Running Head: COACHING JOURNAL 1

Coaching Journal

Courtney Carver

PL & Technology Innovation (ITEC 7460)

Kennesaw State University

Ed.S. Instructional Technology, Spring 2017

COACHING JOURNAL 2

Coaching Session I: February 23, 2017

Strategies

The first session scheduled was a small meeting with myself and two teachers who

expressed interest in technology coaching based on an email sent to the entire staff. Mrs.

Corsetti, a 5th grade STEM teacher, and Mrs. Gill, the Gifted teacher were both eager to receive

individual coaching to increase their technology integration in their classrooms. At this initial

meeting, I wanted to make sure that my role in this coaching session was clearly as a partner in

the learning process. I was clear when quoting Knight, that I believe in equality in our

relationship and this does not mean that the teachers and I have equal knowledge on the subjects,

but it does mean that everyones opinions are important (2007). I very quickly reviewed my

philosophy of coaching, which includes following the seven principles behind the partnership

philosophy of coaching (Knight, 2007). I was hoping that this would help the ladies feel more

comfortable, and understand that we would be working together and I wouldnt be telling them

what to do, but instead be by their side to learn with and help guide them. At first the

conversation was slightly dominated by Mrs. Corsetti, due to her very outgoing personality and

her eagerness to jump right into the coaching session. I also believe that Mrs. Gill was slightly

intimidated by the knowledge base that Mrs. Corsetti already had. I continued to reassure the

ladies that this meeting was just for me to get a feel for what exactly the ladies needed as far as

coaching, and the remainder of the meetings would be one-on-one during their planning or after

school. By the end of the session, it was clear that Mrs. Corsetti was very clear about her

abilities and was aware that even though she has a good base of technology skills, she was

lacking in skills to develop online coursework in Canvas, the schools online learning

management system. She made it clear that her students had the skills to work in the system and
COACHING JOURNAL 3

she desired to catch up to them and start creating higher order thinking assignments in Canvas

for her students to access. Mrs. Gill, on the other hand, was unsure about where to even start

with integrating technology into her classroom. She teaches all grade levels K through 5, and her

students come to her with varied technology experience and skills. She was very overwhelmed,

but was eager for the help. We left the session by scheduling one-on-one meetings with each

teacher during their planning time the following week. Mrs. Corsetti was to make a decision

about which STEM unit she wanted to start building in Canvas and was to begin gathering her

resources that she wanted to include in the online course. Mrs. Gill was to decide which grade

level and which unit of study she wanted to focus on to get started. Both teachers were to send

me their unit resources so I could begin reflecting on the best way to transition these units into

the online space. As we left the session, I reassured the ladies that these coaching conversations

would be confidential. The work that we did together, the struggles and successes, would only

be shared with their colleagues if they chose to do so. Keeping the coaching conversation

confidential is a key component to building trust (Withworth, Kimsey-House, Kimsey-House, &

Sandahl, 2009). I hope the ladies left feeling like they were about to embark on a fun adventure

with a new partner in their desire to impact the learning in their classrooms.

Skill and Affective Changes

I would say the most change I saw during the duration of this first meeting was in Mrs.

Gill. She started the meeting apprehensive about speaking out, and feeling very overwhelmed.

Even though Mrs. Corsetti was willing to share her thoughts and ideas, this just seemed to

overwhelm Mrs. Gill even further, and push her deeper into the place of defeat. I believe that as

I continued to reassure Mrs. Gill that this process would be very individualized, would be a

partnership, and that I was eager to use her expertise on teaching gifted students to help both
COACHING JOURNAL 4

Mrs. Corsetti and myself create higher-order thinking activities, Mrs. Gill began to add her ideas

to the conversation and gain confidence. Based on her change in demeanor when she left my

office that day, I think Mrs. Gill was excited about the possibilities and eager to get started on the

coaching process.

Reflection on Changes and Solution

One of the challenges in this process for me will be to actually step back and be a partner

in the process. Both teachers were eager to work inside Canvas and create valuable content for

their students, and I have a lot of expertise in this area. I want to make sure that I continue to

stay reflective and make a conscious effort to seek the expertise from these two ladies in the

areas of Gifted education and STEM education. I spent some time re-reading chapter 3 of

Knights text to build myself a coaching toolbox so that I could ensure that I was really working

to make this a true partnership coaching session for these ladies.

