Coaching - a newbie's reflection

I have operated in the role of consultant and collaborator for several years and would have easily assumed the label of coach.  

One of my learning goals is to develop effective coaching skills. Without any training or definition, I was blessed that have a few great colleagues who have already taught me so much about coaching.  I am learning why time with these colleagues was beneficial and meaningful and had an impact on student learning.  The blessing is that I can become intentional with those interactions and be more impactful.

I think it takes risk to invite a coach.  To some teachers, it may be threatening to have a coach observe instruction then reflect with them.  The teachers I worked with this week saw it as an opportunity for professional development.  Together we looked for small adjustments in the classroom practice for the benefit of student learning.

In turn, I had to take a risk and ask for their feedback.  Here is my follow up message to them.

I would appreciate any feedback (warm or cool) so that I can grow as a coach.  Some to the general ideas our team has for coaching include:

• Set powerful goals 

• Establish a relationship and build trust

• Develop strategies for success

• Get you into action

• Generate insights

Your response is appreciated.

Let's see what responses are returned and how I can see past my ego to work on my practice.

Collective Intelligence

In an online course from Powerful Learning Practice, we pondered the concept of Crowd Sourcing, trying to define the term and how it benefits us as educators and learners.

I am working on being more connected to the world at large and heard this story on my local news station this morning.




Click here for the article

What a great, real world, problem based example!! Stories like this remind me to be amazed at us as a human race.

Blogging Commitment

So I've just placed a weekly reminder on my calendar for the remainder of the year.  I'm GOING to blog.  It's not something I'm completely comfortable with, but feel very convicted by this:

The vulnerability that is required to put out into the blogosphere -- the doubts, reservations, successes and triumphs -- helps engage in the profession with teachers all across the country and the world in a way that hasn't really happened before. When individual teachers create and share insights and trials from the classroom, it removes the veil of mystery and secrecy that oftentimes shrouds teaching and learning. Slowly, this shared understanding of what the profession is and can be will work its way into the culture of the profession on a grander scale.

Taken from this March 10 article by Chris Crouch in the Huffington Post.

I'm not sure where this will go, or what it will become.  But I will share.

Projects currently in development:

• Maker Camp for teachers
• Online Course
• Best Practices in webinar/blended learning opportunities
• Video Snapshots of quality 21st Century learning
• Instructional Coaching for 21st Century skills

Great algebra1 project ideas

Came from tea list serv

Subject: Hit - Algebra I Project Ideas
From: Kelly M Hoppe
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:30:15 -0500
X-Message-Number: 3

Good Morning,

Below are the replies I received.  Thanks to all who shared.

•a site you might want to suggest to your teachers of this course and others:
http://kidseducationalwebsites.blogspot.com/2011/01/pbl-examples-of-math-project-ideas.html
•A great end of year project is an A-B-C book.  Students make a
different illustrated page for each letter of the alphabet, defining
an algebraic term.  It's a great review, and you could show them
various A-B-C books to give them some thematic ideas.  I've done this
in reading classes, and I taught ESL Algebra where we kept a running
"book" of terms like this throughout the year.  If you have access,
kids can create images on the computer, so there's a technology piece,
too.
•My daughter's class designed fountains using equations for arc of
water. Pretty neat. They have to graph and plan the flow of water.
•Have them assign their students to make a voicethread or prezi or any
other online media presentation tool over the concept that they are
studying.  Can they make an instructional presentation so that others
can watch it and understand the concept?
•One of our Algebra I teachers does a very successful tech project.
It is her semester review and takes 4 days in the lab.  Each student
is given a type of problem and asked to create a PPT with hyperlinks
to 4 answers. One of the answers is correct with a fun "good work"
comment.  The other three say incorrect answer, try again, and perhaps
some tips on what to do.  The last day the kids go from computer to
computer solving all the problems.  She has a template for the PPT, so
the kids don't have to figure out how to do all the hyperlinks from
scratch.
Interesting point, she got the idea from a first grade teacher during
a technology training years ago.  The elem teacher had done work for
college/grad school (?)and her project was this type of PPT for young
students learning 2+2 =4!
Hope this helps!
•One area I'm exploring for math is an idea called computational
thinking, which involves learning computer programming to solve
math-related inquiries. Google has a great collection of information
and resources on this subject.                            Here's a
link http://www.google.com/edu/computational-thinking/
The main thing is not to just have them do a research project on a
famous mathematician or something like a bird unit, but to make math
interesting in the context of a real-world application.

Where is the great programming

Don't forget to check in with CAPSpace and read your listserv messages!

Here is a sample of the great opportunities I saw come across my email box this week:

Title:  World AIDS Day: LIVE from South Africa:

URL: http://projects.twice.cc/?l=collaboration&id=1490

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12

Dates: Wednesday, Nov 30, 9:00-10:30 MT/11:00-12:30 ET

Title:  Gingerbread Man Project:

URL: http://projects.twice.cc/?l=collaboration&id=1491

Grades: PreK, K

Dates: Between December 7th and December 20th EDT

Title:  Snowmen at Night:

URL: http://projects.twice.cc/?l=collaboration&id=1492

Grades: PreK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Dates: Dec- 2011 thru Feb 2012

Win a free program from Connect2Texas

NEW! A chance to win a FREE Connect2Texas program...but HURRY!
Drawing will be held after 5:00 PM CST on Friday, Nov. 18.

All you have to do is one of the following:

1.       Like us on Facebook

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Increase your chances and do ALL three!

To find out more about Connect2Texas providers offering content enhancement and professional development programs visit www.Connect2Texas.net.

Morbid but great project. Perfect for Junior High students!

   STUDENTS REBUILD, ONE MILLION BONES AND CARE PARTNER TO RAISE GLOBAL AWARENESS AND FUNDING FOR CRISES IN SOMALIA AND THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

“A Path Forward,” Culminating in Art Installation of One Million Handmade Bones on National Mall, Will Serve as Visible Petition to Resolve Widespread Suffering

Do you ever wonder what you can do to impact faraway problems? From intractable poverty and famine, to war and conflict, the portraits of human suffering we see in the news are staggering. Sobering. Too overwhelming to do anything? Not so.

Welcome to the newest Students Rebuild challenge, A Path Forward: a chance to take a collective stand against humanitarian crises by joining a participatory art installation in Washington, D.C. that will raise awareness and critical funds.

Students Rebuild has teamed-up with One Million Bones, a campaign to cover the National Mall in Washington, DC with 1,000,000 handmade bones in honor of lives lost and in solidarity with those who have survived mass conflict.

Those bones can be made and mailed in by you. And your friends. Make a bone for peace. Make a bone for hope and healing. Make a bone to show our connectedness.

Are you outside North America without the means to ship bones? The instillation will also include digital images of handmade bones and will culiminate in a book and a short film. Everyone will have the chance to contribute.  For more information, visit www.studentsrebuild.org