We want to give you a peek inside our Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program. Coaches taking part in this academic-year-long journey have graciously given us permission to post some of their learning and reflections from the private coursework they are undertaking during this program. Where possible, we have shared the course and the action task to give context for the guest post.
Follow Ryan on TwitterThe Coach Mid-Point Reflection
The Topic: Mid Point Reflection: Around half way through The Coach program, we ask participants to reflect on their journey so far. The purpose behind this task is to help them acknowledge how far they’ve come and prepare them for the Personal Project at the very end of the program.
The Task: Create a 3-5 minute video reflecting on your journey so far within The Coach. Share your responses to the prompts below:
- Think back to the initial goal(s) you set for yourself at the beginning of this microcredential program. Have your goals changed? If so, briefly explain how/why?
- What has impacted your thinking so far?
- What are you excited about?
Reflection by Ryan Brown, Tech Integrationist & Math Teacher in Saudi Arabia
My initial goals not changed as the school and I are still working on defining what a coach is and to educate all teachers on what coaches can do and shift the mindset that has been around for a while as there is very low teacher turnover as many faculty local hires. I still fear that this will be the greatest hurdle.
This school year, the new school director, my ES counterpart, and I have been meeting (almost) weekly and are discussing increased direct collaboration on professional development. As we talk we are seeing more and more that there is a need to develop the culture of coaching at our school. The director agrees – at the start of the second semester, half of my teaching load will be taken off my plate to open up time to work more with teachers.
Now being halfway through the micro-credential, the act of reading the articles, watching the videos, having twice-monthly chats with my mentor, and stopping to periodically reflect, I have been validated on my day to day interactions with peers. Something that impacted my thinking so far was the conversations that resulted from the most recent lessons from Coaching: From Theory to Practice. These lessons improved my knowledge regarding my new coach role and how I can affect teachers to strengthen the act of teaching.
I’m excited about continuing this journey and waiting to see what can happen in this school in 2-3 years based on the work that is happening now.
Watch Ryan’s Mid-Point Reflection
Read more from The Coach participants as they share their learning from the microcredential program…
Sandra’s post: Coaching In Practice
Cary’s post: The Coaching Cycles
Jo’s post: The Coach Approach
Amy’s post: What is the Value of a PLN as a Coach?
Level Up Your Coaching with The Coach Microcredential
Are you ready to make a bigger impact in your school community? If you are ready to commit to your professional growth, please join us for our next cohort of The Coach Microcredential.
Let Ryan explain why he would recommend you take The Coach:
This cohort has proven what I’m already doing is good, but what I can become is better. The coach gives you the structure to build a great foundation and coaching system, right in your own school. It has pushed my thinking and gave me a plethora of resources to have conversations with my administrators and teachers. And even though not directly, it’s made me a better teacher with my students.
Ryan Brown, IT Integrationist and MS Math/Science Teacher
If you are thinking now is the time to invest in a coach for you, please join us for The Coach Microcredential! Registration opens only once a year, and we would love to have you in our next cohort. Of course, these kind of mentoring conversations are included in The Coach, that personal connection and guidance is built into the Academy and Premium cohorts.
After a very unusual year, now is the time to invest in yourself, to build up your professional learning network of educators around the world and connect with a community that inspires you! Plus, you’ll have a mentor who is an outside sounding board who will help you get outside of the group think or tunnel vision you might be stuck in, in your school context.
Since the program is sustained over an entire academic year, you are growing with your coach over that time, helping deepen your learning throughout the course of the program. The regular meetings with your mentor will help you reflect on the coaching challenges and opportunities that you find yourself presented with.
Of course The Coach is totally customized learning. We have standard content that we share with everyone, but then each time you meet with your mentor, every conversation is tailored exactly to your needs, including regular check-ins that will help provide you with customized resources that you need to help you keep growing in your role.
If you are ready to make a bigger impact in your school context, The Coach is for you! Learn more here!
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