Reflection from the Connected Coaching Course

In the final week of the Connected Coaching course I've been taking, we were asked to reflect transparently upon our growth:

As I filled out the Week 11 Self Assessment as my first step in the self reflection process (my assessment of myself is here), I found myself going from mostly 2s (indicating I could do this in a planned or basic way) to 3s (purposeful) to 4s (consistent and intentional) as the criteria moved from specific Connected Coaching skills to more general skills of listening and lifelong learning.  I think this is a good reflection of my growth over the last 12 weeks-- I've started integrating more of the Connected Coaching ideas while strengthening my existing skills from before the class which were more generally in the same vein as Connected Coaching.

In my Learning Pledge, I stated:

I plan to accomplish these objectives (These were the A to D ones) by completing readings and explorations offered by the course, by participating fully in online discussions and meetings, by reading and reflecting on related material outside the course, and by using what I have learned in my many roles as an educator and reflecting upon my experiences.

Although some of these goals can be completed within the 12 week course, others will continue beyond the course’s end date.  

I will reflect upon my progress during the week 8 and 11 reflections and also on my blog at http://educationandinnovation.blogspot.com/.  My reflections should indicate that I am making specific changes to my practice as an educator that align with A through D (listed above) and demonstrate what effect those changes have had.  I should also be able to describe and explain specific strategies in my own words and be able to explain them to others.  Finally, my reflections should indicate that I am making connections between what I already know and can do and new or different ideas presented in the course.

I feel like I've done well in regards to the first paragraph,  I have had particular weeks or discussions I didn't "completely" engage in, but overall, I have participated and also started to apply the material outside of class.

My written reflections haven't been as frequent as I intended, but I have spent time with local colleagues discussing and reflecting on the material in this class.  If only I had carried a video camera to capture those discussions!  I've begun to apply the strategies in the online course I started teaching Monday by paraphrasing and asking questions that hope to evoke stories from the students as they post introductions.  The true test of what I've learned in this course I think will be in teaching this online class.

This is my first class on coaching in any form, and although I may never be certified as a "PLP Connected Coach," I've learned a lot over the summer and found it worthwhile as a person who hopes to continuously improve in my practice as an educator and as a life long learner.

Protocols in Connected Coaching

Last week's Connected Coaching course focused on Protocols for Connected Coach.  "Protocols" is a fancy word for individual or small group exercises meant to elicit a particular way of thinking.  The main protocols we explored are here.

The interesting thing about this week was that reading over the protocols in print wasn't very exciting.  Many of them seemed difficult or unworkable.  However, the webinar for this week was devoted to practicing the protocols in a condensed format-- and in this "live" version, they seemed much more usable and useful.

Working in online spaces, a protocol almost has to be planned for a group in order to prepare the correct online supports.  In online spaces, there is more space and breathing room to thoughtfully select a protocol.   In contrast, for those coaching in "live" spaces, I think their best use for a coach would be be as a piece of the coaching toolbox, something you can pull out when the conversation gets stuck and complete on the spot.

Paraphrasing, Questioning, and Listening

This week in my Connected Coaching course, we are taking about the skills of paraphrasing, questioning, and listening.  I've had a few good insights from the material this week.

First, when paraphrasing someone before responding to them in an online environment, you can use the paraphrase to make up for the lack of facial expressions by including what you think the person might have been feeling.  For instance, "You sound so happy that...." when a specific emotional response was only implied and you want to make sure you've got it right.  Our resources suggest that if you get it wrong, the speaker will usually correct you.

We were given this graphic about questioning:

And in the online class, we learned about "positive presuppositions"-- the idea that the way we phrase our questions can open or close the conversation.  Instead of "Why are some of your students falling behind?"  you ask "How do you support students who are falling behind?"  Presupposing that a positive change is already occurring.

We also took this quiz on listening and I scored in the average range.  To tell the truth, I was surprised because I think that I'm a better listener than that.  I tried to answer honestly about all listening situations in general and not just those in my professional life.  Perhaps if I scored myself only on professional situations I would score higher.  My 10 year old daughter would agree with my overall score-- she often complains that I'm not really listening to her and I've been trying to do better with her.

