Team+1

Building People not Programs Coaching strengthens teaching and learning as teachers become more comfortable sharing successes and challenges with each other. Coaching allows for planning, reflecting and problem solving in a safe environment through a cooperative and collaborative process. This process allows teachers to build relationships through a common focus of student and teacher learning.

The Coaching Cycle, as shown below, allows teachers to proceed from assessment of their current practice to determine teacher preparation through reflection to determine effectiveness. (Peer Coaching Handbook V3)

Communication skills empower each coaching partner to participate in a symbiotic partnership that fosters professional growth opportunities. The philosophy that “two heads are better than one” is a basic belief to help deprivatize the practice. An important component of the coaching process is the Coaching Skills Cue Card. It reminds the coach to actively listen, paraphrase, ask clarifying questions, and use probing questions to help the teacher re-direct their thinking.

Another way that coaching helps strengthen teaching and learning is through the lesson improvement process. Two important components from the Peer Coaching Program are: The lesson improvement process rubric and the learning activity checklist. These two resources work hand-in-hand to assist teachers in analyzing the lesson to provide engaging lessons that also integrate technology for enhanced student learning.

An idea for school application would be to implement the School-based professional development standards. From here, the staff can begin to assess their current practice in the process of building a professional learning community. The next step would be to use the planning to improve professional development. This template will aide in developing the action plan.

“Our goal to develop people not programs.” (Montview video session 7)