Coaching Retrospective: What impact have we had in five years? A little over five years ago, I sat across the table from seven or eight of our school’s senior leadership team to be interviewed for a newly-created position: Teaching and Learning Coach. “Tell us about a time you helped others be reflective.” “What do you think about when you are planning instruction?” The questions weren’t hard to answer, but I had no idea what they thought of my responses. At the time, I really didn’t have a clear concept of what the role of Teaching & Learning Coach would entail or whether I would be a good fit. I went home thinking I had quite possibly embarrassed myself in front of the whole LLT. I guess I did okay in the interview though, because eventually I was offered the role, and became part of a cross-school team. The team has ebbed and flowed a bit over these five years, but one thing has been very consistent: the group of people I’ve been privileged to work with has been amazing. Th
One way I am trying to personalise learning in my classroom this year is through student-driven goal work. While not always easy to do, giving over control to my students has paid off big time. No matter if they are critiquing their own calculations and mathematical arguments or finding flow and fluency in problem solving students are developing game changing habits that will serve them inside and outside the classroom. Some students are working on remedial skills that they haven’t quite mastered yet or further understanding math vocabulary as an English language learner. One student just set a new goal in an area of strength. She found herself thriving in our last unit and doesn’t want to lose this newfound knowledge and understanding. How cool is that?! How often do students get to be in charge of their own learning? Not enough, in my opinion, and I am trying to change that! Much of school just happens to our kids. I firmly believe that the one doing the thinking (talking, tinkering, writing, etc.) is the one doing the learning and students just need the structures and framework to take control of their own learning. My role is to coach them along the way. When students have agency over their learning and are goal oriented the learning is timely, applicable, and authentically transferable.
Goal Setting & Planning
When students independently identify an area of focus, they can quickly get specific and name a
core academic skill, strategy, or disposition they want to get better at. While goal setting can be challenging for some students I found that a bit of coaching allows students to own what they come up with and dedicate themselves to it. Beginning with the end in mind, demonstrating learning in a creative way, students are able to set achievable and realistic goals. Students want to be able to prove that they have accomplished important things and contributed to the inclusive classroom culture. Students begin with this goal sheet. Its design allows students to make a plan on how they will learn, practice, and demonstrate their learning. Students are asked to plan everything, from what and how they will learn and practice to when and how they will show their learning when the goal has been achieved.
Progress Tracking
Students should be metacognitive as they venture through the goal cycle. This is where tracking comes in. This Jamboard or a printed tracker glued in the students goal folder assists them in the process. It also gives me a birds eye view into where my students currently are and where they are going. Keeping a pulse on how I can coach them, provide resources and/or do some individual teaching with them. Here are a plethora of pacers and trackers from the Modern Classroom project that may get some ideas flowing for you like they did for me.
Goal Demonstration
Prove It! A game changer this year has been my implementation of students sharing their
learning through a one minute talk, whiteboard video, or annotated anchor chart. Allowing students to choose how they will share their learning is not only motivating but also engaging. So engaging that just yesterday a student asked if he could share his learning by hosting a game show! Of course my answer was yes, and it was so fun and informative. His peers loved it and will probably be motivated to create even more fun ways to share their learning the next time they are the sage on the stage. Students know ahead of time what they will receive feedback on this single point rubric. I was turned onto single point rubrics after reading to the Cult of Pedagogy’s blog post, Meet the Single Point Rubric. This rubric has been an important addition to this agentic framework. Jennifer talks about three benefits of single point rubrics: “1. Teachers find them easier and faster to create. 2. Students find them easier to read when preparing an assignment. 3. They allow for higher-quality feedback.” I would add that this type of rubric further puts students in the driver’s seat as students understand the expectations crystal clearly. Before each demonstration of learning we review the criteria allowing students to understand their goals of the presentation too.
I used to think that personalised goals were hard to manage for both the students and teachers. Now I know that with systems in place, students can not only manage their own learning, but they can own every step of the process making the learning even deeper, more meaningful, and transferable. Check out some other great examples and frameworks for goal work on our coaching site too. Do your students have goals? What frameworks are you using to support student agency? Comment below and let's get the conversation rolling!
Sybil :)
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