The Collaborative Coaching Relationship and What it Means to Integrate Technology Appropriately

As I began reading The Impact Cycle, I was immediately impressed. I found the book to be a fairly quick read and I appreciated that the book was packed with important information and very little of the fluff or repeated content that you often come across in educational texts. The book got right to the point, and while it never diminished the importance and hard work involved in instructional coaching, it did make coaching seem doable and far less intimidating than I always believed it to be. Even though I am pursuing a degree in Instructional Technology, I have continued to feel nervous at the thought of entering a coaching relationship with another teacher. After reading The Impact Cycle however, I was able to begin seeing areas where I might be valuable to other teachers. The coaching approach that Knight outlines in his book is so well researched and successful that I am actually excited to begin coaching.

While reading Knight’s book, I was interested in how much the coaching process really ties into being a life-long learner. Throughout the text, Knight mentions things that successful coaches should do in order to continuously improve. He says that good coaches should record themselves, practice with other coaches, and learn new strategies and techniques to allow them to stay current, relevant, and effective (Knight, 2017). I love that even though coaching is intended to help improve the instruction of another teacher, there is always a component of self improvement as well. In their case study, Keh and Swartzendruber were surprised to find that in addition to improving participating teachers instruction, “coaching allowed for the coach’s professional growth” as well (2021, p.11). Keh and Swartzendruber reviewed Jim Knight’s research on instructional coaching prior to conducting their case study and reading through their findings provides an excellent example of the impact cycle coaching process outlined in his book.

Prior to learning about Knight’s impact cycle for coaching, I thought that all coaching was directive coaching. Meaning, the only idea I had about instructional coaches was the top-down relationship where the coaches observe the teachers and tell them how to improve. I was unfamiliar with the dialogical coaching approach that Knight utilizes in his impact cycle. I believe that the teacher's involvement with impact cycle coaching is unique and I am excited to see how successful the results will be using this method. In The Impact Cycle, Knight states that “teachers do most of the thinking, and coaches and teachers work as equals with the goal of making a powerful, positive difference in children’s lives” (2017, p. 4). I love collaborating and this idea of a true partnership lessens the intimidating aspect of coaching and makes the process sound a lot more fun. Check out this LINK if you would like to learn more about the 3 approaches to coaching outlined in Knight’s book.

Jim Kight goes into great detail about the collaborative coaching process; however to learn more about research-based technology coaching, I looked into some other resources as well. In 2018, The Dynamic Learning Project (DLP) conducted research in which they provided instructional technology coaching to a selection of schools for one pilot year. Their research concluded that “instructional technology coaching provides an engaging and impactful PD experience that helps close the digital use divide, and can ultimately increase student achievement” (Bakhshaei, et al., 2018, p.4). The goal of the DLP was “to improve educational equity and student learning by supporting teachers with classroom coaching to better leverage technology in powerful and meaningful ways” (Bakhshaei, et al., 2018, pp. 7-8). The data collected in the study indicated that teachers were “using technology more frequently and in more powerful ways.” The graphic below illustrates some of the findings from their study. 

Anytime technology is integrated into instruction, it should be used in a way that enhances student learning by providing an experience that is otherwise not possible. When teachers and coaches collaborate, this is no different. The coaching relationship should foster a collaboration that helps the teacher utilize technology in a meaningful way. In their article, Exploring Coaching for Powerful Technology Use in Education, Ehsanipour and Gomez Zaccarelli point out that while technology can improve student learning, integrating technology in “passive” ways is not sufficient (2017, p.10). They concluded that technology should be used “in service of specific content” and should help with “developing higher order skills as well as effective teaching practices.” Therefore, throughout the coaching relationship, it is important that teachers and coaches remember to integrate technology responsibly so that students can get the most effective instruction possible.

Both technology and instructional coaching bring unlimited possibilities to the world of education. Knight’s book is packed full of effective, research-based, instructional coaching information and there is no way I can cover everything in a single post. Throughout his book, Jim Knight refers to teachers and instructional coaches as “thinking partners.” This idea of a coaching relationship where the teacher and coach collaborate to improve instruction was my biggest take away. The coaching relationship is a powerful collaboration that can provide unparalleled results that benefit students. In the book, Knight quotes Brene Brown: “coaching is an art, and it’s far easier said than done . . . giving another person the opportunity to find their own way, make their own mistakes, and create their own wisdom is both brave and vulnerable” (2017, p. 63).

References

 Bakhshaei, M., Hardy, A., Francisco, A., Noakes, S., & Fusco, J. (2018). Fostering powerful use of technology through instructional coaching: Results from the pilot year of the dynamic learning project. Digital Promise: Accelerating Innovation in Education. Digital Promise. https://ezproxy.montevallo.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED614369&site=ehost-live

Ehsanipour, T., & Gomez Zaccarelli, F. (2017). Exploring coaching for powerful technology use in Education. Digital Promise: Accelerating Innovation in Education. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/47 

Keh, M. L., & Swartzendruber, D. (2021). Instructional coaching in a TESOL teacher preparation program: An exploratory case study. MEXTESOL Journal, 45(3). https://ezproxy.montevallo.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1310959&site=ehost-live

Knight, J. (2017). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. SAGE Publications.

Knight, J. Three approaches to coaching. Instructional Coaching Group. https://www.instructionalcoaching.com/three-approaches-to-coaching/