Coaching Session II: February 28 and March 2, 2017

Strategies

Before this second coaching session, I made some time to go in observe each teachers

classroom for a few minutes. I wanted to take down some observations to see if I could help the

teachers use Knights (2007) Big Four to determine where we really needed to start with their

individual coaching. In my opinion, both teachers landed at the level of instruction. They both

have a great behavior management system in their classrooms, and they both have a strong

understanding of their specialized content. When meeting with both teachers individually, I

spent some time using Knights (2007) tactic of See It Through Teachers (and Students) Eyes.
COACHING JOURNAL 5

This really helped the teachers to understand the importance of trying to incorporate higher-level

thinking activities into an online environment for students.

For this session with Mrs. Corsetti, we talked about what content she wanted to have in

her Canvas course. She made it clear that she felt confident with getting the content into the

system, but was unsure on how to adjust her classroom management style to allow the flexibility

of having students working at their own pace in this online learning environment. We talked

through her concerns (noise level, students working ahead, students finishing early, and student

not being engaged). We left this session with an outlined plan, and homework assignments. We

would meet one more time before trying this with students, then Mrs. Corsetti and myself would

co-teach a lesson together, and finally she would teach a lesson on her own and I would come

give her feedback. Mrs. Corsetti was excited about this plan. She clearly stated that this was

perfect professional learning for me in the moment and left with the task of creating her online

course for the students. I assured her that I would do some research on management styles and

when we met next time we would discuss which would work best with her teaching style.

During Mrs. Gills second session, we hit a little bit of a roadblock. As I was talking

with Mrs. Gill, I noticed that she had not made a decision on which group of students she wanted

to target with this coaching. She also seemed to be making many excuses for why she hadnt

done the necessary work to be prepared for todays meeting, and why she continued to feel that

she wouldnt be able to make this online learning happen for her students. Every teacher is

unique, with a unique set of circumstances, and some even have habits of self-sabotage

(Withworth, Kimsey-House, Kimsey-House, & Sandahl, 2009). I quickly realized that I would

need to dive deeper into this issue with Mrs. Gill before I would be able to get her to focus on the

work of creating online learning environments. This session was spent talking with Mrs. Gill
COACHING JOURNAL 6

about her concerns, and why she feels like her students wouldnt be able to complete the

assignments online. As we continued to talk, and I continued to ask probing questions, I came to

the conclusion that it was Mrs. Gills lack of confidence that was the barrier and not the students

abilities. I talked through what I had observed in her classroom, and how I felt that the students

would be successful in using online content. I then suggested that maybe I could come try a

lesson with her students. She could observe me, and them we could work together to figure out

if this strategy of utilizing an online learning management system would work in her classroom.

She seemed less enthusiastic about this idea, but agreed to allowing me to come in. We

scheduled the session for the following week.

Skills and Affective Changes

During my second sessions, I saw a lot of change in both teachers. Mrs. Corsetti

continued to seem eager to work, but showed some signs of uncertainty about the change in

classroom behaviors if using online learning content. By the end of the session, she seemed

encouraged that we would be able to find a solution that could work for her and her students.

She walked away without any answers, but I believe she was reassured that we would be able to

find the answers together. Mrs. Gill, on the other hand, seemed to take a turn backwards. She

was very resistant to the change. It was like she was able to reflect on our first session and came

up with reasons to talk herself out of completing this coaching activity.

Reflection on Challenges and Solution

I felt confident as a coach that the session with Mrs. Corsetti was success. We were able

to work through some of her concerns together as a true partnership, and we left with the change

continuing to move forward. With Mrs. Gill I had to spend some time reflecting. I felt like I
COACHING JOURNAL 7

was doing well in my coaching role when I continuing to ask her probing questions, and didnt

let her just back out of the coaching activity. Where I feel I may have needed a different tactic

was when I presented her with the idea of me coming in and teaching a lesson for her to observe.

