ocusedonrespectingheropinionsand askingquestionsthatwouldhelphertalkaboutherassumptionsandwhatshewasthinking aboutthisstudentinparticular
Talking with teachers instead of to them, and working through a dialogue in which both adults can learn is what instructional coaching is all about!
h.oo.dealeffec:sicallymotivated (Knowles,1984).
Adult learning is absolutely intrinsically motivated! How can we improve adult education by learning from them what they want to learn. I teach SSN for elementary students and I'm not particularly interested in the district's high school AN focus, for example.
Butasshe talked, shecouldheartheclickingofcomputerkeysattheotherendoftheline.
One of my pet peeves is when related service providers come to IEP meetings and sit on their computers the whole time. I don't even sit on my computer if I'm leading the meeting. I'll just edit a paper copy of the IEP throughout the meeting. Respect for parents is so important.
Iwasstressed.Iwasanxious.Ihadquestions.Andifthepersonteachingansweredthosequestionsbyrollingtheireyesatme,Iwouldneverwanttoaskanother questionagain.
When we're teaching, we're teaching behaviors and modeling respect. When we punish behaviors like asking questions, we're showing kids that we don't care.
They not only choose to discon-tinue the conversation but are morelikely to turn to someone who willunderstand their perspective.”
I have an interesting situation in my classroom and my school (elementary K-5) in which kids are kind of figuring out things about race and identifying their own race in a really innocent way. Many students have more than one race and they haven't given it a thought until 2-3rd grade. This seems like a perfect time for us to have open conversations about race that seem really casual and not anxious.
t’simportant that we talk about i
I think that when we rely on people of color to discuss race and racism we give up our responsibility to reflect on our own. If we only hear from people of color, we aren't reflecting on other areas in our lives in which we benefit from racism.
reflection is distorted byracism.
I think that this can sometimes come across as teachers who have a hard time engaging with students of color or are hesitant to engage with them. I went to a workshop about teaching students of color and I learned so much about how students of color do have cultural differences, but teachers have to learn about them and engage with them to fight racism.
ise ne, to increase reliability is to be careful notmuch.
This is crucial, but so challenging for educators!
essential for tr
I actually wanted to highlight the next paragraph but it wouldn't let me. I think that the warmth piece is immediately recognizable, where as the competence piece sometimes comes with time and trust and experience with a person.
imitmenttoservice”(Pp.xx).MEE
This is something that I want to embody as a mentor. I cannot help someone grow by only serving my own interests!
Giver,generous without*EngagesotherseEngagesotherstoget theirstringsattache
I was trying to just highlight "giver, generous without strings attached." I think this is so important for people who work thankless jobs. There are plenty of us in education.
Show loyaltyinvolves|twoq°arealtoothers,andspeakingabout peopleasthougtheywerepresent”(p.166)
I think that it's powerful to model this, especially speaking about people as if they were there, but it is also something I want to explicitly require of my staff (at least effort) at the beginning of the school year!
“The reality is that if they don’t trust you, No. . . ay.”is going to happen anyw
Trust is important and I believe that part of that trust is that they know that you'll have good intentions and not evaluate their performance in a disciplinary way.
have
I tried to highlight this whole sentence!
What is our responsible/respectful/productive action when we face supervisors in this way? I'm growing in a way that focuses on controlling myself and nothing more and this is making me think about supervisors I've had who don't want to change and I can't make them. I can't force someone to show me respect, so I think to would be interesting to read more about what we can do to manage through some of these challenges. Of course I'm happy to do this reading to continue to work on myself as a supervisor as well.
but|shouldn’t confusestructuralrealpower. Indeed,ifIthinklamabetter,morevaluable,moreworthypersonthanothers,Iwon'tbeengaginginabetterconversation.
This is so important! I think that it ties into so many beliefs and values and ways of thinking about things that people need to evaluate. It is so clear in conversations whether someone thinks they're more valuable than you. However, I think it's actually pretty challenging to recognize when you're giving that impression!
t boast collaborating teachers as decision make
This is so important for instructional coaches and it is one of the reasons that instructional coaches acting as non-evaluative equals are so important!
Unfortunately,thatkindoftop-downconversationisoftenunsuccessful.
When leaders employ this type of strategy or belief about conversation, it's easy to take that example and use it on other people. For example, my challenging group of paraeducators have some problems with disrespect and the principal told us to be more direct and stop saying "please." I'm not sure how I feel about that. I look forward to learning more in these readings!
nsuccessful conversation
I think that the definition of successful here is up to interpretation. I have had plenty of meetings that the other person thought went well and I did not. It's entirely possible that the supervisor thought that what he was doing was perfectly fine.
often have the luxury of referring only: . to what | have intended, regardless of the impact I’ve had.