The most interesting thing we learned about this week was the Ladder of Inference (good video about it here and a blog post here).  I was really struck by this model because it's something I feel I was already aware of in my own thinking without having a formal model.  When I am sitting with my own problems or with someone who is struggling, the rungs of this ladder are the things I question in myself and others.  Did I miss some information somewhere?  Did I add meaning where none was intended or where another meaning was intended?  Am I making assumptions based on the wrong meaning?    Are there other conclusions I could draw?  I'm always questioning in this way.  And hey, there's a name for it!

I'm still a bit concerned that the overall Connected Coaching model is not for me.  Connected Coaching as defined in this class is all about the positive, and I think there is occasional value in tackling a problem as a problem and not an "opportunity".  Of course, I've never been a person who embraces any model whole, I'm very much a "take what works, and leave the rest" kind of person.  This week was filled with "what works" moments for me.

Connected Coaching

Last week I began an eleven week Connected Coaching course through Powerful Learning Practice.  Our first week was a "getting to know you" beginning but now we are starting to get into the nitty-gritty of the topic.  It's a very diverse group, from several countries and with many, many different roles in education.

I wanted to take the course because I consult and I also will be teaching an online course this fall.  I felt I should learn more about interacting in an online environment.  I'm already pretty sure I'm too much of a "take charge" type to excel in this model, so I have to start out by accepting that my style will need adjusting to do it well.

We were asked to create a Learning Pledge for the course.  Here is mine:

Learning Pledge

As a participant in the Connected Coaching eCourse, I will be preparing for certification by developing skills in:

A. Strength based facilitation

Connected coaches demonstrate an understanding of, and implement a strength based approach as they interact with those they coach. Connected coaches:

1. Engage educators by requesting stories about their strengths
2. Use paraphrasing and powerful questions to assist educators in realizing previously unrecognized potential.
3. Persevere in exploring ideas and concepts, rethinking, revising, and continual repacking and unpacking as they build upon and assist in uncovering strengths of those they coach.
4. Engage in discussions on difficult or messy topics from an appreciative inquiry perspective to increase confidence and self efficacy.

B. Online learning environments

Connected coaches are educators with significant experience around learning in online spaces. They understand and leverage the uniqueness of online environments to facilitate the coaching process and adapt protocols and activities to best suit their needs and given situations. Connected coaches:

1. Develop an online voice.
2. Recognize and embrace the building of relationships and trust through co creation of content, and avenues other than text—video, audio, images.
3. Remix recognized face to face protocols and activities to use for coaching in online spaces.
4. Explore new forms of collaboration—Voicethread, Mindmeister, Primary pad, Today’s Meet for example.
5. Exploit the affordances of technology – Elluminate, Skype—for synchronous communication.

C. Connected professional knowledge

Connected coaches are accomplished educators who understand, are immersed, and model connected learning.  They demonstrate expertise, skills, and dispositions around TPACK, PBL, action research, adult learning and leadership in particular as they facilitate teams of educators in deepening understanding of / developing units and/or research around their passions. Connected coaches:

1. Use activities to create a connection to the content and context, to oneself, and to those who are part of the learning community at school and online.
2. Engage in, demonstrate, and advocate for educators to become connected and self directed.
3. Update professional expertise in and support educators in developing problem based learning units.
4. Share expertise with and scaffold experiences for educators in developing action research.
5. Understand and assist educators in the development of TPACK.

D. Professional expertise

Connected coaches reflect individually and collectively upon a strength based practice and work together to continually refine and more fully develop their coaching expertise. Connected coaches:

1. Reflect transparently upon their practice in a CoP or a professional blog.
2. Conduct action research around wonderings to improve coaching practice.
3. Review and analyze with an open mind and without judgment all and many perspectives on coaching.
4. Experiment with and reflect upon new strategies.

I plan to accomplish these objectives by completing readings and explorations offered by the course, by participating fully in online discussions and meetings, by reading and reflecting on related material outside the course, and by using what I have learned in my many roles as an educator and reflecting upon my experiences.

Although some of these goals can be completed within the 12 week course, others will continue beyond the course’s end date.  

I will reflect upon my progress during the week 8 and 11 reflections and also on my blog at http://educationandinnovation.blogspot.com/.  My reflections should indicate that I am making specific changes to my practice as an educator that align with A through D (listed above) and demonstrate what effect those changes have had.  I should also be able to describe and explain specific strategies in my own words and be able to explain them to others.  Finally, my reflections should indicate that I am making connections between what I already know and can do and new or different ideas presented in the course.

