My "Coaching Hat"

Here's another cross-post of my Friday Focus post for staff, in which I openly reflect for them on how my practice impacts their reflection. I'd love to hear feedback from other administrators trying to balance between the coaching and evaluating hats.
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In a previous Friday Focus posts I have shared with you my goal to get in classrooms and provide feedback and questions encouraging you to reflect. I also shared with you in this post that I want to act more like an Instructional Coach than a supervisor to help improve instruction and learning. Throughout this year, I have networked with other administrators (both on twitter and in "real life") and had conversations around evaluations and coaching. In addition, I recently joined DPI's Teacher Design Team-the committee that is developing the teacher rubric to evaluate teacher practice. Throughout these formal and informal conversations, I have struggled with trying to figure out how I can formally evaluate teachers, yet be seen as someone to give non-evaluatory feedback in a coaching manner to help your reflective process in the classroom. I have read books on instructional coaching and read books geared towards principals, though none that combine the two roles for an administrator. I'm sure by now, you're probably wondering why I am sharing my own personal reflection with you?


Because I recognize that when I come in your classroom and send you an email or talk to you afterwards, that it may make you feel nervous or worried...which is NOT my intent! As I reflect, I realize, I have probably never clearly explained (or maybe I never clearly understood myself) what my intent is as I come in classrooms and give feedback. When I am come into classrooms for informal walkthroughs I am coming in with a "coaching hat" on, so to speak. Quite honestly, I feel like I'm doing the same when I come in for the formal observations (for the evaluation process) and meet with you afterwards to discuss how the lesson went. I may pose a question to you that stretches your thinking that is not meant to be intrusive or evaluatory, but is a question to have you reflect on why you do what you do. When you are reflective and consciously aware of why you do what you do, you will continue to utilize effective strategies for students in your classroom. I can share with you from my own experience that when I had a guest administrator with me a while back, she asked me ma ny questions for her learning, but as I explained my answers to her, I realized how much it made me reflect on why I do those things she asked about. So, my key message to you is that unless I specifically say, "I have a concern..." then you have nothing to be concerned about, I am just in there wearing my "coaching hat."

In the future, I would love for us as a staff to begin collaborating even more for our learning and student learning as a result. We have had several staff members be recorded and reflected while watching their own lesson. Several staff members have o bserved each other to gain new ideas and we have even had teachers from other districts visit us. I have recently begun to read about other schools taking this even one step further and putting in the practice of "Instructional Rounds" in which teachers go together in groups to observe and have follow-up discussions. Here are some of the posts I've read on this topic:
Teachers Observing Teachers: Instructional Rounds
Walking the Learning Walk
Engaging Teachers in Instructional Rounds
Don't worry, this isn't something we're starting tomorrow ;) However, if you are interested in taking some walks through classrooms, just let me know and I'd be happy to cover your class for you!

For your reflection this week...how do you engage in conversations with others to reflect on instructional practices and student learning? What are your thoughts on if I've had an impact on your reflection process as a result of walkthoughs (this question you can actually hold on to, because in a few weeks I'll be asking for your anonymous feedback on a survey to help me reflect).

Image by Kathy Cassidy