I am guilty of judging myself on the intent that I had but then judging others on their impact. Taking responsibilities for our impact is vital. I like how they use the word luxury as well.
equities do not result from deficiencies indisenfranchised communities,
This is so powerful. This also ties into bias and how we view others. The more that we know about systemic social conditions and the more that we continue to evaluate ourselves for bias, the better educators/leaders/people we will be!
idedp
I think this is also vital for student teachers and mentor teachers. I think that we can use all of these strategies for teaching students and apply them as we teach teachers!
classroom
Data should be at the center of the conversation when it comes to effectiveness, but community and creativity and the teaching of soft skills should also be in the conversation!
gainsinstuden
I tried to highlight more, but basically this whole sentence: If I'm teaching students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, how am I supposed to prove effectiveness? I've had students come into my room and make tremendous, measurable growth academically but I've also had students learn to sit in a chair for read aloud or match puzzle pieces. There is also not a good way to compare me to another teacher. I feel that this is a problem across SpEd, not just for center-based.
examinetheimpactofthoseassumption
I am guilty of judging other teachers and I need to put my ego behind me if I'm going to make a meaningful impact as a teacher leader. I have made assumptions about teachers after reading their IEPs and I haven't stopped to ask about why teachers write that way. This is an area of growth for me.
willing teacherandclassroomofstudentsforpermissiontopracticeanewstrategybefore theyshareitwithother teachers
I hadn't thought of this, but there are several model classrooms I can think of within my district that I could learn from as a teacher leader! How powerful to say that I've tried it and it worked!
actions.
Actions speak louder than words! Modeling can be very effective, especially when they can back up their modeling and words with care for teachers and students.
Howdoweknow?Whar’stheevidence
My principal is always asking this, and it makes me think every time! I hate and love it because it makes me think and makes me prioritize data and not my feelings.
Withoutconflict thereisnochange.
I've had disagreements with other teachers that come down to SpEd law and what is acceptable treatment of IEPs, families, and students. I am not evaluative nor a coach at this time, but I've taken notes of systems in my district that I love and don't love. The systems in the district that I love tend to come from teachers who have been open to learning the new curriculums and prioritizing individualization for students.
non-threatening way
Coaches should remain non-evaluative at all stages of coaching. There are plenty of evaluators for teachers from school to district administration. My favorite coaches have been with me when I speak with admin almost to interpret what they're saying or be a middle-man if there is conflict or misunderstanding.
professionaldevelopment mustbeongoing, deeplyembeddedintoteach-ersclassroom workwith children,
I had the pleasure of getting Orton Gillingham training from a coach within my district. It was amazing to have her come in and model some syllabication with my students. When coaches are providing the professional development within districts and they can help teachers apply what they've learned, everyone will be more invested!
Stayingineducation;¢Feelingsupported.
This is so important! Attitudes in teaching are vital to student motivation and success! I've had incredible coaches who made me want to stay in education!
Instructional coaching,
My principal and AP have tried to step into a coaching role across my building, partially because our main coach took a long mat leave, but I think they're less effective than a coach because I'm less willing to be honest with them about my struggles. They're evaluators at the end of the day.
Hedefinesreciprocalsu;incoachingasteachersobservingand coachigwe.a.each othertojointlyimproveinstructio
I saw another comment about teachers needing a growth mindset to receive coaching, this is especially true for reciprocal coaching!
clarifycoachrolesandactions
When I was a struggling teacher, I didn't know what I didn't know. Some level of flexibility in coaching brand-new teachers is vital to growing them.
Coaches areselected, pre-pared, and deployedin supportive condi-tions with a well-defined coachi
If a district or school can identify a specific area of need and design a coaching program to target that area of need it would be tremendously more impactful than a coach who stops in to chat. Something that I am looking for in learning to be a coach is what to look for in struggling teachers. I don't want to waste time with small things.
masterywith bothcontentandpedagogy.
To what extent can this be measured by student outcomes? There could be outliers that affect a teacher's total effectiveness if teachers are measured only by outcomes.
traditionalprofessionallearning,
I am all for traditional professional learning, but when it is at the district level it is often not applicable for every educator in the room. Personalized coaching from someone supportive who is in the classroom is vital to helping new teachers and supporting teacher retention.
class-roomlevelofpractice
Most of the significant impacts that others have had on me has been when they step into my classroom, meet my students, and see the needs first-hand!
nauthentic person,then,wouldbesoives_in_awaythatiscompletelyconsistent withwhoheorsheis.
