Guest Post: The Coach Final Project: Amy Garrett

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.

The Coach Final Project

The Final Project is a chance for you to reflect on everything you’ve learned and/or discovered throughout this Certificate Program.  You will create an 8-10 min video sharing on the goal that you set, documenting the process of working towards your goal, reflecting on your achievement and sharing the process/outcome with our learning community. The most important part of your personal project is that it’s relevant to you, and you can demonstrate, through documentation and video, the impact your work has had on your school. 

Watch Amy’s Final Project

Amy’s Final Course Reflection

What were your goals? My goal was to define and establish my role as a tech coach.

What did you do to meet your goals? There many things I did throughout the year- individually and collaboratively with my coaching team, to support meeting my goal. In my final project I focus on highlighting four key shifts:

-Establishing a coaching team

-Making coaching visible

-Promoting a culture of learning

-Coaching Colleagues

What worked well? What was challenging? Working on a team of 6 coaches is incredibly empowering and uplifting. Our role and collective voice are naturally amplified, and our impact and efforts are often fast tracked. While this was a benefit throughout the year, it was also challenging initially to align our individual beliefs and practices. We each had unique strengths, experiences with and perspectives of coaching. We have come a long ways in aligning our team, and will continue to grow and process new components to our journey along the way.

How did you engage with other community members in an effort to meet your goal? I was highly engaged with my fellow divisional coaches, school wide tech coach team and school wide coaching team. I spent a lot of time collaborating, co-planning and facilitating meetings and professional learning with fellow coaches. Additionally, I spent a lot of time working with administrators, colleagues in the classroom, parents and students.

How did other community members react to the work you are doing? I’ve had very positive feedback and reaction to the work I’ve done this year- particularly from administrators, teachers I’ve coached and parents. I’m seen as a supportive and approachable resource by community members.

Evidence of your work? The creation of our coaching website, coaching corner newsletter, professional learning lab sessions (flyers and resources) and more are showcased in my final project video.

What was the outcome? Success! I am so pleased with the growth I’ve experienced this year and am incredibly proud of the work our team has accomplished. Teachers truly see me as a coach – as part of a team of coaches here to support instructional moves to inform teaching and learning practices.

What would you do differently next time? I’d be sure to document my course engagement from day one 😉 Moving forward outside of the coach, I am aiming to spend more time intentionally coaching 1:1 with teachers, and unpacking units to explore curricular connections and opportunities to infuse teaching and learning with technology.

What was your greatest learning in this course? Learning about the 3 coaching approaches/stances of consulting, collaborating and coaching has been really helpful in understanding and establishing my role as a coach. I’m able to identify a when I am and should operate in each area and can make intentional moves to encourage greater collaboration and coaching opportunities where previously I was viewed primarily as a consultant.

How will you share this with a wider audience? I am excited to share this with my cohort, my PLN on Twitter, my coaching team and colleagues at my school and even my family :)`

Level Up Your Impact with Our Certificate Programs

There are so many ways to make an impact in your school community. If you’re looking to level up your impact, either as a school leader, a coach or a teacher, explore our certificate programs: Women Who Lead, The Coach, and COETAIL. Or, if your goal is truly unique, register for a private mentoring package. If any of today’s post resonated with you, join us for the next cohort of WWL, The Coach or purchase a private mentoring package! Registration for our global cohorts opens once a year, make sure you’re on our mailing list to be notified as soon as they open! You can find all of these learning opportunities on the our website!