Why coaching? Coaching within a student learning context Cathy Beesey Student Learning Division

1. Why coaching? Coaching within a student learning context Cathy BeeseyStudent Learning Division

3. This initiative • Provide one-to-one coaching for teachers in classrooms • Focus on building the capacity of teachers rather than intervention with students • Build sustainable practice in schools

4. Teacher coaching is a highly sophisticated form of school-based professional reflective practice. It is a series of conversations designed to assist teachers to extend their personal and professional learning and improve student achievement. Julie Boyd in School Based Professional Learning, Reflective Practice and Coaching 2000

5. Why coaching? • Coaching is connected to and derived from teachers’ work with their students • Coaching is related to and situated within classroom practice • Coaching facilitates learning and reciprocal accountability • Coaching provides a structure for collective, interconnected leadership across a school • Coaching encourages collaborative, reflective practice

6. Building relationships • Rapport • Listen • Pause • Paraphrase • Prompt • Question

7. Building on our achievements and learning from our experiences • Cluster Educators • Building the Capacity of Professional Learning Leaders in Clusters and Schools • ICT Peer Coaching • PoLT Leading Change Training Program • CeLL Partners in Learning • Intel Teach To The Future • ePotential ICT Capabilities Resource

8. Building on our achievements and learning from our experiences • Early Numeracy Research Project (1999 – 2001) • Middle Years Numeracy Research Project (1999 & 2000) • Scaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years • School Innovation in Science 2003 • School Innovation in Teaching – Science, Mathematics and Technology 2006 • Digilearn • Victorian Education Channel

9. Literacy Improvement Teams • Three year initiative (2006-08) to improve student literacy outcomes through the employment of 45 literacy specialists to coach teachers in identified schools • The aim was to increase teachers’ capacity to improve the literacy learning outcomes of Years 3-8 students in these schools • Schools were identified on the basis of having significant numbers of students in Years 3-8 achieving lower than expected literacy learning outcomes • In 2007, the specialists provided intensive 1:1 coaching to over 600 individual teachers in 160 targeted schools; over 10,000 students were supported by this initiative

10. Messages from the Literacy Specialists • Building relationships and trust is central • It’s a learning journey for principals, teachers, students and coaches • Coaches working differently with every teacher –flexibly and responsively • Continual use of data at each phase of the coaching process is vital • It is most effective when the leadership team in the school leads the initiative

12. Responding to diverse student needs • Victorian Essential Learning Standards • Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 • Assessment for, of and as learning • Curriculum planning with the learner at the centre • Digital resources

13. Victorian Essential Learning Standards

14. Communication Personal learning ICT Split screen thinking Mathematics or science

15. Assessing for understanding Planfor assessment of understanding as a critical element of learning and teaching Make assessment requirements clear from the outset

16. Principles of Learning and Teaching P - 12 1. The learning environment is supportive and productive 2. The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self-motivation 3. Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and interests are reflected in the learning program 4. Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application 5. Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning 6. Learning connects strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom

17. Knowledge of the discipline Pedagogical content knowledge EFFECTIVE TEACHING Generalised pedagogical knowledge

18. Resources to support increased pedagogical content knowledge • Mathematics and Science Continua • Maths and Science ICT Showcase • Assessment tools • Mathematics Online Interview • Scaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years • Science Education Assessment Resources (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations)

19. VELS Science standards Science Knowledge & Understanding Science at Work Science concept development maps Matter Living things Forces & motion Earth & space Focus Ideas Student everyday experiences vs scientific view Critical teaching ideas Teaching activities Links to further resources Science Continuum P-10

20. Science Showcase • Living Things • Day and Night • Ecosystem • Friction is a Force • Circulatory System • The Particle Theory • Wonders of the Universe

21. Mathematics Online Interview www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/maths/assessment.htm

22. Knowledge of the discipline Pedagogical content knowledge EFFECTIVE TEACHING Generalised pedagogical knowledge

23. Coaching – a collaborative process • Collection of student data • Analysis of student data • Effective use of student data to plan for learning • Delivery of high quality learning experiences • Reflection on learning

24. Supporting teachers in curriculum planning and delivery • Templates for planning (online) • Students working in an online environment • Monitoring student learning • Support readiness for the Ultranet leading to high quality use • Champion the Ultranet

25. How will you know that you are successful in your role as a coach? What will it look, sound and feel like for you, for the teachers, for the students?