Building Alliance between Coaching and Evaluation | Origin: LC150
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Best Practices in Supervising and Coaching CTE Teachers --> Building Alliance between Coaching and Evaluation
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
I know that I have a lot to learn. It is pretty obvious that the coach-teacher relationship is very important. The perceptions that the coach has of herself correlates directly to the level of satisfaction that teachers have of their job.
In my limited CTE experience, new instructors come in with strong content knowledge and very little knowledge of educational best practices. I want to build on their knowledge of and passion for their subject area into strong pedagogy. I am always working to improve my content area knowledge while always recognizing and valuing their expertise. I support instructors in more than 25 different programs. Coming to a meaningful understanding of what each of them is teaching is a massive undertaking.
My plan is to continue to familiarize myself with CTE content standards. Where I am very knowledgeable about teaching and instructional strategies, I also need to allow my teachers to be empowered to share their content knowledge, and I need to educate myself on exactly what they are teaching.
I resonated with the message that great teachers go beyond content knowledge. Great teachers understand knowledge and pedagogy should be comnibed to conduct best practices. It is essential that coaches effectively communicate with teachers and model strong pedagogy. I support numerous CTE areas and plan to focus my coaching on pedagogy as I often do not have high levels of conten knowledge in all areas I support.
It is crucial to honor the content expertise that new CTE teachers bring to the classroom. So often we are focused on their lack of pedagogical skills (or perceived lack) instead of acknowledging the skills and experience (and possibly the leadership) that they bring from industry. Framing the coaching and the observations around the areas of strength will allow the teachers to feel more supported in the process.
I really enjoyed the information around perceptions-- this could also be non-truths. There is a huge need to clarify what is being communicated, so that you can avoid conflicts in the workplace and varied 'perceptions'.
I loved the message that great teachers are more than just subject knowledge but also encompass student knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that are combined together to create the best teachers. Our teachers need to be encouraged, supported and their knowledge acknowledged! I also liked the reminder about the issue of perception in communication and how important it is to be clear both in your understanding of what is being said as well as in what you are saying!
I plan to put more time into planning the coaching time with teachers. Think through having pre-planned questions that allow teachers to be responsive and not reactive. I plan ot demonstrate more empathy to their hard work and motivate them to make changes to their pedagogical practices. I believe this will help with the overall culture of the building.
