Welcome Coaches!!!
Goals of Site: Provide resources for modeling and scaffolding effective teaching practices for teachers
and opportunities for personal growth of coaches.
Skills:
Active Listening
Positive Reinforcement
Wait Time
Specifically, the resources on this site will assist with skills of active listening, positive reinforcement, and wait time with teachers and for personal growth. Each page has videos and resources that can be accessed at anytime to use in different cycles of the coaching model. At the bottom of each page there are challenges and questions in the PERSONAL POINT. section to allow you to reflect on your coaching practices and engage in the coaching process with teachers.
Teacher Development
Teachers are professionals that must continue to reflect and improve upon their practice. Teaching is an "unnatural" task where teachers utilize numerous teaching practices and management techniques to impact the learning of students. However, improving teaching skills requires deliberate attention and practice. Coaching involving a trusted individual and a willing teacher is a winning combination to help the teacher development and improve teaching skills (Collins, 2006).
Coaching Model
The coaching model involves an experienced individual that engages the teacher in a cycle of goal creation, practice, reflection, and personal evaluation (Reiman, 2003) . The coach provides modeling and scaffolding to assist the teacher as they practice specific skills. Observations and data collection based on the specific skill provide the basis for reflection and personal evaluations. This cyclic process addresses the needs of the adult learner and strives to guide the teacher to higher levels of reflective thinking and improved skills (Collins, 2006).
Collins, A. (2006). Cognitive Apprenticeship. In Sawyer, K.R (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (47-60). Cambridge; NY, 2006.
Reiman, A. J. (2003). Succeed at mentoring, coaching & supervision. Raleigh: SUCCEED at North Carolina State University.