Creating System-Wide Support for Learning Coaches with Joellen Killion

1. Creating System-Wide SupportforLearning Coacheswith JoellenKillion Developed by ARPDC as a result of a grant from Alberta Education to support implementation

2. Building and Maintaining a Productive Teacher-Coach Relationships March 13, 2012 Joellen Killion Senior Advisor Learning Forward 10931 W 71st Place Arvada, CO 80004-1337 Joellen.Killion@learningforward.org

3. Outcomes Examine the characteristics of a productive teacher-coach relationship Acquire strategies coaches use to build and maintain a productive teacher-coach relationship

4. What terms would you use to describe productive relationships between teachers and coaches?

5. What benefitsemerge when teacher-coach relationships are productive?

6. What are the side effects when the teacher-coach relationships are unproductive?

7. Productive Relationships • Based on principles of partnership • Built on partnership agreements

8. Partnership Principles The theory behind this approach Knight, J., Instructional Coaching

9. Principles shape our thoughts, words, and actions. Principles are underlying assumptions required in a system of thought and are often spoken of as laws for moral or ethicaldecision making. Hirsh & Killion www.learningforward.org

10. Principles The principles you live by createthe world you live in; if you change the principlesyou live by, you will change your world. Blaine Lee, The Power Principle

11. Partnership Principles • Equality • Praxis • Dialogue • Choice • Voice • Reflection • Reciprocity

12. Equality Partnership carries the intention to balance power between ourselves and those around us. --Peter Block

13. Equality What messagesdo coaches send teachers when they practice the principle of equality?

14. Praxis Apart from inquiry, apart from praxis, people cannot be truly human. Knowledge emerges ... throughinvention and reinvention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry people pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other. --Paulo Friere

15. Praxis • Creative inquiry • Continuous learning and exploration • Action research

16. Dialogue A dialogue or conversation among individuals ... based on mutual respect, equality, a willingness to listen and to risk one’s prejudices and opinions. --Richard J. Bernstein

17. Dialogue • Engaging in respectful, energizing conversation • Exchanging points of view versus being right • Suspending judgments • Listening authentically

18. Choice Offering people . . . more choice and control over what they do gives them the means to find purpose at work. Roland Barth

19. Choice What kinds of choices do coaches offer teachers?

20. There is a deep, innate, almost inexpressible yearning within each of us to find our voice in life. Stephen Covey (2004) The 8th Habit

21. Create conversation that values divergent points of view • Foster the generation of knowledgemore than the acceptance of knowledge • Make space for what really mattersin teachers’ lives • Listen authentically

22. Reflection Instead, she or he must think about what is taking place, what the options are and so on, in a critical, analytical way. In other words the teacher mustengage in reflection ... —John W. Brubacher, Charles W. Case, and Timothy G. Reagan The teacher cannot rely on either instinct alone or on prepackaged sets of techniques.

23. Reflection • On action • In action • For action

24. Reciprocity Tsze-Kung asked, "Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life?" The Master said, "Is not Reciprocitysuch a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” Confucius

25. Reciprocity A teacher learns from a coach as much as the coach learns from a teacher. . . . when each is open to learn.

26. Partnership Principles Discussion10 minutes • Move into assigned Collaboration Rooms. • Discuss with your colleagues how the partnership principles contributeto building and maintaining productive teacher-coach relationships. • Describe an example of one of the principles in action from your own work.

27. Partnership Agreements • What are partnership agreements? • Why are they important to coaches? • With whom do coaches form partnership agreements?

28. Partnership Agreements What do coaches form partnership agreements about? How do coaches form partnership agreements? What follow-up is necessary after forming partnership agreements?

29. What are partnership agreements? • Mutual agreement between the coach and his/her client(s) that defines their working relationship • Include parameters, scope, expectations, responsibilities, roles, etc. • Can be renegotiatedat any time when requested • May be written and signed

30. Why are they important to coaches? • Clarify roles and expectations • Avoid confusion or surprises • Establish parameters for safety and trust • Builds respect • Others:

31. Coaches’ Clients • Principals • Individual teachers • In-classroom work • Out-of-classroom work • Teams of teachers • Resource staff • Others?

32. What do coaches form partnership agreements about? PRINCIPALS • Roles and responsibilities • Clients--which teachers/grades/departments/teams • Boundaries of work • Support and resources needed for success • Timelines • Ways to assess effectiveness • Guidelines • Expectations • Confidentiality • Communication • Procedures

33. What do coaches form partnership agreements about? TEACHERS • Time • Place • Location • Services requested • Resources • Responsibilities • Expectations • Data • Confidentiality • Follow-up

34. How do coaches form partnership agreements? • In conversations guided by questionsto ask clients • By presenting a list of topics to clarify and discussing each • By offering suggested agreements and checking clients’ understanding of and agreement with each

35. What follow-up is necessary after forming partnership agreement? • Revisit periodically to check if they are working • Ask for feedbackon the agreements • Ask is any are unduly difficult or not workingand require renegotiation • Revisit those that require reminders

36. Partnership Agreements Discussion10 minutes • Move into assigned Collaboration Rooms. • Identify a situation in which you wish you had formed a partnership agreement and did not? • What were the effects? • What agreementwould you request nowas a result?

37. Which tool represents a strategy you will use that we discussed today? • Explain the link.

38. Thank you! Next Sessions • April 10 - 2 pm • May 8 - 2 pm Please join us!