Roxi Thompson

  "Ambiguity is the enemy. Any successful change requires a translation of ambiguous goals into concrete behaviors. In short, to make a switch, you need to script the critical moves." (p. 53) I just finished Chapter 3 of the book " Switch, " and I've been thinking a lot about how I can do a better job at "scripting the moves" to better support our teachers as they try new strategies and tools in their classroom. In particular, I have been reflecting on how I can use the steps in the 5-Step Coaching Model to help with this. Here are some ideas: Identify a specific challenge During the first step of the coaching cycle, coaches work collaboratively with teachers to identify a specific challenge. This is an essential step if we want to help script the moves teachers will need to make in order to change and improve their practice.  Sometimes teachers are so overwhelmed with challenges that it's difficult to get them to focus on just one. They keep jump...

  In Google's  5-Step Coaching Model , the majority of coaching time is typically spent in Step 4: Implement. This is when teachers are implementing the chosen strategy in their classroom. During coaches camp last week, we talked a lot about the " meet-visit-meet cadence " that should happen during this stage. This includes three types of interactions: Goal Setting Meetings - Meet to discuss strategy, and plan ways to put it into practice. Classroom Visits - Visit the classroom to co-teach, model, or observe instructional practices. Follow-Up Meetings - Meet to debrief strategy implementation, and identify ways to improve. The idea is to go through this "cadence" several times throughout the coaching cycle.  We broke up into small groups and talked about the reasons these interactions are so important. A few things mentioned by the group were: Frequent, informal classroom visits are essential in order for coaches to fully understand the teacher's realiti...

The first step of the challenge-based coaching model is to identify and understand the teacher's challenge. The Google coaching curriculum provides some questions coaches can ask during the initial meeting. I really like the following question: ⭐ What strategies have worked and what have not? Why?    A few reasons I find this question really helpful: It provides teachers the time and space to think about WHY a particular strategy didn't work. They often gain new insights just by talking it through out loud. It helps me understand how they are defining "success" when trying new strategies. That will be super important when we select a strategy and plan implementation. It opens the door for a conversation about moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. This is especially true if they mention that some strategies have worked for some of their students, but not for all of them. What questions do you find effective when trying to better understand a teacher's cha...

  "It is tempting to ask coaches to work only with teachers who seem to be having difficulties with instruction or classroom management. We discourage this "fixer" approach to coaching for several reasons. First, if coaches are perceived as working only with those who struggle, other teachers may not reach out to coaches for support. Second, the coaching relationship becomes less about providing support for all teachers and more about remediation, in which only "struggling" teachers are assigned to the coach." - Jacy Ippolito and Rita M. Bean Based on the conversations I've had with coaches, this seems to be a common challenge. Coaches often struggle to get teachers to volunteer for coaching cycles because teachers don't want to be viewed as someone who needs coaching - like it's a negative thing. However, the truth is that ALL educators can benefit from good coaching. I think this is why it is important to try to c reate a diverse coaching ros...

What are the elements that make coaching an effective form of professional development? The Google for Education Certified Coach Curriculum identifies four main elements: Partnership Active Learning Personalization Sustained How might you build a coaching partnership? So, let’s look at the first element, partnership, along with some suggested strategies from the curriculum. 🙋‍♀️ Make coaching voluntary This seems super important, but I’m not sure how common it actually is in school districts. I think it is fairly common in some districts that coaches are assigned to teachers who don’t necessarily want or think they need coaching. A lot of that has to do with the fact that coaching is often seen as only meant for “struggling” teachers, and many teachers don’t understand how it could benefit their teaching practice or their students. I know I didn’t when I was a classroom teacher. So, how might we change that narrative and create a positive culture of coaching? 🤝 Make coaching non-eva...