1.

4 Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to effectively integrate

technology into their own teaching practice and to collaboratively plan with and assist other
educators in utilizing technology to improve teaching, learning, and assessment.

Description

The Coaching Journal artifact for the ITEC 7460 Professional Learning and Technology

Innovation course allowed for me to research and recommend programs in order to meet the

needs of a teacher within our school. After meeting with our administration, I was asked to work

with one particular teacher who expressed interest in learning effective strategies for technology

use in her classroom, but needed to be pointed in the right direction. My first step was to gain

knowledge for what this teacher already was doing and what she felt she needed assistance with.

Next she completed a survey which then gave be a basis for where we should start.

As described in the artifact, our first session focused on the results of the survey and what

our next steps would be. We created goals and decided what each of our roles would be within

this experience. Through the remaining coaching sessions, I researched best practices,

demonstrated those practices and then observed for next steps. The purpose of this artifact was

to give me the opportunity to explore research based teaching strategies to best support other

teachers. This artifact demonstrates how I implemented my learned coaching techniques within

the context of the teacher’s needs. Effective technology use was incorporated within this artifact

and shared with the teacher during our coaching sessions.

Standard Mastery

Creating this artifact allowed for me to demonstrate mastery of this standard through

researching, recommending, and implementing best practices to meet the needs of the teacher.

One of the methods implemented was providing students with more opportunities to utilize the

Microsoft OneNote and Google Forms software for assessment purposes. Since the teacher’s
main concern was time especially with regards to assessments in her classroom, the

recommended strategy needed to utilize the best use of teacher time. Exit slips through the use

of an online platform provided a strategy to implement more effective assessment within the

teacher’s classroom.

After initiating the needed change, I was then able to demonstrate mastery of sustaining

that change since part of my coaching sessions was to observe the teacher using this strategy

independently. During our coaching sessions, I was very concerned with allowing the teacher to

learn in the best manner she could in order to ensure that the new found tool would have lasting

results. Using this process proved to support this sustainable change since the strategy was

modeled, explored, and tailored to fit the styles of the teacher using it. Assessment practices

within this classroom were forever changed as well as an increase of effective technology use.

Learning Gained

In creating this artifact, I gained new knowledge into the process needed to effectively

coach another teacher. By first hearing the needs, establishing goals, understanding the teacher’s

own learning styles, and providing opportunities for various discussion sessions, I feel that I was

able to help this teacher with effective practices. Jim Knight’s idea of a coaching plan proved to

also be vital to the success of this artifact. In modeling that design, I feel that my techniques

were effective and knowledge was gained through both myself and the collaborating teacher.

In reflecting on creating this artifact, I can think of one particular area to improve. I

found when working the students there was quite a wide range of knowledge relating to simply

using the online software programs. With this being the case there were often time when some

students would be “waiting” for me to move to the next part of the lesson while I assisted other

students. To alleviate this in the future I feel that a survey of comfortability may be useful in
creating the initial lesson. This would greatly benefit all the students involved in the class as

well as maximize instruction time.

Impact on School Improvement, Faculty Development, or Student Learning

In regards to the impact on faculty development, I feel that using this coaching

opportunity allowed for the collaborating teacher to gain better knowledge and comfortability

with a different strategy. This, of course, will result in increased student learning with deeper

meaning since effective technology incorporation provides these opportunities. Understanding

the coaching process, will also impact school improvement since our faculty will gain strategies

to incorporate deeper and meaningful learning opportunities within their classrooms. These

learning opportunities will accomplish the goal of increased student achievement and success.

References

Knight, J. (2009). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction ; a

multimedia kit for professional development. Corwin Press.