Networking

Professional Networks that I have Joined: 
I am part of several instructional coaching groups on Facebook, where my teaching and learning team communicates with coaches from across the state and nation. We share ideas for coaching cycles, professional development suggestions, and effective strategies for our schools. Last school year, we brought in Diane Sweeney, a consultant for Student-Centered Coaching, to work with our team. We are also part of a group that allows us to exchange ideas with her team. Additionally, a small group of us are active participants in Kagan cooperative learning and are involved in Kagan forums and groups on Facebook and online.


Reflect on your experience as a member of a learning community (ies).
Being part of a professional learning network is essential because it allows me to continue growing as a professional, share ideas and resources, stay updated with best practices in education, collaborate on projects, and learn new skills. Regarding sharing on the foams, I have not collaborated on the sites themselves, but I have collaborated with my colleagues on the next steps in our district using these platforms. Our team has become trainers for several initiatives in our school district, including student-centered coaching, and we are working toward our Kagan Certification by attending another training this summer. I enjoy learning all that education offers and growing in my position.


What are you consuming, and what are you contributing?
I am fortunate to be part of a team that promotes improving education in our areas of expertise each year. As I mentioned earlier, a significant aspect of my role involves technology and classroom engagement. I have attended conferences such as Kagan Cooperative Learning, TCEA, and Lead4ward's Think conference, which have provided valuable information to share with teachers in our district. We use these conferences to conduct professional development for our new teacher academy and provide bite-sized PD offerings throughout the year in our district.


Are you preparing your receiver for feedback or feedforward?
In my current role as an instructional coach and instructional technology specialist, our goal is to support both teacher and student growth. Feedback focuses on highlighting the teacher's strengths and areas for improvement for a specific lesson or unit. At the same time, feedforward is geared towards future success, helping the teacher to develop strategies to reach their goals. To be effective in my role, I need to provide both feedback and feedforward to support the teacher's short-term and long-term goals. It's important to approach the meeting as a collaborative effort and begin by focusing on the teacher's strengths. Feedback should be balanced with specific, reachable steps for improvement (feedforward). Lastly, open-ended questions should be used to encourage reflection, fostering an environment where the teacher can actively follow improvement through the power of feedforward.


Instructional Coaches Connection
A Community for Student-Centered Coaching