Coaching with Coaches

Technology Integration Coach, Karla Koenen, co-teaches with Kim Sheehan, utilizing a SMARTBOARD at Wilkins Elementary.  Mentor Coach, Carol Kesl, observes Kim as a new teacher.

Last year the Linn-Mar district spent eight days in Cognitive Coaching^SM training with Chrysann McBride from Thinking Collaborative. This training provided our full time coaches, and principals with tools, language, and questioning to help them work with teachers, students, and staff.  The intent of cognitive coaching training is to produce self-directed persons with the cognitive capacity both independently and as members of a community.  Research indicates that teaching is a complex intellectual activity and that teachers who think at higher levels produce students who are higher achieving, more cooperative, and better problem solvers.

These eight days impacted our district so much that our two program coordinators took Advanced Cognitive Coaching^SM training during the summer of 2015 in Minnesota.  Erin Watts and Debra Barry are the TLC Program Coordinators.  They are both in the process of becoming agency trainers, to help them train the Linn-Mar District.  Chrysann McBride from Thinking Collaborative is helping train them over the course of the 2015-20017 school years.   

Last year was spent on get all positions up in the air and running, as well as training for teacher leaders.  At the end of the year survey data revealed some coaching happening, but the coordinators knew they wanted more.  The focus of year two is to keep building capacity, increase use of district-wide model teachers, and provide teachers with support and tools to impact teaching and learning for them and students. 

Erin and Debra have been observing coaches in their craft, and having reflective conversations with instructional coaches, mentor coaches, and technology integration coaches.  The learning has been beneficial to both the coaches, and Erin and Debra.  The conversations are an opportunity to practice paraphrasing, mediative questions, and work through coaching maps.  As we embed these skills into our daily practice, we are helping each other to produce new thinking and become self-managing, self-monitoring, and self-modifying individuals.  We truly all hold the capacity within to problem solve.  We sometimes get stuck and just need the right question to get our brains thinking from a different perspective.  Each month Erin and Debra will observe and coach with the full time release coaches.  They have currently divided the list of coaches in half to observe and coach and will switch groups at the semester. 

Debra has just completed co-training Days 1-4 of Cognitive Coaching^{SM with} Chrysann McBride.  Twenty-six Linn-Mar teachers, coaches, and administrators participated in the training.  It was exciting for Debra, Erin, and Chrysann to see a second group go through the training.  It will be even greater to see the impact on the teachers, classrooms, and schools, as more and more staff participate in trainings.

Tina Oberbroeckling and Marta Pumroy coaching during Days 1 and 2 of CC.

Four more days of training are planned for spring, so Erin can begin her co-training.  And Days 5-8 of Cognitive Coaching^SM training will be set for next year.  The coordinators are excited to see the impact coaching will have on Linn-Mar's program year two.

If your school would like to participate in Cognitive Coaching^SM 

at Linn-Mar Register here