When we hear the word "coaching", most of us think of
sports. Let's face it. Here in the South we put a great deal of faith in
our coaches! Coaches are considered experts in their game. They
combine their knowledge and experience to teach their players strategies and
methodologies to be the best. The basic idea of coaching is the same for
instructional coaches—“helping someone move from where he or she is to where he
or she needs or wants to be” (Marzano & Simms, 2013, pg. 4).
I was introduced to instructional coaching about 9 years ago when I first
entered the elementary classroom. Prior to teaching at the elementary
level, I had been teaching middle grades algebra. The elementary school
had a reading coach as part of the Alabama Reading Initiative. Little did
I know, the instructional coach was about to become my best friend. I had
never taught reading using a whole group/small group model--I had only been
teaching math. I needed help, and I needed it immediately!
I had completed the ARI training, and I knew what curriculum and
material needed to be taught, but I was not familiar with reading instructional
strategies. I needed to be able to transfer that knowledge to actual
classroom implementation, and I was willing to learn how to do so. Marzano and
Simms (2013) discuss these factors as being crucial to the coaching process.
Teachers must be willing to grow and change, and coaches must be able to
guide teachers in the process of transferring information into practice.
The coaching/teaching relationship should be seen as a partnership
(Marzano & Simms, 2013, pg. 6). The reading coach helped me design
lessons using teaching strategies that were new to me. We had an open
relationship where I felt comfortable talking to her about my teaching
practice--what was and was not working. She provided feedback to help me
determine the effectiveness of my instructional practices.
Today, the reading coach is known as an instructional
coach. She continues to provide us with additional strategies and support
for our struggling students in areas other than reading. If approached
correctly, the coaching/teaching relationship can be very beneficial to all instructional
stakeholders. Just think how well our students, and our schools, could
perform if our teachers and instructional coaches received as much support as
we provide our sports coaches!
What Is Coaching?
References
Marzano, R. J. and Simms, J. A. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Indiana: Marzano Research Labratory.