Making Curriculum a Game or How to Individualize Learning

Recently, I was talking to a teacher I was working with about how to "gamify" her classroom.  She is in a district where they are implementing outcomes and targets aligned to the Common Core.  She's worried that some students were bored while others were struggling and that she wasn't letting students develop at their own pace.

I gave her the following resources to think about:

The teacher in this article used game-like elements to personalize the way she taught her class. This article is about a math class, but I think the same concepts could be applied to other areas:
http://www.goventureoasis.com/resources/pdf/5111201034254.pdf

This is a TEDx talk that doesn't use the word "gamify" but does speak to some of the same elements:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/04/tedx-bozeman-classroom-game-design.html#.UXhvkGOnbD0

Finally, this post also has a lot of the ideas about individualized and self-paced learning but in context of why the flipped classroom didn't work:
http://plpnetwork.com/2012/10/08/flip-love-affair/

All three of these resources develop the concept of student choice within a set curriculum.  

Today I am speaking at the California League of Schools conference in Monterey, CA.  My topic is about creating powerful discussion questions.  If you would like to see my slides you can find them here and you can find a slightly more detailed handout here.

I'd love to hear what you think!

A Typical Day in my Dream School

I've been working on a team project for the Venture Lab Designing a New Learning Environment class I'm taking and I wrote this description of a typical day in a 2-3 combination class in the Constructivist, Experiential, and Purposeful School we've been designing.  I wish my own kids went to this school!

Example day for a 2-3 classroom:  Ms. Smith arrives an hour before her students on Tuesday morning.  She spends about a half hour setting up a simulation for the focus period and then meets with one of her students and his parent for another half hour.  They look at the student’s portfolio and Ms. Smith suggests some short novels for at home reading that match the student’s reading level and interests.  

The students arrive and the students discuss what to do when more than two students want to use the two glue guns the class has (resolving a problem from the day before) and then Ms. S reads aloud a chapter from a fictional novel about ancient Rome.  

Students all go to their literature journals and write a summary of the read aloud and a prediction.  About two-thirds of the students go get a Chromebook to work on either Compass Learning, Reading Eggs, or Read Naturally, while the rest rotate into working with Ms. S in small groups on Words Their Way activities targeted to meet needs.  During recess, Ms. S checks the online dashboard to see how students progressed and makes plans for the next day based on that information.

When students return, Ms. S introduces a problem scenario that involves figuring out how to best use pieces of wood for a building project using perimeter and area.  Some student grab graph paper, others get an iPad, some form groups and others work alone.  Ms. S moves around the class and offers encouragement and asks questions.  As students find solutions, they post them to the display board at the front of the room and move to the Chromebooks to log into their Dreambox account.  On the way to lunch, they go slowly past the solutions and read them.  Ms. S spends ten minutes looking at the Dreambox dashboard and joins her class for lunch.

After lunch, three “homeschool blend” students join the group for the rest of the day and Ms. S reviews the previous day’s instruction on ancient Rome and the whole class participates in a mock forum using the simulation Ms. S set up that morning.  The simulation includes both a reading and writing component.  Students head out to recess and Ms. S takes a look at her notes regarding students’ focus projects and does some prep for the next day.

When students return, they move into their focus projects.  Two parent volunteers arrive to help.  Five students go get a Chromebook to work on writing projects.  Another group goes to the project area to continue working on a model of ancient Rome (and hopefully share the glue guns better). A group of girls goes to one corner to practice a song and dance routine they’ve been developing with one of the parent volunteers who has dance experience.  A few students go to the library corner and browse books and “surf the web” on iPads looking for their next project.  One student gets out an acrylic painting he’s been working on and another is sketching ideas for a new skate park.  One student decides to make an Educreations presentation to explain her solution to the math problem earlier in the day.  Ms. S works out a plan with one student for her new project and then moves about the room supporting students with the other parent volunteer.  There are some unfocused moments, but students are mostly engaged.  In the last fifteen minutes of the day, some of the students share out what they are working on and one student from the library corner proposes a project and asks for someone “good at art” to join him. Ms. S makes notes during this time.  Students are dismissed after a five minute flurry of clean up.