I dont necessarily think this was the incorrect next step, but I think the timing was wrong. I

believe that Mrs. Gill left the meeting feeling like I was going to come in and try to prove her

wrong and she didnt have the option of telling me no. My offer was to try and have her look

through her students eyes, and be able to see how the classroom runs from the outside looking

in, but I think that because it came at the end of a difficult conversation, it wasnt seen as a

partnership and instead was seen as an administrative move.

Coaching Session III: March 7, 2017

Strategies

For our third session, Mrs. Corsetti and I were able to meet during her planning and have

a very productive meeting. She already had her course created and I was able to use one of the

21 Responsibilities of a School Leader and provide affirmation for her accomplishments

(Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005). I was also able to practice Knights (2007) Partnership

Coaching principal of reciprocity. Mrs. Corsetti showed me how she has incorporated product

creation tools such as ThingLink and Voki into her online course. These were tools I had never

seen before and was excited to learn about from her. I asked her permission to share these tools

with the staff, and share how she was using them with her students, and she was quick to say yes.

I also shared my research on different behavior management styles with Mrs. Corsetti. I talked

about how as I was conducting my research for her, my thoughts about what she needed

changed. I felt like her classroom behavior management system was working well for her
COACHING JOURNAL 8

students and she didnt need to change that, instead she needed to rethink her role as the teacher

in the classroom. I shared an article with her about traditional teachers vs. blending learning

teachers, and she was open to the discussion. She expressed that becoming more of a facilitator,

researcher and developer, integrator, and guide was a little scary for her, but she understood that

this is what it would take to make this whole process successful and she was willing to give it try

(The New Teacher Project, 2014). She also expressed that she would like me to continue to

coach her through this process until she was more comfortable to try on her own. We left this

meeting with the agreement of both of us going out and finding more research on how to be an

effective facilitator in your classroom.

Before our scheduled modeling session, I received an email from Mrs. Gill. She

expressed concern with continuing the coaching process. She stated that she was very

overwhelmed by many things she currently had on her plate and didnt want to topple it over

with anything further. She expressed thanks in having me reach out, and would like to consider

trying this process again at the beginning of next school year.

Skills and Affective Change

Mrs. Corsetti has really shown a lot of personal growth in a short amount of time. She

was willing to look beyond just adjusting her delivery of instruction, but also her whole teaching

style all together. She remains positive about the potential for change in her classroom, and

believes that this change will lead to higher student achievement. Mrs. Corsetti has thrived in the

partnership coaching setting. I will continue to work with Mrs. Corsetti to find the best teaching

style and instruction delivery that meets the needs of her and her students.
COACHING JOURNAL 9

Reflection on Challenges and Solution

I was very disheartened to receive the email from Mrs. Gill. I took this personally and

had to spend a lot of time reflected. I took Knights (2007) advice to find a confidant outside of

the school building and I reached out to some instructional coaches outside my building at the

March county-level coach meeting. These coaches reassured me that maybe Mrs. Gill wasnt in

the right mindset for coaching yet, maybe she was eager but was paralyzed by feeling

overwhelmed. They also questioned my depth of my pre-existing relationship with the two

teachers. Once I talked through this, I realized that I had a long standing relationship with Mrs.

Corsetti from working with her on a grade level in previous years. This possibly made it easier

for her to see me as a peer and a partner. It also made it easier for me to know how to speak with

her and what she values most in education. I think that if I spend more time working to create a

relationship with Mrs. Gill, she may actually be ready to take me up on my offer again next year.

I have yet to read a text that states coaching is an easy process, and I would have to agree. I am

glad for this experience, and to be able to see myself grow as a coach and try new tactics.
COACHING JOURNAL 10

References

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: a partnership approach to improving instruction.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2006). School leadership that works: from

research to results. Heatherton, Vic: Hawker Brownlow Education

The New Teacher Project (2014). Reimagining teaching in a blended classroom. Retrieved from

https://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP_Blended_Learning_WorkingPaper_2014.pdf

Whitworth, L., Kimsey-House, K., Kimsey-House, H., & Sandahl, P. (2009). Co-active

coaching: new skills for coaching people toward success in work and life. Boston, MA:

Davies-Black Pub.