Research Study

The pressure to provide high quality instruction that reaches all students may be greater today than ever before.  Teachers are challenged daily to deliver lessons that are engaging, thought-provoking, aligned to standards, differentiated, and will improve student test scores.  One word, WOW!

I recently just completed my master's research paper: What Impact does an Instructional Coach have on Teachers Incorporating Professional Development into their Teaching, in which I looked how my role as an instructional coach has helped the teachers I work with to better implement and incorporate teaching strategies into their classrooms.  If we are going to provide high quality instruction described above, Instructional Coaches are going to lead the way! Check the link to my presentation on some of my findings.

Research Presentation

It's a Long Road

The school year started with me not sure exactly what laid ahead.  I was beginning a new career in a new program as an instructional coach.  I was leaving everything I knew and loved to take on a role that wasn't even really defined yet.

But, after completely my first year as an instructional coach, I can truly say it is the best job I ever had.

I have taken the first steps, and I am very excited about what lies ahead on my journey.
Things I enjoyed this first year:
1) Building better relationships with staff.  In years pass I never really had the need to leave the math hallway.  This year, I was always out and about the building popping into many different classrooms and getting to know a lot more of the staff.
2) Still teaching and working with students and staff.  Opposite of what many people thought when the position was created, but I actually spent a lot of time in classrooms co-teaching with several different teachers, leading lessons, filling in and covering classes, and of course teaching/leading professional development for staff.  I also worked weekly with students struggling in math, something that wouldn't have been possible without my position.
3) Learning!  I learned so much from observing my colleagues.  My fellow coaches would agree, that if we did go back to regular classroom teachers we would be so much better from all that we learned through watching some of the amazing teachers that we have.

Things I didn't expect:
1) Books, so many books!  I would have never expected to get so many resources.  The running joke was that they should have given us an office key and bookshelf when we accepted the instructional coaching position.
2) Lots of meetings.  I have probably attend more meetings this year then all my teaching career combined.  But many of those meetings were very important and helpful to my role as instructional coach.  For example, we would meet once a week with the coaching team and administration.  Those meetings were key in helping support our teachers.
3) "I'm FINE"  The phase most often heard by coaches in efforts to support our teachers.  I was surprise by the resistance of staff to want to work with a coach and how many teachers felt like the instructional coaches were there to evaluate them.  BUT...

It's a long road, and the journey has just begun.  The first steps have been taken and we are looking ahead, and the future is filled with promise.  I am excited about the journey that lies before me!

Getting Closer

In order to make progress, we first have to be willing to make change.  Change is tough, plain and simple!  It is very easy to continue doing the same thing year after year, especially in education. But you have to be willing to ask yourself, are you really providing the best opportunities/experiences for your students?

In reflecting on my own teaching experience, I have never really had the chance to get stuck in a routine as I was making changes fairly regularly.  I have been in 4 different educational roles in my 12 years of teaching and almost yearly changing curriculum or level.  I have found this to be very rewarding and although there can be great rewards with teaching the same level/same curriculum for many years, that's just not my style.  I need a change of pace, a new adventure, a new challenge ever so often.  That was one of the driving forces behind me apply and taking this role as an Instructional Coach.  I wanted a new challenge, a change of pace.

In reflecting on the past year in this new role, specially this last quarter of the school year, it has been inspiring to see other teachers realize the progress that can be gained through even a little change.  Recently we had teachers reflect about something that went well this year through professional development.  It was rewarding reading the different comments that teachers had written and exciting to see how they noticed that with a little more effort and working on just even one specific goal (teachers created a SMART goal for the 4th quarter) that student achievement can be affected for the better.  Teachers were asking themselves if they were providing the best opportunities/experiences for their students.

It is not ALL there yet, but we are closer then we were before we had Instructional Coaches, and it is really exciting to look ahead at where this program can take our teachers and our students in the future!

TEACHCENTER

 

 TEACHCENTER

Working along side my partner coaches here at the Junior High, we have created and launched our own website, TeachCenter!  We were looking for a way to offer support and resources to help our teaching staff learn and grow.  It's kinda fitting that since we are "Coaches" everything has got a sports theme to it.

I hope that as we continue to grow and add to our website, that it will give others ideas, inspiration, and support as we teach and inspire the youth of today.  

March Madness

Sports fan or not, it seems like everybody follows NCAA March Madness.

Some Elite Stats to ponder:
$12 Billion: Worldwide wagers on the NCAA Tournament
$1.9 Billion: Hourly wages lost to unproductive or distracted workers during the tournament
19%: Increase in Pizza orders among losing fans vs winning fans

But all this thinking about talking about March Madness got me thinking about how can I apply March Madness to Teaching.  So here are my Final Four Teaching Lessons Learned through March Madness.

