Coaching in a Culture of Common Core Thursday October 2, 9:15-10:15 Robert H. Plonka

Introduction  High School English teacher  English teacher/Literacy Coach  Interventionist/Reading Teacher  Literacy Coach/Interventionist

Objective  Encourage modeling to promote teachers taking risks in the classroom  Begin a plan of coaching for a specific teacher

Make a list of issues or frustrations that a coach encounters when working with a teacher.  Teachers feel apprehensions of an outsider coming in  Sometimes reluctance to collaborate  There’s not a relationship of trust  Little implementation and professional growth  Confusion and feeling over-whelmed  Disorganization  Feel stressed out  Assessments  Mandates  Common core  Evaluations

What problems do teachers face with the CCSS?  Fear of unknown  Don’t know the standards  Grade-level  Spectrum or continuum  Pressure to perform on PARCC

Modeling Cycle 3 Session  Pre-lesson Conversation  Model Lesson  Post-lesson Conversation 5 Session  Pre-lesson Conversation  Model Lesson  Post-lesson and Co- planning Conversation  Assessment Observation  Modeling Cycle Debrief

Coaching Models  Facilitative – You do  Collaborative – We do  Instructive – I do

Pre-lesson Conversation (Session 1)  Coaching Log  Strength-based  Begin with celebrations  Determine a focus  Co-plan  Coach may take on more responsibility and assume the instructive role  Use primary documents!!!  CCSS  REACH - rubric  Clarifying  Goal – Next Steps – Roles  Teacher – Scripted notes and write down the questions I ask students  Coach – Modeling

Model Lesson (Session 2)  Why model?  Adult learning theory  It’s the reality and not the “perfect” environment  As a coach, where’s your classroom cred? Have you taught under the demands of CCSS?  Ever-changing state of education  Puts coach back in classroom  Provide a lesson plan  Goal/skill/standard on LP  Prompt teachers to follow and take observable notes (Teacher’s role)  Utilize observation tool  Have teachers record

Model Lesson (Session 2)  Model the skill(s) or strategies trying to be implemented  Have a piece of evidence to analyze  Video  Alternatives  Audio – phone  Scripted notes  Immediate debrief the day-of

Post-lesson and Co-planning Conversation (Session 3) Post-lesson Conversation (part 1)  Self-selected (Coach) points of interest from the lesson to review  Aligned to the teacher’s goal  Discuss lesson success within the context of the pre-lesson conversation  Model self-reflection (Think-Aloud)  Lay out explicit metacognition throughout the lesson  Strengths and weakness from the data  Weaknesses show reality and risk  Prompt the teacher  Focus on teacher, not students  Share ideas for improvement  Adjust plan

Post-lesson and Co-planning Conversation (Session 3) Co-planning Conversation (Part 2)  Plan for the follow-up lesson that you will observe  Teacher takes more responsibility  Facilitative or collaborative role  Use primary documents  CCSS  REACH - rubric  3 Session Vs. 5 Session  Determine observation date

Assessment Observation (Session 4)  Observe the teachers’ implementation  Script notes or video tape  Keep an evidence based focus

Modeling Cycle Debrief (Session 5)  Use the data you gathered to have the teacher self-assess their implementation  Utilize primary documents to create that measurement  Debrief on the cycle as a whole

What the teacher said…  “I really liked using that lesson template! It made it much easier to plan.”  “The conversations are becoming so rich and deep.”  “When they answer their questions, the discussion is so deep because they’ve looked at it so closely.”  “Oh yeah, I love that hand-out.” (accountable language stems)  This is the end of the cycle  “Success.” with two thumbs up

Lessons Learned (Session 1)  Align to the current content  Check with the teacher to make sure it’s new  Clarify teacher’s role!!!  Scripting notes  Observation form  Video taping  Determine measurement/rubric together

Lessons Learned (Session 2)  Be sure the planning is tight  Builds that trust and credibility  You can’t hide with video

Lessons Learned (Session 3)  Be sure you are gauging your role and the readiness of the teacher  Don’t let this be your first time in a classroom  To help guide your goal setting with the teacher so you have background knowledge  New teachers may need more instructional approaches

Lessons Learned (Session 4)  Keep it positive and concentrate on growth and risk-taking  Determine how you are going to measure implementation early!  Use the rubrics or standards to create that form of measurement

Lessons Learned (Session 5)  Make sure the teacher knows how you will both be measuring success of implementation  Keep it positive and concentrate on growth and risk-taking  Motivation is key!

3 Session Modeling Cycle Pre-lesson Conversation Model Lesson Post-lesson and Co- planning Conversation

5 Session Modeling Cycle Pre-lesson Conversation Model Lesson Post-lesson and Co- planning Conversation Assessment Observation Modeling Cycle Debrief

What did this accomplish? Issues  Teachers feel apprehensions of an outsider coming in  Sometimes reluctance to collaborate  There’s not a relationship of trust  Little implementation and professional growth  Confusion and feeling over-whelmed  Disorganization  Feel stressed out  Assessments  Mandates  Common core  Evaluations Solutions  You have met at least 5 times consistently  You provided them with a break from the day-to-day grind in order to allow for real reflection  Builds trust and credibility  You’ve scaffolded your coaching to gradually release responsibility  If there was a particular skill/strategy they were confused about, you have spent days-months studying it  There is a breakdown of the unknown and it becomes less intimidating

Solutions  Gets rid of “that won’t work with these kids”  Gives opportunity to model reflective teaching and metacognition in practice  Promotes risk taking in teachers  New strategies  Video taping themselves for analysis  Being observed  Welcoming outsiders  Critically reflecting based on standards or rubric (REACH)  Engaging in CCSS-based planning

If coaches take more risks to collaborate in modeling good instruction and critical reflection, teachers will be more likely to take risks in the classroom and try new strategies.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?