Weekly Coaching Roundup, Week 48: November 27, 2020

This week we learned how both teachers and ICs can use Google Jamboard to support their work, the magic that happens when coaches collaborate with peers from other departments, a few sets of questions to kick-start your next student-centered coaching conversation, and more. Enjoy!

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Must-Read Coaching with Google Jamboard

Stephanie Affinito showcases three ways to use the collaborative whiteboard tool, Google Jamboard, to support virtual coaching.

“While we can no longer pop into each other’s classrooms for a quick hello or gather together for social experiences,
Jamboard offers a quick and easy way to bring the spirit of collaboration to any learning session. . . . While I love starting sessions with connection and community, I also want to find out about teachers’ knowledge, interests, and needs before we get started with the session. Jamboard’s sticky notes and textboxes are a great way to do this.”

Your School Librarian: An Unexpected Coaching Partner

Keitha Hernandez believes that magic happens when ICs work with staff outside of their normal circle and shares some of the extraordinary work that she and two coaches have done together through their collaborative partnership.

“After establishing our partnership, the ELAR coach and I took things to the next level by modeling lessons in the library when teachers brought classes in. . . . Modeling lessons wasn’t our only way of assisting teachers in their classroom efforts.
We offered technology assistance—something that’s often seen as outside of the coach’s role. If we spotted that the tech wasn’t working correctly, we jumped in to help remedy the problem.”

Student-Centered Coaching as a Pathway to Equity

Julie Steele says that “mastery learning” for students is possible when teachers and coaches focus on clarity, sharing some questions to get student-focused conversations started as well.

“When implementing Student-Centered Coaching, we work from positive assumptions about teachers and students. . . . When we coach from this stance,
conversations are focused on students, their learning, and where they fall in terms of progressing toward the learning targets. Students are not at risk of falling through the cracks because, with this type of partnership and commitment to the work, no student is in danger of being unseen.”

Jamming with Jamboard

Kathleen Palmieri gives us the other side of the Jamboard picture as she shares her thoughts and best practices from a teacher’s perspective, using virtual whiteboards in the classroom with her students.

“Coming back, collaboration was one of my big concerns given the social distancing requirements. Then I found Google Jamboard and I felt a sense of relief. . . .
Students could respond by creating their own sticky notes, but because this was one of our first Jamboard experiences,
I created the sticky notes using student numbers from class to help guide the students, as well as ensure all students were engaged.”

How to Mentor New Teachers

Allan Neville and Janeen Outka highlight the virtual tools and strategies that South Dakota mentors use with their teachers to provide remote support.

“Mentors and new teachers turned to technology for virtual collaboration, including using Google Drive folders to house shared resources, setting up virtual lesson planning sessions, and participating together in online professional development opportunities to learn about virtual learning strategies.
New teachers shared numerous examples of how virtual collaboration supported their instruction.”

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