1) Brackets - like teaching - are never perfect

Don't get obsess about trying to be perfect.  Accept failure as a valuable learning opportunity.  Take time to reflect on what happened and how you can improve next time.  Each year, each class, each student provides the opportunity to try again.  Practice, Practice, Practice...we are always learning and improving.  Because guess what?  Nobody picks the perfect bracket because it's essentially impossible: the odds are one in 9.2 quintillion!

2) Quality Matters

Yes, there are long shots that pull off upsets, but the truth is no 16th seed has ever defeated a No.1 seed, and no 15th seed has ever won two consecutive games.  In general, good teams, like good teachers are the best bets.

When it comes to teaching, don't just worry about getting students to pass a Post Test, focus on teaching them that understanding the concepts and Standards are how they can become successful.  

3) Don't underestimate the Underdog

Every year there is that team that is the "Cinderella of the Ball"  and the underdog that nobody picked.  The lesson here is that we can't underestimate ourselves.  Belief in yourself will help you to overcome many obstacles (#SEPJHDaresGreatly).  Find what you like to do, what you are good at and it will increase your chances of success.  No matter how big the challenge, or how far you are behind, the "Underdog" never gives up, and never loses faith.  The only way you lose in teaching and life is if you quit on yourself.

4) Social Competition

One of the greatest parts about March Madness is the Bracket Challenge.  Many conversations are had on topics ranging from: Comparing brackets, Celebrating victories, Consulting each other in defeats.  What would happen if we had these kinds of conversations about our teaching and lessons.  Teaching can not and is not an isolation occupation.  One thing I have learned this year is how much teachers need to communicate and discuss with each other.  Even the littlest thing for one teacher could be a life saver for another, and if we close our doors and keep to ourselves because we are FINE, then we are missing out on one of the greatest parts of teaching, aka the Bracket Challenge.  The joy of the Tournament!

Math Problems vs Life Problems

One week away from Spring Break, and I don't know who is more excited...the students or the staff!  Both are climbing up the walls, ready for some nicer weather and a break away from work.

But as I think about the upcoming break, (and I do feel that staff probably need it more then students maybe it's the "winter blues" but there is definitely a negative vibe in the air as we are heading into Spring Break) I can't help but wonder, if we approached our Life Problems more like Math Problems we would have a better attitude towards school and would we not want to take a Spring Break.  Like Math, if we can teach kids not to always focus so much on the problem and freak out about how complicated it LOOKS, but rather focus their attention on how to reach the solution.  When teachers do this students discover that they are capable and maybe even enjoy math.  It's that fear, which leads to a negative attitude towards math.  But if a math teacher can connect and show a student that math problems aren't the end of the world, and if broken down into simpler steps can be accomplish, that negative attitude can be converted.
So let's start teaching all teachers how to do Algebra....or using Instructional Coaches to show teachers that students aren't getting worst, education isn't falling apart.  Things may look scary and complicated, but working with an instructional coach, can show you how to break that complicated problem into simpler steps in order to gain the most out of your students and also grow and learn as a teacher and individual.  Let's start converting those NEGATIVES into POSITIVES! Turning those scary, complicated Math Problems into Great Accomplishments!

What Were You Thinking

What were you thinking

Is this a Question or a Statement?

For some reason I here those words and think back to my childhood.  It makes me think of times when I was in trouble and getting scolded by my mother for something that I had done that was probably (definitely) not the brightest thing to do.

But what if we as educators took that phrase and used it on a regular basis in our classrooms?  Not for students that are misbehaving, but what if we asked this question in a positive educational context?  What would happen to the learning in our classrooms?

How often do we ask our students the following:



"What were you thinking when...                  You worked through that problem?"

                                                                         You solved that equation?"

                                                                         You composed this essay?"

                                                                         You created this project?"

                                                                         You played that guitar piece?"

                                                                         You wrote this blog post?"

Is it the fact that the phrase "what were you thinking" has such a negative picture in our minds that we don't want to use it in our classrooms?  I know that I didn't ask these questions nearly enough in my own classroom.  Why didn't I let my students learn out loud?  Is it that fact that we don't know where the conversation could go and we are afraid to get off track?  I know that I was always worried about making sure that I got through all the content that need to get covered, and although I wanted to pursue other topics, timing and pacing (I felt) didn't allow.  But imagine what could have been DISCOVERED if I had!  Instead of worrying about covering the content, what would have happened if I let the content reveal itself through the questioning of the students.

During our Instructional Rounds last week one of the areas of focus that was discovered was improving questioning.  Questioning Strategies that would and could lead to further and deeper discussions.

Imagine some of the conversations, discussions and LEARNING that would happen in our classrooms if we simply asked, "What were you thinking?"