Ongoing Professional Development
The Role of an Instructional Coach & Mentoring Strategies
Maria Lopez OchoaGrand Canyon University EDU-537 Leadership and Instructional Coaching Dr. Walsh April 1, 2024
Instructional coach
An instructional coach's job is to enhance teachers' instructional practice to improve student learning. They work alongside teachers offering them personalized support to help them meet their teaching needs. Instructional coaches help teachers brainstorm and select the best strategies until progress is made (Digital Promise, n.d.)
The Roles of Instructional Coaches
Data Coach
Mentor
Resource Provider
Offers support, guidance, and structure where needed. Encourages and builds relationships with teachers.
Helps teachers with materials, tools, and information to support instruction.
Organizes and analyzes data and supports teachers to improve instruction on all levels.
learner
Classroom supporter
School Leader
Uses reflection on and off practice, is aware of needs of adult learners, understands the learning process, and leads others toward gaining knoewledge.
Assists and serves leadership and helps bridge the gaps in school programs. Help align individual and school goals.
The coach is a co-planner, co-teacher, and feedback provider. Models lessons and facilitates discussions.
(Killion, n.d.)
The Roles of Instructional Coaches
Data Coach
Mentor
Resource Provider
Offers support, guidance, and structure where needed. Encourages and builds relationships with teachers.
Helps teachers with materials, tools, and information to support instruction.
Organizes and analyzes data and supports teachers to improve instruction on all levels.
learner
Classroom supporter
School Leader
Uses reflection on and off practice, is aware of needs of adult learners, understands the learning process, and leads others toward gaining knoewledge.
Assists and serves leadership and helps bridge the gaps in school programs. Help align individual and school goals.
The coach is a co-planner, co-teacher, and feedback provider. Models lessons and facilitates discussions.
(Killion, n.d.)
Mentoring Strategies
Keep lessons relevant
Focus on learners life experience
Provide feedback in the moment
Encourage questions and discussions
(Cobb, 2023)
Keep Learning relevant
This can be done by planning lessons or professional development where teachers can make a connection to the content. Adult learners will be able to understand the whys and hows and will be able to visualize how to teach the content when real-world applications are used. Having material that they can relate with will keep them motivated to try new things and reflect on the content being presented and decide how they will put it to use in their practice to continue growing as educators (Cobb, 2023).
Focus on the learners life experiences
This can be done by using terms they are familiar with, and addressing them at an appropriate level of experience, background, and age (Cobb, 2023). This strategy will allow learners to relate learning to their experiences and reflect and learn from them to retain the information. They will be motivated to continue learning when they can connect the content to their experiences. They can reflect on their experiences and use that to grow their skills.
Provide Feedback in the moment of need
This can be done by planning time at the end of a session to recap and ask questions. It ensures adult learners keep up with the material and stops anyone from being left behind. It is important to correct mistakes or assumptions as soon as you are aware. It keeps everyone on the right path and avoids any confusion (Cobb, 2023). It allows learners to guide their learning from the feedback received. Getting feedback from questions they have will help them be in charge of their learning. They will be in charge of the questions they want to ask keeping them engaged in the content.
Encourage questions & discussions
This can be done by allowing adult learners to ask questions and discuss lessons. It helps learners to retain the information. It provides valuable feedback and new ways to process information. It allows the instructional coach to make real-life adjustments and clarify incorrect assumptions and mistakes (Cobb, 2023). It helps learners reflect and learn from the discussions they have with others. They will be able to learn new things that they have not thought about previously helping them gain new ideas and grow in their practice.
Presenters Notes
Slide 1: Greet- Discuss the topic- ask what they know about it. Slide 2: An instructional coach has an essential job- they should be a teacher's best friend and be there to support them to help them meet the needs of their students. They also help them brainstorm and select strategies that will help them meet their goals. They need to build relationships and trust with the people they are working with to do all those things. Slide 3: In this slide, you can see six roles of an instructional coach. There are many more, but these are essential to ensure the coach is successful and supports their teachers. Slide 4: Here are 4 mentoring strategies to help instructional coaches support adult learners: keep lessons relevant, focus on the learner's experiences, provide feedback at the moment, and encourage questions and discussions. Slide 5: Instructional coaches need to make sure they keep learning relevant. We know that we are more successful with kids when we connect their learning to things they are familiar with and adults are no different.
Presenters Notes
Slide 6: Instructional coaches should get to know the adult learners they are working with and use their experiences to connect the content. Also, please take into consideration their age. A younger crowd might be familiar with newer things but a veteran teacher might not understand. The instructional coach must take the time to know their teachers. Slide 7: Providing feedback in the moment of any confusion is important. The instructional coach should not wait and address it at that moment. Slide 8: Instructional coaches should encourage questions and discussions to recap sessions or clarify information. By doing this everyone learns from each other and can use it in their practice.
References
Cobb, J. (2023). Effective strategies for teaching adult learners. Learning Revolution. https://www.learningrevolution.net/strategies-for-teaching-adult-learners/ Digital Promise. (n.d.). Instructional coaching playbook. https://digitalpromise.org/initiative/instructional-coaching/instructional-coaching-playbook/ Killian, J. (n.d.). The ten roles of coaches. https://pacareertech.org/content_documents/9/TheTenRolesofCoaches.pdf