|
|
|
The views expressed on this page are
solely
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
|
eSchool News
3 coaching tips to support newly-virtual teachers
By Adam Geller
May 4th, 2020
Many educators became virtual teachers overnight when schools closed in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic--here's how to support them
In the wake of COVID-19, the shift to distanced teaching and learning
has been hard for many educators and students alike. This is, after
all, new and unprecedented times for all involved.
So how can coaches and instructional leaders support teachers as they
navigate this new way of teaching during extraordinary circumstances?
The same way they always have: through high-quality professional
development.
Now, arguably more than ever, professional development is imperative to
support the success of virtual teachers. It is important for coaches to
reflect on both where teachers want and need help. This could range
from providing tactical to philosophical advice to simply being a
sounding board for teachers as they acknowledge their emotions during
this time.
As schools move to a virtual coaching process, which will rely heavily
on the use of video, these tips will help coaches best support their
newly-virtual teachers during this time.
Reframe coaching for this moment.
While the identity of a coach remains the same during this time, it is
important for coaches to rethink what supports they can provide that
will be most beneficial for teachers in this particular moment. As the
frontline coach and support system, coaches should think about what
teachers need to be a well-started beginner at distanced teaching,
meaning what core training or background do they need to be successful.
Focusing on this takes distanced teaching from a potentially ambiguous
problem to something manageable for teachers and coaches to tackle.
Coaches should also ask themselves and their virtual teachers, “What is
truly new?” This will likely be the use of technology, the structure of
the day, and how learning is being facilitated. But, this question will
likely reveal that much of what teachers already know can be adapted to
meet the new context. Understanding that they are not starting from the
very beginning, will help teachers feel like less is changing and less
is on their to-do list during this time.
Be practice-focused.
Coaches can be tactical moving forward by finding specific pedagogical
moves that can be presented in context with content and combined with
academic language. This is what coaching usually is and shouldn’t be
any different in this new setting.
It is important for coaches to be targeted and precise in how they are
guiding teachers. Some good strategies for facilitating this can be
found in Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion 2.0. The University of
Michigan’s TeachingWorks also provides practical, tactical-thinking,
and research-based practices that answer the question of what teachers
need to be well-started beginners.
Define “good” online learning.
Teaching and learning is very different in the distanced setting, yet
in many ways it’s very much the same. The same learning expectations
for students, for example, are still in place.
District leaders and coaches need to think about what good online
learning looks like – both for students and teachers. This answer is
going to vary district by district and school by school, and will
likely depend on the technologies being used, the types and frequency
of interactions, and if learning is taking place synchronously or
asynchronously. But, having a baseline of effective online teaching and
learning is important.
For educators who may need some more guidance on making the shift to
distanced learning, the California Department of Education created a
helpful and detailed guide so educators don’t have to start from
scratch. While not a holy grail, many of these practices will help
teachers as they transition to an online delivery of instruction.
As always, coaches need to help teachers determine what success looks
like and then provide the supports and professional development needed
to ensure they are being successful. The above tips, in combination
with implementing other tactical and technology-enabled coaching best
practices, will help ensure this success in whatever the setting may be.
|
|
|
|
