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 KenThe Topic: Learning Journey Video Reflection
The Task: Tell the story of your personal learning journey throughout The Coach
What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the program?
At the beginning of the course, I was spending significant extra hours at work and wanted to find a way to spend some of those hours invested more wisely both in myself and in ways that would help our school. As our PreK-12 Digital learning Coach, I knew that I could benefit from the program, but I was also very curious if being a full-time Instructional Coach might be a career option for me. My core goal was to use the course to see if I wanted to make the transition from coaching educational technology to be an instructional coach. I felt that this might be a way to make more of an impact on student learning.
How did each milestone support you in reaching your goal?
As I am still an aspirational instructional coach and because I am the only Digital Learning Coach in our school, I did choose to apply three of the four milestone projects in a way that helped me at my current position while also helping me learn about how to think about a possible future position as a full time instructional coach. I found each of the phases to be helpful as I progressed through the program and I am happy that we were given the challenge to take action on what we learned in meaningful ways for our schools. I also benefited from the feedback of peers and those in my PLN as we were asked to share both within The Coach community and publicly on professional social media platforms.
Ultimately, my goal was to start coaching conversations as an Digital Learning Coach, but while doing that successfully, also extend the invitation for instructional coaching in general. I feel that my Milestone Projects will continue to help me do that.
What has been your biggest area of growth in the program?
My biggest area of growth during the program was the ability to recall, apply, and adjust the different frameworks, protocols, and tips that were introduced in The Coach program. Even things that seem trivial like where to sit – precisely so that your coachee can see your notes as you talk is something that I never thought about before.
I think that the readings and conversations really helped me think about the required repeatable steps that would be needed to create a sustainable coaching program at any school.
Level Up Your Coaching with The Coach!
If you are ready to dive deep into your coaching practice, to help you #coachbetter and build a thriving coaching culture in your school, please join us for our next cohort of The Coach!
Wherever you are in building a coaching culture in your school, The Coach will give you the strategies, skills and tools you need to make coaching a success and will empower you to confidently apply instructional coaching strategies in any situation – from building a coaching program, to having coaching conversations, to being a leader in your school community. We facilitate only one cohort each academic year so we can offer individualized support for each participant.
Coaches of all levels are welcome: you’ll start the program with a self-assessment to determine exactly what the next steps are for you!
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