Authenticity is vital, and I think one important piece is being able to admit when you've made a mistake. I also think that the way that we speak about students will shape the way that we perceive them! Speaking about students with respect will support our relationships with them.
respected,
I find that my students with I/DD need to be taught how to be treated with respect. That includes being treated as competent but also learning when to assert themselves. One example is that I am teaching my staff to ask a student before moving their wheelchair. I think this is so important for our student's respect. I want this student to have high expectations for respect for the people who are supporting him.
Reflecting.
This is so important for preventing misunderstandings! My experience has been that misunderstandings can build resentment and mistrust of my supervisors.
Supervisor-suggested plan
I've been in classrooms teaching in which I needed someone to come alongside me and give me guidance, but in my experience, administration doesn't feel strong leading in center-based SpEd classrooms. I feel that I was being set out to do my own thing but I wasn't ready for it. I could have benefited from more of a directive informational system with my supervisors.
in :
I know that I do some of my best thinking when I'm talking things out with someone- How important it is to give others the same opportunity!
have a warm and caring classroom climate in which errors are welcome.
I think that this is something I aspire to have as a leader of teachers and paraprofessionals. This is part of what makes an effective leader, whether it be of students or adults (most of this list applies too).
suc a oe oe elt ve ee he or fhe began at the start of the lessons?
I wish that my administration and my district SpEd admin had a more connected view of what success looks like for students with significant needs.
t is critical for school leaders to create a safe staffroom climate, so that all teachers can talk about teaching and their impact on student learning.
One of the first things that a professor told us in my undergrad was to avoid teachers lounges at all costs, as they are a breeding-ground for complaining and negativity. Respect for students, coworkers, and families must come first!
Teachers/leaders believe that success and Se ein student learning is about what they, as teachers or aders, did or did not do... We are change agents!
It's very challenging for me to hear teachers talk about their classrooms as if there is just nothing that they can do to help their students. I'm wondering what kind of strategy we can use with our co workers to empower them to be "change agents." I guess our first point of influence is with our teacher Mentees!
‘What do we want our students to learn?’;‘Why does that learning matter?’;‘What do you want your students to do or produce?’; ; ‘How well do you want them to do it?’:‘How will you know how well the students are understanding?’
To what extent are schools already asking these questions and to what extent do schools themselves have control? These seem like district or larger level questions that impact the day to day of students.
high expectations for all students:
This comes back to respect for all students. I feel that when my students with I/DD are respected for who they are, there are higher expectations for their growth.
an accou ili i ntability system with oodles of data will create improvement
I think that it depends on the data being taken. Data that informs about students as a whole could have more impact than data that only looks at parts of student outcomes.
We could remonstrate about the quality of teacher selection, Preparation, promotion and so on — but the chances of making differences in these matters has thwarted so many for so long with little evidence of change.
I am currently in my third district and I've had more professional development in this district than anywhere before and it has not only made me a better teacher with better IEPs and better student outcomes, but I also have such a greater investment than I did before. I hate to look back and see that I didn't know what I didn't know. I think there is absolutely impact made in classrooms through teacher preparation!
Motivation
While I believe that home atmosphere significantly impacts student motivation, I feel that if we say that we as teachers don't have any responsibility over motivation then we're giving up too much power. There is absolutely power in relationships that can impact student motivation.
a staff that is in conflict_wi tat is a serious pro . . . P
I understand this, and I want to be liked and chosen by my principal, but one challenge that I see as a supervisor of paraprofessionals is that you don't always get to make the choice for who you have as a staff. I like the way that my principal sees it, that some teachers need an MTSS process of support just like students do. I wish that I had choices over who my paraprofessionals were, just like I assume that principals would like choice over who their teachers are, but sometimes adults need MTSS.
he schools that are highly effective produce results that almost entirely overcome the effects of student background.
What are the demographics of the schools that are considered to be highly effective? What kinds of schools did they use to make this assumption?
support the potential ) impact of schools when interpr ‘ properly.
How are we measuring impact? For my students with I/DD, I want to know whether they can have respectively independent lives when they leave me/leave K-12 schooling. I feel that if we are impacting students through soft skills as well as quantitative academics then we should see better outcomes in students getting jobs. Is the ultimate outcome test scores in these studies? I wonder how we could broaden that to assess soft skills and other important factors in growing up?
Student achievement
I have a hard time with the way that student achievement is measured. I teach students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and I would hate for their achievement to be measured by COAlt or other standardized assessments because I think the tests themselves don't measure what is important. For some of my students, telling time or counting money is important, for others, it's important that they can communicate wants and needs. I don't have a perfect answer, but I wish that there was a better way for students with I/DD to be assessed in a meaninful way.