Why coaching? Coaching within a student learning context

Cathy Beesey

Student Learning Division

This initiative

• Provide one-to-one coaching for teachers in classrooms

• Focus on building the capacity of teachers rather than intervention with students

• Build sustainable practice in schools

Teacher coaching is a highly sophisticated form of school-based professional reflective practice. It is a series of conversations designed to assist teachers to extend their personal and professional learning and improve student achievement.

Julie Boyd in School Based Professional Learning, Reflective Practice and Coaching 2000

Why coaching?

• Coaching is connected to and derived from teachers’ work with their students

• Coaching is related to and situated within classroom practice

• Coaching facilitates learning and reciprocal accountability

• Coaching provides a structure for collective, interconnected leadership across a school

• Coaching encourages collaborative, reflective practice

Building relationships

• Rapport

• Listen

• Pause

• Paraphrase

• Prompt

• Question

Building on our achievements and learning from our experiences

• Cluster Educators • Building the Capacity of Professional Learning

Leaders in Clusters and Schools • ICT Peer Coaching • PoLT Leading Change Training Program • CeLL Partners in Learning • Intel Teach To The Future• ePotential ICT Capabilities Resource

Building on our achievements and learning from our experiences

• Early Numeracy Research Project (1999 – 2001)• Middle Years Numeracy Research Project (1999

& 2000) • Scaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years • School Innovation in Science 2003• School Innovation in Teaching – Science,

Mathematics and Technology 2006 • Digilearn • Victorian Education Channel

Literacy Improvement Teams

• Three year initiative (2006-08) to improve student literacy outcomes through the employment of 45 literacy specialists to coach teachers in identified schools

• The aim was to increase teachers’ capacity to improve the literacy learning outcomes of Years 3-8 students in these schools

• Schools were identified on the basis of having significant numbers of students in Years 3-8 achieving lower than expected literacy learning outcomes

• In 2007, the specialists provided intensive 1:1 coaching to over 600 individual teachers in 160 targeted schools; over 10,000 students were supported by this initiative

Messages from the Literacy Specialists• Building relationships and trust is central • It’s a learning journey for principals, teachers,

students and coaches • Coaches working differently with every teacher –

flexibly and responsively• Continual use of data at each phase of the

coaching process is vital • It is most effective when the leadership team in

the school leads the initiative

Responding to diverse student needs

• Victorian Essential Learning Standards• Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12• Assessment for, of and as learning• Curriculum planning with the learner at the

centre• Digital resources

Victorian Essential Learning Standards

Split screen thinking

Mathematics or science Communication

ICT

Personal learning

Assessing for understanding

Plan for assessment of

understanding as a critical element of learning and

teaching

Make assessment

requirements clear from the

outset

Principles of Learning and Teaching P - 121. The learning environment is supportive and

productive 2. The learning environment promotes independence,

interdependence and self-motivation 3. Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and

interests are reflected in the learning program 4. Students are challenged and supported to develop

deep levels of thinking and application 5. Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching

and learning 6. Learning connects strongly with communities and

practice beyond the classroom

Knowledge of the discipline

Generalisedpedagogical knowledge

Pedagogical content

knowledgeEFFECTIVETEACHING

Resources to support increased pedagogical content knowledge

• Mathematics and Science Continua • Maths and Science ICT Showcase • Assessment tools

Mathematics Online Interview

Scaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years

Science Education Assessment Resources (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations)

Science Continuum P-10VELS Science standards

Science Knowledge & UnderstandingScience at Work

Science concept development maps

Matter Living things Forces & motion Earth & space

Focus IdeasStudent everyday experiences vs scientific view

Critical teaching ideasTeaching activities

Links to further resources

Science Showcase

• Living Things

• Day and Night

• Ecosystem

• Friction is a Force

• Circulatory System

• The Particle Theory

• Wonders of the Universe

www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/maths/assessment.htm

Mathematics Online Interview

Knowledge of the discipline

Generalisedpedagogical knowledge

Pedagogical content

knowledgeEFFECTIVETEACHING

Coaching – a collaborative process

• Collection of student data

• Analysis of student data

• Effective use of student data to plan for learning

• Delivery of high quality learning experiences

• Reflection on learning

Supporting teachers in curriculum planning and delivery

• Templates for planning (online)

• Students working in an online environment

• Monitoring student learning

• Support readiness for the Ultranet leading to high quality use

• Champion the Ultranet

How will you know that you are successful in your role as a coach? What will it look, sound and feel like for you, for the teachers, for the students?