Running

head: Coaching Journal

Coaching Journal

Iliana Lourie

Kennesaw State University

ITEC 7460

Jordan P. Cameron

July 3, 2016

Running head: Coaching Journal

Coaching Journal

1st Session:
Strategies:
In order to begin the process of coaching, it was important to use appropriate
strategies to enroll the teachers that would have need for coaching in technology
integration. Although I had asked a colleague with whom I already have a
relationship, it was still necessary to gather specific information about the teacher and
her situation. I chose to do this by sending a survey and discussing this survey further
in a one-to-one interview, as suggested by J. Knight (2007). Through this strategy and
by taking notes, I was able to target the specific needs of the collaborating teacher,
who stated that she struggled implementing technology in innovating ways
(personal communication, July 1, 2016).
This interview also provided important information about the teachers
perceptions on the support available to her from current instructional coach as well as
her technology integration practices in the classroom. She realizes she has some
limitations implementing technology in innovative ways, but she doesnt quite
understand how this could be applicable to her classroom. At this point we have
identified a need where there may be room for improvement. I assessed which Big
Four described by J. Knight (2007) to focus on that would benefit my colleague the
most. We decided that Behavior, Content, and Formative Assessment were not weak
areas in her classroom practice and concluded she would find it useful if we had an
Instructional approach.
Skill and Affective Changes:
At this stage, even though my colleague realizes her limitations in
implementing technology, she has been discouraged by the lack of support and is
hesitant to try something new without it. Also, there is a concern about a lack of time
and relevance to whatever support she will get. At this point, I think my colleague is
being compliant only due to the relationship we already have, but there is no real
interest in more technology implementation.
Reflection on Challenges and Solution:
As I learn about my colleagues classroom practices, I realize she knows shes
not innovative, but she seems to be content with the amount of technology used in
her class. She also has not seen how it is applicable to her, so shes hesitant to engage
fully. I think a key element to engage this teacher and have conversations that will
give a clear picture about her specific needs.

2nd Session:
Strategies:
In this meeting, I prepared by adapting a Teacher Meeting log provided by the
Instructional Coaching Group (www.instructionalcoaching.com) that would guide the
conversation. I adapted this log by including vocabulary from the SAMR matrix,
which is a framework that will be utilized in our school to develop norms and
expectation of technology use in the classroom. Using this would help me focus on
Instruction, which had been identified as one of the biggest needs in my colleagues
practice for technology integration. Using this form, I continued to strategize by
asking questions that focused on student learning outcomes. This was particularly

Running head: Coaching Journal

important for my collaborating teacher because she had previously expressed that she
is always given technology tools and strategies that dont apply to (her) content or
dont have time for (personal communication, July 1, 2001). During this meeting I
focused on the idea offered by J. Knight (2007, p. 102) that even an excellent teacher
can improve. Using the SAMR matrix was paramount in achieving this as it
provided a framework that would help us set goals for improvement to move towards
specific stages (substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition) with specific
areas of focus (information acquisition, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and
goal directed).
This meeting was a pivotal meeting to set the tone for the rest of the
collaboration, so I made sure I utilized Knights strategy to clarify the goal of using
the SAMR matrix. As we tried to identify a specific unit or lesson that we would work
on, we needed to go back to the matrix to see which area we would focus on and how
we would be moving across the matrix. Throughout this whole time, I tried to mostly
listen and let my colleague guide where she wanted to move. I looked for signals of
hesitation or skepticism and made sure we moved in a direction that would make her
feel more comfortable. When we finally identified the specific content area she
wanted help with, we identified the area of focus and current SAMR stage and the
specific issues she has with the lesson. I made sure I synthesized what would be
needed to accomplish the goals. As suggested by Knight (2007), I made checklists of
the various approaches she uses in the classroom to teach the specific content
(Geometry proofs through flowchart, 2 column, and paragraph), and the specific
needs my colleague has for this lesson (extra guided practice and student-paced tools).
Skill and Affective Changes:
During this meeting I had to be very careful to observe signals from my
colleague to make sure I wasn't threatening the autonomy of her classroom. At the
beginning of the meeting, we discussed the SAMR matrix and she seemed to have a
good understanding of the elements in it. However, as we continued to discuss which
lesson/unit needed to be refined or improved, it became evident to me that my
colleague perceived the SAMR model only as a theoretical rather than a practical tool.
When we had identified a potential unit to work on she stated, I dont want to add
more screen time in that class (personal communication, July 5th, 2016). This
revealed to me that she didnt have a clear picture of how a specific activity, which
already uses technology, can change to improved stages of technology. She perceived
the use of technology devices as sufficient technology integration and didnt see a
need to evaluate the way that screen time is currently used. At the end of the meeting,
we identified a unit where technology was not implemented and we discussed
potential ways to integrate technology.
Reflection on Challenges and Solution:
The biggest challenge Im experiencing with my colleague is her skepticism
and hesitation to implementing more technology. It is crucial, first of all, not to take
the challenge as a personal rejection. Secondly, now that she has opened a door into
her classroom to let me collaborate with her to implement technology, I must work
hard to make it relevant for her. I plan on looking for resources that will meet her
specific needs and examples of how these tools can be implemented in the classroom.
I will organize these tools in a way that the work she needs to do to implement it
would be minimal.

