Candidates develop and implement technology-based professional learning that aligns to state and national professional learning standards, integrates technology to support face-to-face and online components, models principles of adult learning, and promotes best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. (PSC 5.2/ISTE 4b)
Reflection From my ITEC 7460 coaching class, I kept a coaching journal to document my journey through working with a 4th grade math teacher to identify areas of weaknesses in her classroom and based on her current realities. Collaboratively, we devised strategies to address these weakness. I worked with this teacher from September to November and coached her through the identify, learn, and improve phases of Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle for coaching. This artifact demonstrates mastery of standard 5.2 because through working with this teacher one-on-one, I was able to provide her with an individualized and research-based professional learning opportunity integrating various forms of technology to help her to develop more best practices to continually implement in her classroom to further her students learning and conduct valuable assessments. Collaboratively, and working through Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle, we identified an area of perceived weakness in student engagement and devised strategies to implement in her classroom to raise student engagement using digital tools, such as Google Forms self-assessments, Padlet and Jamboard activators and exit tickets, as well as strategies using hands-on strategies to appeal to kinesthetic learning styles. We also discussed using questioning strategies to determine if student responses reflect metacognitive understanding and if the implementation of these strategies promoted authentic student engagement. Upon completing these coaching sessions and reviewing my coaching journal, I learned that when working with classroom teachers, considering their current realities is one of the most important aspects an instructional technology coach should consider. Often, districts and schools address weaknesses within classrooms, and implement “cookie cutter” solutions to these weaknesses without considering the realities of each classroom. Every classroom has different teachers with varying methodologies, and students on various ends of the learning spectrum. It is not conducive to think that one solution can address common problems and weaknesses within schools and certain grade levels. The individual needs of each classroom and teacher should be considered and appropriate solutions can then identify and implemented to address the weakness. If I were to change anything in my coaching journal, I would have recorded the Google Meet sessions and embedded them in my coaching journal to use as reference tools for when I become an instructional technology coach. Doing this would allow me to remember certain tactics used to create trust and rapport amongst myself and the teacher I was coaching, as well as the strategies that we chose to implement and the video recordings of her classroom. This artifact supports school improvement and student learning by implementing research-based strategies and collaboration amongst teachers to create best practices. When positive results and improvements in areas of weaknesses are attained, the digital tools, resources, and strategies used can be shared among staff members to implement throughout classrooms where they may be effective and appropriate. The impact can be measured by formal and informal teacher observations in the classroom, determining if the strategies implemented promoted authentic student engagement.