In this #coachbetter episode we are chatting with Kimberly House, ES & MS Tech Coach at Bavarian International School in Munich. Kimberly has been at BIS for 25 years and has a unique perspective on the changes in coaching culture based on her extensive experience in one school community. Kimberly shares many strategies for adapting with that change as a coach, from staying motivated when you’re the only coach in the building, to finding your “bright sparks” who are engaged in learning with you, and finding pathways to work with every teacher. This episode is a must listen for anyone who works with teachers who have been in the same school setting for many years.

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Show Notes

Kim House ES & MS Tech Coach (shared grade 6), Bavarian International School, Munich. 25 years at BIS. First started in KG, taught almost every grade level in Primary. Started as ICT teacher.

Building Rapport in your teaching community, what are your routines (walking the hall, eating lunch in the staff room) “The Coaching Bank” – how do you make connections with colleagues on a professional level, not just a personal one

Go to the planning sessions for each week, as a more formal structure. Even if the team isn’t talking about tech, contribute about pedagogy and education, to help them see her education background. Eating lunch in the staffroom, checking in on people in their classroom. Making myself available, always have an open timetable.

Building a Culture of Coaching: Where/How do you start? Being an advocate for the importance of your role

Always about the ease of use of the tools, the tools can not be a hurdle. If it becomes more time spent on the tech and you lose the learning, that’s when you lose teachers. When there are too many hurdles to get us to the learning. As soon as teachers see how powerful it can be they’re on board. Teachers don’t have to know how to do it, because she will be there the whole time. Establishing a workflow for a project. This is where the files will be, this is the equipment we’re going to need, this is how we’re going to transfer things from A to B, this is the software we’re going to use. Important to start the project collaboratively from the start. Because they’re a PYP school means that she’s always part of the planning, which means that it’s rare that she would have to come in and “fix” a project. In MS it’s more of a challenge, it’s more likely that she won’t be in on the planning process. Therefore, it’s important to know who in the department is open to working with them, and to take opportunities to reflect on the process after a project is completed.

Staying motivated as a coach when you’re “the only one” who cares about tech-rich learning

Sometimes super hard. Every grade level there is a Digital Leader (volunteer-based), someone who wants to take their practice forward and is the lead on the team. Always a challenge to find time, but this is a great opportunity to connect on a professional level with others who are pushing themselves. Staff meetings will feature a Digital Leader. So it’s not always coming from Kim. A great opportunity to embed Digital Citizenship and empower all teachers to be able to see the teachable moments. It’s not possible for Kim to teach all those lessons, so teachers need to feel like they can both see the opportunity and take the teachable moment. For example, at a faculty meeting, there are people who are present at every table who have background on new initiatives and how they can be implemented. Good opportunity for screening new ideas, if this group isn’t on board, maybe it’s not the right time for the whole school.

The challenge of being “understood” as a coach – teachers don’t know what you do / think you just have free time

Being visible, constantly finding advocates (even if it’s just one teacher in a single department), building relationships.

The many hats of coaching: coach, consultant, co-teacher, etc

Feast or famine. Sometimes I can’t even find 5 minutes because I’m so busy, other weeks, I’m happy to have a little more administrative time. Aware of her own goals for projects, so that she can try some new things with grade levels.

What does data look like from coaching? What are you using to help motivate teachers to make improvements/changes? Assessing tech & tech integration, how do you give it value (teacher evaluation, teacher growth): “More Than Ticking the Box”

Spent a lot of time looking at subscriptions, looking at usage statistics, and then asking the question: “is it a lack of promotion” or “is it because the tool doesn’t work as well as we think”.

Student portfolios, Seesaw is so easy and seamless for teachers. The quality may not have increased, but the number of teachers who are on board has increased. Three times a year they do a staff gallery walk to look at student portfolios, followed by a feedback survey: what did you see, how often did you see balanced rich learning, what are your goals as a teacher, how do those fit in with the school goals?

Tracking conversations with colleagues on a spreadsheet. Every interaction (casual conversation, in classroom, deeper learning).

What are ways that you make yourself invaluable as a coach? What are the things that teachers love that you do?

Enthusiasm. If bring a lot of value by sharing new ideas from outside of the school, by connecting and learning through Twitter and other PD.

Where do coaches fail? And what can we do about it?

One of the biggest struggles is keeping enthusiasm in the face of big school goals that you feel like are not being met. The school might think they need to have goals (like a makerspace), and then the coach is tasked with achieving that, but support is needed from leadership. Having a relationship with the leadership team being able to ask for support. Here’s how I need you to help me. If you don’t have that level of comfort with people in the leadership team, that’s an area to focus on. You need their support.

“I can help you have better learning experiences in your classroom. I’m not the expert on that, but I’m going to work together with you, and we’re going to build better learning experiences for your students together.”

Tips for getting started as a coach in a new school

Work with the willing. Start with the people you know are already on board. The bright sparks who are ready to make that change. The advocates who are going to speak for you in meetings and share. Build relationships – that is the role. At the end of the day, you’re not going to get people to change anything. People don’t have to like you, they have to know that you understand them as a teacher, that you’re compassionate and that you believe in creating great learning experiences with them. You’re there to support them. You’ll find those people in the staff room by the coffee machine, just drop in in social places.

What’s one resource you would recommend and why was it impactful for your practice?

Led a workshop at ECIS. DQ institute Digital Quotient. They’ve taken ISTE, Common Sense Media, and some state standards. Have developed a chart of competencies that kids need for today and the future. Presented beautifully and laid out well for teachers. Great starting point for staff.

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