Aspects of Coaching

            Growing up, I always played sports.  We were a “sports family”, so naturally I was raised loving games and competition.  While deciding on a career path, I always made sure there was a way I would be able to coach as well.  In my first few years teaching, that is exactly what I did.  I was able to continue feeding my love for sports through coaching.  The best part, though, was the relationships I formed with my players.  Fourteen years later, I still miss them--after all, they were my first “kids”!  

            Throughout this semester we have been reading and learning about the instructional coaching process, and I have related the process to the sports world of coaching several times.  While the overall process seems to be related, there are some differences.  For one, while I was coaching sports, I was the authority figure on the field.  In the classroom, the coach is most often a peer.  The coaching relationship I am currently involved in is a teacher-initiated coaching system.  Marzano and Simms (2013) describe this type of relationship as a teacher who arranges to be coached by another teacher or administrator.  Personally, I feel this is often the best type of coaching relationship because, as Marzano and Simms (2013) state, the teacher is open to suggestions and changes—looking for them, even.     

          I am working with a teacher who wants to incorporate strategies in her classroom to increase her students’ performance and engagement, as well as, strengthen her instructional tool-belt.  This teacher and I have been friends and colleagues for the past six years.  I am familiar with her history, her role in the school, and her areas of strength.  She and I are easily able to have coach-teacher conversations as described in the text.  Up to this point, we have had “reflecting conversations” to identify behaviors and beliefs during instruction, and “facilitating conversations” to clarify her goals (Marzano & Simms, 2013).  As the teacher and I continue to work together, I do not foresee the need in having “coaching conversations” or “directing conversations” with the teacher.  She is willing to make changes as needed.  I would be willing to say her readiness for change is “high skill and high will”.  In other words, she has both the ability and motivation to learn and to change (Marzano & Simms, 2013). 

          The teacher’s willingness to learn encourages me to follow through with my part of the coaching relationship.  Marzano and Simms (2013) list three strategies as the main aspects of coaching behaviors.  These strategies are modeling, feedback, and trust.  During my initial observation, I was looking evidence of “chunking” and “movement”.  The teacher uses the same strategies I use, so rather than modeling a lesson, I chose a few problems to show differentiation in mathematical operations.  She and I meet regularly for me to provide “informal feedback” (Marzano & Simms, 2013, p. 218).  And as previously stated the teacher and I have a relationship outside of school, so trust is not an issue.  We spend time together professionally and socially, so our opinions, strategies, and suggestions are important to each other. 

          This instructional coaching relationship is different than my sports coaching relationships.  It is a parallel coaching rather than an authoritative coaching.  The relationships formed during each coaching situation are the key to success whether it take place on the field or in the classroom. In both situations, trust and a willingness to learn and change are imperative to the coaching process.

           

References

          Marzano, R. J. and Simms, J. A. (2013).  Coaching classroom instruction.  Indiana: Marzano Research Labratory.