additional information
*Identify patterns, relationships, and discrepancies
*Generate reasonable arguments, explanations, hypotheses, and ideas
*Draw comparisons to other problems
*Formulate meaningful questions
*Transform factual information into usable knowledge
*Rapidly and efficiently access information
*Extend one’s thinking
*Detect bias, make comparisons, draw conclusions, and predict outcomes
*Apply knowledge and problem solving strategies to real-world problems
*Work and communicate effectively with others
*Derive enjoyment from active engagement in learning
*Creatively solve problems and produce new ideas

Renzulli states that these skills promote engagement, which he defines as infectious enthusiasm students display when working on something of personal interest pursued inductively. He believes this high engagement results in higher achievement, improved self concept, and self-efficacy, and more favorable attitudes toward school and learning.

I found a great example of teaching for high end learning in the July 29, 2008, New York Times.
Steven A. Farber is a biologist who studies how vertebrates digest fats, research that may be useful in combating heart disease. But Dr. Farber, 45, an investigator at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Baltimore, moonlights at a second job. He heads Project BioEYES, a nonprofit organization he founded seven years ago to bring science to inner-city schools in Baltimore, Philadelphia and South Bend, Ind. He and his staff members try to introduce children to genetics, natural selection and the scientific method. Their tool of choice is Dr. Farber’s favorite experimental animal, the zebra fish.
Note the approach………………………………….

On the first day, we bring in a bucket of zebra fish and say: “Now that you’re scientists, you have to be good at observation. Which of these fish is male and female?” After some hits and misses, the kids usually figure out that the fish with the swollen belly is female and the sleek one is male.

As I re- read the list of high-end learning skills, it struck me that the same list applies to teachers working in professional learning communities. Check the list. Do you agree?
Here are a few I have personally seen while observing effective PLC’s:
…..applying knowledge and problem solving strategies to real-world problems
….. working and communicating effectively with others
…..deriving enjoyment from active engagement in learning
…...creatively solving problems and producing new ideas

Those of you serving as instructional or peer coaches should be able to identify that much of your work is designed to create many of the same skills for your coachees.
…..planning tasks and considering alternatives
…..monitoring understanding and the need for additional information
…..identifying patterns, relationships, and discrepancies
…..formulating meaningful questions
…..transforming factual information into usable knowledge

As instructional leaders, school administrators should be focused on learner-centered skills of their staffs as a strategy for the development of learner-centered skills of their students. Engagement is the answer.

PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES AND COACHING

While presenting at the National Staff Development Council’s Summer Conference, I had the opportunity to attend a research presentation by Dr. Jim Knight, from the University of Kansas Center for Research on Teaching and Learning. Jim is doing important research documenting the impact of coaching on teacher change. In his presentation, Jim shared the principals of partnership which I found to be important in coaching relationships.

The Principals of Partnership approach to staff development: (see my connections to coaching following each section)

Equality
Partnership involves relationships between equals. Thus, each person's thoughts and beliefs are held to be valuable, and, although each individual is different, no individual decides for another. When this principle is applied to staff development, it means that all participants in a learning session are recognized as equal partners, and consequently no one's view is more important or valuable than any one else's.
(In my coaching training I use a continuum that moves from evaluation to supervision to mentoring to coaching. Equality of positions is found at the coaching end. Thus at times, a principal can be a teacher’s coach when both recognize that is the relationship for that moment. A principal knows that teachers are at this point when the teacher thanks the principal for a suggestion he made and then informs him that she will look for a different option.)

Choice
In a partnership, one individual does not make decisions for another. Because partners are equal, they make their own individual choices and make decisions collaboratively. When this principle is applied to staff development, it means that participant choice is implicit in every communication of content and, to the greatest extent possible, the process used to learn the content.
(Choice appears in coaching when the coach follows the agenda of the teacher. I describe that the ideal coach stops outside the door of a classroom and hangs her agenda on a hook, puts on the agenda of the teacher and enters. In peer coaching, a teacher chooses the coach, the focus of the coaching, and the time and place of coaching.)

Voice
Partnership is multivocal rather than univocal, and all individuals in a partnership require opportunities to express their point of view. Indeed, a primary benefit of a partnership is that each individual has access to a multiplicity of perspectives rather than the singular perspective of the patriarch. When this principle is applied to staff development, it means that all participants in a learning session have the freedom to express their opinions about content being covered. Furthermore, since opinions will inevitably vary, staff developers should encourage conversation that allows people the freedom to express a variety of opinions
(Again, as you move on the continuum from evaluation to coaching the teacher’s voice increases. Evaluators report out and teachers listen…. Coaches ask and teachers talk.)

Reflection
Offering workshop participants the freedom to consider ideas before adopting them is central to the principle of reflection within Partnership Learning. Indeed, reflective thinkers by definition have to be free to choose or reject ideas, or they simply are not thinkers at all. Reflection holds the potential of providing an opportunity for teachers to think about what Parker Palmer calls the “inner landscape of the teaching self.” Reflection can enable teachers to ask profound questions about what, how, why and who teaches.
(Coaches support reflection. Questioning is one of the most important skills that coaches practice and develop. To see Empowering Questions for Coaches, please email me at sbarkley@plsweb.com.)

Dialogue
To arrive at mutually acceptable decisions, partners engage in dialogue. In a partnership, one individual does not impose, dominate, or control. Partners engage in conversation, learning together as they explore ideas. When this principle is applied to staff development, it means that staff developers embrace dialogue rather than lecture. Facilitators avoid manipulation, engage participants in conversation about content, and think and learn with participants as everyone moves through content being discussed.
(Conversation is a key reward for teachers who engage in coaching. When doing initial peer coaching training for a staff, one of the comments I often get after the first practice session with conferences is a teacher saying,” Someone just listened to me talk about my classroom for 7 minutes… I don’t know if that ever happened before.” Listen is critical to dialogue.)

Praxis
The purpose of partnership is to enable individuals to have more meaningful experiences. In partnership relationships, meaning arises when people reflect on ideas and then put those actions into practice. A requirement for partnership is that each individual is free to reconstruct and use content the way he or she considers it most useful. When this principle is applied to staff development, it means that facilitators offer numerous opportunities for participants to reflect on the practical implications of new content being learned.
(I stress that coaching builds teacher creativity. The dialogue, reflections and observations of another person in a classroom often taps NEW ideas and courage. Coaching often increases teacher risk taking which leads to new learning for the teacher, the coach and most importantly the student.)

“Coaching is a relationship between two equals, one of whom is committed to making personal and professional improvements. These improvements may come in the form of wanting to learn new strategies, to get unblocked or unstuck, to reevaluate beliefs or values affecting professional outlook. It could be to look at habits or change strategies. Whatever it is, the person being coaches--- the coachee--- takes ownership of his or her own improvement. Therein lies its power.”
Quality Teaching in a Culture of Coaching

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