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 Simon’s Video

Simon says: “In schools like ours where coaching culture is new, it is helpful to know more about what it means to be a coach and how we can impact teaching and learning.”

Read Simon’s Course Engagement Reflection

Setting the stage

Takeaway: So, what does it mean to be a coach at Keystone Academy?

The position of being a coach was new to me and having connected with different coaches at schools both locally and globally, as well as working in the role for a few months, I realised that the role can be largely undefined and very much determined by the school culture. I made connections with coaches based in Beijing and further afield which consolidated my thoughts that although our titles might be similar, the way in which we work is very dependent on the school and its faculty.

Action
At Keystone, we now hold weekly coaching meetings where the four coaches meet to discuss strategies, projects we are working on, coaching relationships and we celebrate challenges and successes. This has been really useful in cementing our working relationship as well as gaining a better understanding of what it means to be a coach in our school setting.

Impact
By working as a cohesive department we have been developing templates for observations and planning sessions. We now use applications which map our work as coaches, highlighting which colleagues we have worked with and outlining the outcomes and objectives through coaching cycles. This is been a really useful learning exercise in developing our department, ensuring continuity. It has also been helpful for reporting purposes when presenting feedback and ideas to management and school leaders.

The Power of PLNs

Takeaway: Less is more

Initially, I was rather reluctant to spend hours building up a large Twitter network as I spend most of my time on devices and felt rather overwhelmed with content overload. Also being in China, I am constantly being added to huge WeChat groups which were rather unproductive in terms of connecting me in the way I wanted.

Action
Over the past few months, through trial and error, I have started getting more reliant on PLNs. I have changed my mindset and I am now a little more open-minded. Being more focused with my connections has really helped, for example more specialist WeChat groups like VEX robotics, linkedIn and ISTE.

Impact
As a result, I have fewer, but more trusted connections which have helped me to problem solve, connect with others and help to make more considered purchases. The most recent impact of this has been developing relationships with the VEX community in China, ordering VEX IQ robots and products and setting up an after-school activity for the coming academic year. I also have interest and support from the Science, Design and Maths departments and our collective plan is to work on developing STEAM units once school starts in September.

Learning looks different now

Takeaway: Don’t force change & you don’t need to try to future-proof everything. Focus on basics

Initially, I encountered reluctance to change the way “things have been done” at school as well
as focusing on the desire to use technology without considering the pedagogical value. It has
taken time to build trust in the teachers I coach and to work collaboratively to plan lessons which
bring technology-rich learning opportunities. I am concerned about the correct pedagogical use of new technologies. Some appear to be tools with limited value other than awe – how do they really support learning?

Action
I spent considerable time listening to teachers who were keen to introduce gamification, VR, and new applications in their classrooms. My focus was “what is the learning goal?” and together we backward planned to see if that had really been the main consideration. In some instances it was but in most cases, it was simply the desire to use a new tool.

Impact
I have worked with teachers to share resources but instead of focusing on the tools, they explained clearly how it supported the learning in class. Some teachers have now lead workshops together with the coaches. Hearing success stories from teachers has been a really valuable experience.

Seeing myself as a leader

Takeaway: Being a coach is a leadership role at times.

Action
Due to the autonomy both in my timetable and the flexibility of my position, I am largely responsible for what I do in terms of coaching and supporting the direction of educational technology at Keystone Academy. This has been helped by the trust that the Director of Innovation, my departmental colleagues, the management and teachers have placed in me. I have worked with the school leadership to introduce new initiatives such as bookable student support sessions and weekly tips linking to our school’s ATLs and ISTE standards. I have also been able to pursue areas of interest which support innovation and educational technology.

Building a coaching programme

Takeaway: It takes time to build an effective coaching programme in schools

Action

The Director of Innovation at Keystone has worked hard to define what coaching could look like and the role of Coaches – this has certainly helped lay the foundations of our coaching programme. However getting “buy in “ from teachers has been difficult at times. Sometimes, it’s too easy to spend time in the front carriage with the early adaptors and avoiding the back carriage teachers who are resistant to change. It seems best to work with a blend of teachers in the “open to change but I’m busy” category. Having them feedback and share experiences has
been more productive than just working with those who are already willing. My main action has been to identify, build relationships with open-to-change type teachers and support them departmentally.

Impact

Together with Department Leaders, we have updated curriculum, units of inquiry, considered
new ideas, introduced in-class support, co-teaching, training sessions and workshops. Some of
the most successful departments I work with now actively seek support from me rather than my
trying to open doors.

Essential skills for coaches

Takeaway: The 5 key skills for a coach

Action
My goal has been to ensure others see me as :

• approachable and easy to talk to
• flexible and able to adapt to different personalities
• reliable, able to offer support, be on time and knowledgeable
• a self-starter who takes action through initiative.
• empathetic, being understanding and appreciative of the pressures of individual teachers.
• Being a good listener

Impact:
By focussing on these 5 essential skills as a coach, I believe I have learnt to listen more, adapting to different scenarios and personalities. The hardest part for me was being more empathetic and listening rather than jumping to solutions. It’s difficult to measure the impact sometimes, but I am really happy to see colleagues applying new ideas which we discussed during our coaching cycles. Seeing them grow in confidence, trying new ideas and knowing that support is available whenever they need. Working with NEXTteachers and watching them to present to all staff was also evidence that we are working in the right direction. Next academic year sees the largest enrollment of NEXTeachers since the adoption of the programme three years ago.

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Level Up Your Coaching with The Coach!

If you are ready to develop your coaching practice over the next academic year, and explore topics like transitioning your work from individuals to teams, 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.

Registration for our next global cohort opens once a year – check the website for details!

Find out more at: https://edurolearning.com/coach/