Jim Knight pinpoints several obstacles to effective Professional Development. He discusses staff resistance to change, blame, and "resentment." What obstacles have you faced in your first month as an Instructional Coach and how do you anticipate overcoming these challenges?
In addition, what is the most important accomplishment you would like to achieve this year as a first year Instructional Coach? OK Gerard..... as a "third" year Instructional Coach!
Responses due Sunday, October 19, 2008.
In addition, what is the most important accomplishment you would like to achieve this year as a first year Instructional Coach? OK Gerard..... as a "third" year Instructional Coach!
Responses due Sunday, October 19, 2008.
6 comments:
My staff at Pondo is generally quite positive and responsive. I know that they are more receptive to me than they have been to "outside" speakers, just because they know that I know what's going on at this school.
Of course, I haven't really been an instructional coach as Knight defined it: someone on-site who assists with professional development. I wear so many hats that this is the smallest of them. I'm the RtI facilitator, the TAG coordinator, the Renaissance database manager, the OAKS test administrator trainer, the workbook finder, the Schoolmaster Gradebook troubleshooter, the computer lab guru, the de facto English department head (since I'm the bossiest and we don't have an official department head), the math department coordinator (they also don't have a department head), a new-teacher mentor, and general helper monkey. How do I plan to overcome this? I've started to actually say "no" (or at least "not right now") to a couple of projects. And I'm sure as the year goes on, there will be less to do, right? Ha-ha.
Right now, I think the thing that I want to accomplish the most is not very concrete. I want the staff - the whole staff, not just the English and math departments - to see me as a valuable resource to the school, someone who is bringing them things they can use and not just bringing them more work from the DO. For a concrete goal, I'd like to raise our OAKS scores, especially for SPED students.
Amy H.
I think Jim hit the nail right smack dab on the head! Teachers are feeling "overwhelmed" and the one-shot sessions seem to be what we have expierenced lately. I love this...."with districts desperate to reach AYP, many leaders have decided that more is better, even if more is just more strategies without any kind of realistice implementation plan." I have heard over and over from staff, if we just wait this too will go away.
I really like how he defined the instructional coaching job as using the data to meet with the teachers and brainstorm together solutions to problems. That is my style totally! I want to use the data to create questions and concerns. That seems to be working at KU. I have given the data out to the English and Math departments and have had dialoge on what to do with the data. Staff have asked me for additional pieces of information.
We are looking at using tutorial time to reteach the two strands of mathematics that account for 60% of the test. That is a huge use of the data.
English is looking at doing a one month review on the data strands they are most weak on.
We are going to start the Oaks testing in November for English so I can collect the data and get it back quickly to those teachers.
I'm excited about this job, I really feel like it will work with us being in the building.
We need to realize that we aren't going to build Rome in a day though! It takes time to build trust and relationships and administration needs to let us do this.
Volleyball is done for me this week so that is one hat I can finally take off. I hear what Amy is saying that we are wearing way too many hats.
My big thing I want to accomplish this year is to set up the student tutor program. I feel that can be so beneficial in mathematics and in reading.
I think that wraps it up. See y'all soon!
Charlene
I think Jim Knight must have presented to my staff! His description of some of his early presentations are a little like deja vu. I appreciate his understanding of what busy teachers are asked to do every day and why teachers are often apathetic, at best, regarding change.
I also appreciate Knight's definition of instructional coaching. I am understanding my role better all the time, but still it is helpful to define the position in a few of sentences. I agree with Amy's comment about wearing lots of hats and wanting our staff to see us as credible and important to the organization.
I have had a few really wonderful days coaching this year, and lots of pretty good days. There are some days, though, when I struggle with my identity! "Fitting in" when the position is so new and so unknown by most everyone is a challenge sometimes. I look forward to Knight's words of wisdom.
Testing??
This book is great!! I wish we had read it BEFORE the year started! I have already made mistakes Jim Knight warns us about! Ha!
My goal for the year is to establish meanigful professional development and not the one shot deals. My experiences just this week have really made this goal clear to me! Teachers will open up and talk alot more freely in a one to one situation!
I seem to be titled "Teen Book Club," so know it's me, Nancy!
We all need to be aware of overwhelm, whether our own job descriptions or what we ask staffs to do in our desperate attempt to reach AYP. Great comments!
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