Running head: Coaching Journal

3rd Session:
Strategies:
After the last meeting with my colleague, it was clear to me that I needed to
find tools that would enhance a lesson she already needed to work on. I found
resources I would implement in my classroom as a former Math teacher to engage
differently. As suggested by Knight (2007), I organized the tools to break it down for
her in a way that implementation would be clear and relevant. Also, another tactic
described by Knight (2007) that was helpful as I shared the strategies and tools was
seeing the implementation through the teachers eyes. As I walked her through the
resources and explained how I would envision it in my classroom, I continued to ask
her if that would be something that would work in her classroom.
Our conversation led to discussion of other similar resources that I already use
in my classroom, which although not a Math class, she would be able to use.
Although she wouldnt be able to implement it right away and she couldnt observe
me during the summer, I was able to show her some specific examples in my
classroom. This was a type of modeling that allowed her to ask questions about the
specific tool and methodology. She was particularly interested in guided practice, so I
showed her how tools like EdPuzzle can allow her to customize these practices. This
was in addition to the other resources I had found for her that provide students with
immediate feedback.
Skill and Affective Changes:
The planning and organization of the specific tools really paid off. When my
colleague saw tools that were specific to content and that she could actually use, she
became more engaged in the conversation. She discussed more specific needs and
concerns that allowed me to have a better idea of her needs and brainstorm with her.
Bringing tools and methods that were relevant to her content that she didnt have to
work for was a key element to pike her interest. She was then able to ask me
questions and even created her own EdPuzzle account on the spot.
Reflection on Challenges and Solution:
This meeting was very encouraging; all the work I did prior to the meeting
was very productive. I was able to observe my colleague have a change in
disposition. It was good to see her going from merely being polite to being genuinely
interested in what I had to say. After the previous meeting I was discouraged and
didnt know how to press on with coaching. I decided to thoroughly research and find
tools that I thought would be relevant to her in her specific needs. This was bit
difficult because my colleague hadnt given me as many details as I needed to help
me find appropriate tools. I was fortunate to know one of her old students, which
allowed me to test the resources with her and determine their relevance in the class
she had taken with my colleague. I think preparation for the meeting was a key
element for this success.
Even though I was coming in a bit intimidated with my colleagues lack of
interest in the previous meeting, being prepared helped me feel a bit more confident.
During this meeting, I had to be very careful to keep my emotions in check and make
sure I was watching any signals from her body language and words. The moment I
sensed an interest, I capitalized on that and showed her actual examples of how tools
can be used. I had to be careful not to overwhelm her at this point because she tends
to like to discover on her own. I made myself available to help if she had any
questions, but didnt want to push it further. Since we are a time where she cant

Running head: Coaching Journal

really implement yet, Im concerned that she will forget and will implement what she
learned when she teachers this concept. This is where I need to work on being
persistent without being overbearing. We will discuss the tools and coaching session
in a later meeting.

4th Session:
Strategies:
According to Knight (2007, p. 88), if an IC overlooks the maintenance
aspects of supporting a teacher, there is a good chance that the teacher will eventually
put her teachers manual back on the shelf and forget what she learned with the
coach. Considering that my colleague cannot implement the tools at this time, I
decided to meet with her one more time to further discuss the tools and methods as
well as the ways I can help later to implement them. Prior to the meeting, I had sent
her a debriefing form to fill out to use as a starting point for our discussion. This is an
initial step towards the management stage necessary for change. When we met we
discussed one more time whether the tools offered would be something that would
help her in the classroom. We also worked on identifying the SAMR stage that the
lesson would move from and to if these tools would be implemented. She also
described which learning activities would contribute to this change. Finally, we
discussed her willingness or desire to collaborate further and the specific help she
would like. She stated that she would be likely to collaborate again and stated that her
greatest need would be online resources that target specific content.
Skill and Affective Changes:
It was only a couple of days after my last meeting, but I see that my colleague
still intends to implement the resources and strategies we have discussed. Even more
important is her willingness to continue with conversations in the future. Although
she didnt give me certainty that we would, I can see that she sees the benefit in
collaborating when it comes in technology integration. Specificity was a key element,
so I think this would be something that would increase her interest in collaboration.
Reflection on Challenges and Solution:
One of the challenges I see in the upcoming year deals with the maintenance
piece for appropriate change. I know the workload teachers have and if my help with
coaching is perceived as one more thing to do, it is likely that teachers will not
pursue me for collaboration. For this reason, I must be pro-active and strategic in
approaching my peers. It is important for them to know that I understand them as
teachers and can see the process through their eyes. I must be willing to work towards
meeting teachers specific needs in order to make it relevant to them and worth their
time. Ive also realized that it is possible that I work towards meeting teachers need,
but they might not envision it exactly like I do or might think its not applicable. I
must be willing to start over with them and not take it personally. The work of an
instructional coach, although with incredible challenges, can bring necessary changes
and be very rewarding.

Running head: Coaching Journal

References:
Knight, Jim. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving
instruction. Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks.