From Setting Goals to Learning and Improving: Coaching Encourages Growth for All
As I finished reading Jim Knight’s The Impact Cycle, I continued to be impressed by the unique coaching process he has created. I am in the early stages of my first coaching experience and I will be setting PEERS goals with my coachee this week. Reading the first few chapters of Knight’s book eased me into coaching and helped me feel more confident about going to visit my teacher for the first time. After our upcoming meeting, we will enter the “Learn” and “Improve” stages of the impact cycle. In this post I will focus on my biggest takeaways regarding the final stages of the coaching cycle as well as how I plan to use that information to inform my coaching experience.
In the “Learn” stage of the impact cycle, Knight talks about selecting appropriate instructional strategies and various approaches to modeling those strategies. Knight explains that coaches need to “have wide and deep knowledge of teaching strategies'' and they need to be able to “communicate that knowledge clearly” (2017, pp. 102 - 107). Knight also explains that these conversations should be “dialogical and co-constructed” just as they were in the earlier stages of the coaching process (2017, p. 111). Having a deep understanding of multiple instructional strategies is overwhelming to me; however, knowing that I will be working collaboratively with my teacher to determine both the goals and the appropriate strategies is a comfort. According to Brabec et al., “building lessons on a solid, research-based foundation of effective strategies, adding appropriate technologies, and consistently applying those strategies should help ensure high-quality instruction that has the potential of maximizing student achievement” (Brabec et al., 2004, p. 11).This mirrors Knight's emphasis on establishing clearly defined instructional strategies, highlights the potential of technology integration, and offers an optimistic outlook on the benefits of this work.
Through modeling, teachers are able to begin fully understanding and implementing new strategies in their classroom. While Knight acknowledges the importance of having a coach model new strategies in front of students, he also gives examples of other ways for teachers to familiarize themselves with new strategies. Knight mentions that “modeling in front of students is not effective when the teacher is working to meet a behavioral goal” (2017, p. 117). Since my teacher will likely have at least one behavior related goal, I am planning for us to watch videos, co-teach, and visit other teachers' classrooms. In The Impact Cycle, Knight recommends searching for videos of teachers modeling instructional strategies on The Teaching Channel.
The teacher I am coaching was my intern last Fall. We love working together, already have a solid foundation of trust, and know one another's personalities. I am optimistic that watching videos of other teachers, observing classrooms, and co-teaching with her will help us reach her goals. However, I know there is a possibility that she may feel discouraged along the way. For this reason, I found the information in Knight’s “Improve” phase extremely useful. In Chapter 5 of The Impact Cycle, he references The 12-Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. According to Knight, Moran and Lennington outline 5 phases people move through when they are making big changes. Knight says, “the valley of despair . . . is when most people give up” (2017, p. 138). I know personally that I am guilty of falling in the pit of despair and rather than continuing to push for change, I return to old routines. I do not want this for the teacher I am coaching, and I appreciate that Knight gives examples of how to talk to teachers so they feel empowered and excited to make adjustments and try again. Knight says the best way to begin this process is to look at what is working well and build on that. Change is hard, especially when we are outside of our comfort zone. If we can identify an area where our teacher naturally excels and is currently succeeding, we can expand that into other areas where growth is still needed.
As I begin to plan for the next steps in my coaching cycle, I am researching strategies that could be useful for my teacher's classroom. While we have not yet set goals, she has already shared her biggest concerns with me. In addition to classroom management, she would like to work on finding ways to get her students using technology appropriately. For this reason, I have been looking into technology-based instructional strategies that will align with Jim Knight’s impact cycle. Technology is everywhere and it isn’t going anywhere. In order to prepare students for their futures, teachers have to find meaningful ways to weave technology into their instruction. According to Brabec et al., “a single technology application or process [can] help address a number of different instructional strategies.” It is my hope that by using Knight’s impact cycle, I will be able to help my teacher successfully implement new instructional strategies that will engage her students and allow them to be successful.
As I move through the coaching cycle, I am reminding myself that everyone struggles when they first start, there is no one way to approach a coaching experience because each experience is unique, oftentimes hitting goals requires adjustment, and even coaches are still learning.
References
Brabec, K., Fisher, K., & Pitler, H. (2004). Building better instruction: How technology supports nine research-proven instructional strategies. Learning & Leading with Technology, 31(5), 6–11. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ695741.pdf
Gawande, A. (2011). Personal best. New Yorker, 87(30), 44–53.
Knight, J. (2017). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. SAGE Publications.
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteI loved the “wide and deep knowledge of teaching practices” you mentioned from Knight’s book, and I highlighted that section as well. If teachers do not feel that coaches have any instructional expertise to add to the situation, then coaching is not as effective or successful. Teachers, along with a collaborative, trusting coaching relationship, expect coaches to know instructional strategies that will positively impact teaching and learning. In short, coaches must be continuous, avid researchers and learners; always striving to multiple their impact and perfect their own craft.
While there are direct pathways to coaching, coaches must use formative assessments and teacher observation data to be flexible in meeting the teacher’s unique needs. In a research article, Knight (2019) states, “Rather, instructional coaches respond to the context in which coaching occurs, shaping what they do based on students’ needs, teachers’ insights, and other important factors” (p. 101). As teachers change and grow their instructional practices, often times, there can be hesitant or concern; I also appreciated the phases of change Knight mentions in the Impact Cycle (Knight, 2017). I can definitely identify with this after years of coaching new and veteran teachers alike.
References:
Knight, J. (2019). Instructional Coaching for Implementing Visible Learning: A Model for Translating Research into Practice. Education Sciences, 9.
Knight, J. (2017). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. SAGE Publications.
Hey, Jessie I enjoyed reading your blog post. You were very clear on your description of the information within the Impact Cycle book. I've already begun my coaching relationships and one thing that mirrored what you said was, "she would like to work on finding ways to get her students using technology appropriately.
ReplyDeleteThat statement being in reference of what one of the persons you are coaching wanted for their classroom. One of my main questions after doing observations with my teachers was how could technology aid in better instruction for them?
It seems you are on a great path in completing the Impact Cycle as a coach, and I think that the people you are coaching will improve based on you sticking with these methods and processes. "Instructional coaches help teachers improve student learning and well being by improving teaching, so they must be able to clearly describe a set of teaching strategies teachers can use to hit their goals" (Knight, 2018, p.104).
Other literary works align with the purpose of a good coaching relationship just as this article. "The end goal of teacher–coach collaborations is the implementation of instruction that results in improved student learning" (LAllier, Brown, 2021, p.198).
Reference
Knight, J. (2018). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. Corwin.
L’Allier, S. K., & Brown, E. M. (2021). Teachers’ Questions about Coaching: Pathways to Productive Collaborations. Reading Teacher, 75(2), 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2048