Running head: COACHING MODELS ESSAY 1

Coaching Models Essay

Laura Ray

Grand Canyon University

TEC 561

February 28, 2018

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As technology becomes more prevalent in our schools and classrooms, the need for

teacher training relating to technology continues to grow. Teachers do not enter the profession

knowing all they need to know about content, methodology, or the technology used to support

the learning. Elina Aguilar states that “educators need more knowledge, skills, practice, and

support after they enter the profession” (2013). Teacher support can come in many forms such as

professional learning communities, professional development workshops, and on-campus

leaders. Two forms of on-campus teacher support is the mentor model and the coaching model.

The mentor relationship is one between an experienced teacher and a novice teacher

(Queensland Department of Education, 2017). A technology mentor would be a teacher who has

experience in the area of technology integration. A novice could be an experienced teacher, but

one who is new to integrating technology in the classroom. In the mentor-mentee relationship,

the teacher who is more experienced guides the novice through the new integration. For

example, if a teacher is experienced in student created website portfolios and the novice would

like to try it as well, the experienced teacher would mentor the novice, walking her through the

steps to learn how to create the website and develop lesson plans for student activities. Teachers

with experience are a great resource to their colleagues as mentors to go to for ideas and support

(Hertz, 2011).

The coaching relationship, or peer coaching, is interaction between two teachers who

collaborate and reflect in order to share successful practices, support new technology use,

problem solve, and support the other (Queensland Department of Education, 2017). In a

coaching relationship, the coach seeks to understand the goals and objectives of the teacher, and

works to help the teacher meet those goals. The technology coach is not an expert, but rather a
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partner in helping the teacher meet her own integration goals. Without judgement or evaluation,

the coach is able to observe, understand, and assist the teacher.

One specific method of coaching is collegial coaching. In this model, the coach meets

with the teacher before a lesson to discuss the focus of the lesson and important factors. The

coach then observes the lesson and provides feedback for the teacher. The coach and the teacher

work together to evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson and the impact on student learning

(Queensland Department of Education, 2017). This model is built on the trust between the

teacher and coach and develops over time through collaborative efforts.

While mentoring and coaching are moth models involving the collaborative efforts of two

or more teachers, the dynamic is very different. In the mentor model, the novice seeks out the

mentor because of her skill and expertise in a specific area. The mentor teaches the novice the

new skill, and the relationship is no longer needed. In the coach model, the relationship is

ongoing throughout many integrations. This ongoing process involves the teachers working as

equals to design and reflect on strategies and activities over longer periods of time.

The coach is a valuable member of the school campus. Schools with instructional

coaches have evidence of increased teacher use of data to drive instruction (Aguilar, 2013).

Since the focus of the work of the coach and teacher is to improve student learning, improved

teaching and learning takes place. The coach and teacher share in the leadership and

professional learning, benefitting all on campus (Aguilar, 2013).

In the school in which I teacher and coach, some teachers also at as mentors. For

example, one teacher taught herself how to use online rubrics for grading work submitted

through Google Classroom. Other teachers wanted to try this, so the expert teacher acted as a
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mentor, teaching the novices how to use this technology. The experienced teacher followed up

with the others, until the skill was put into use, and was no longer needed by the novice teachers.

In contrast, I work as a technology coach, helping my teachers to integrate technology in

a more comprehensive way. I meet with the teachers to discuss goals such as integrating a

digital drawing tool with the Kindergarten class to meet a technology standard. We plan the

integration and troubleshoot what may go wrong. I spend time observing the lesson and meeting

with the teachers to discuss the successes and struggles of the lesson. We decide if the lesson

and integration was effective, and what needs to change for next time.

There is need for both models in a school. At my own school, with a faculty of 40 in

varied grades from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, one technology coach cannot meet the

needs of all teachers. Having the peer resource of a mentor allows for learning and integration to

continue to take place and for the needs of the new or novice teacher to be met more frequently.

Experienced teachers cannot serve solely as mentors and need to grow their own skills and

integration as well. While both positions are important to the overall technology integration

strategy of a school, I most identify with the practice of the coach. As the technology coach, I

can work with both technologically novice and technologically experienced teachers to help all

teachers on campus learn and implement new strategies.

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References

Aguilar, E. (2013, March 25). How coaching can impact teachers, principals, and students.

Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/coaching-impact-teachers-principals-

students-elena-aguilar

Hertz, M. (2011, November 14). Mentoring and coaching for effective tech integration.

Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/mentoring-coaching-tech-integration-

mary-beth-hertz

Queensland Department of Education. (2017). Mentoring and coaching models. Retrieved from

http://education.qld.gov.au/staff/development/employee/teachers/mentoring.html