Dr. Les Foltos writes on how educators intentional utilizing technology to support the 21st-century learning students will need to be successful students and employees in Peer Coaching: Unlocking the Power of Collaboration. While sharing about a time he worked with educators at Microsoft he writes “They concluded that a teacher who was effective at integrating technology, focused his or her efforts on creating learning activities that actively engaged students in learning and helped them develop the skills and competencies they needed for future success” (Foltos 2013. pp 146). As I work with my peer in a coaching relationship,
This week I asked myself: “What sets of anchoring questions can coaches ask to support technology-enhanced learning experiences? How can these questions support the innovative 21st-century learning we want to demonstrate for all learners as we prepare them for educational opportunities and careers outside of our classrooms”?
I find that informed and purposeful questioning is again the key to pinpointing the instructional goal that will be supported by 21st-century learning opportunities. ISTE C 1.d states that coaches need to “Implement strategies for initiating and sustaining technology innovations and manage the change process in schools and classrooms”. We cannot effectively create this reality unless we ask detailed and meaningful questions to propel the instructional design.
The 6 Fundamentals of Technology Coaching by Ed Tech Focus on K-12 provides six important facts to anchor the coaching relationship work. Questioning supports the statement “Our communication is only as good as a plan” (M.Joseph & E.Fisher).
Fundamental #2 suggests that the coach and coachee. have a planning meeting to discuss IT integration. The questions listed anchor the coaching session to a learning solution.
- What is the goal of the lesson?
- Why do you want to use this technology here?
- Will this enhance the current approach?
- How do you hope the technology will enhance learning?
- Can the technology make this idea more relevant to students?
I recently used several of these questions when meeting with my coachee and our conversation was forward-thinking. The questions provided by Joseph and Fisher provided an anchor for our work without sacrificing the voice and innovation of the learners.
Holz.S 2018 shares 12 rules of Effective Instructional Coaching {Infographic}. Rule 9 and 10 are directly supported by questioning within a coaching relationship.
In order for the product of coaching to be respected within the educational setting, it will need to align with the school’s mission and instructional direction. Additionally, it helps to get to a level of specificity in an effort to anticipate the instructional tasks and technology support in action.
When the educator feels supported by a coach, the resources, and the coaching process they are more willing to take innovated risks. When innovative risks happen students often have an opportunity to engage in deep learning. When the learning design is focused on the communication and creative collaboration of our 21st-century reality our students are living their futures in the classroom. Keep asking those questions that make others think deeply; they will thank you for the preparation for the world outside of the classroom.
References:
Foltos, L. (2013). Peer Coaching : Unlocking the Power of Collaboration. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Ed Tech Focus on K-12. (2018, July 8). The 6 Fundamentals of Technology Coaching. Retrieved Spring 11, 2019, from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/06/6-fundamentals-technology-coaching
Holz, S. (2019, May 7). 12 Rules of Effective Instructional Technology Coaching… Retrieved November 19, 2019, from https://blog.neolms.com/12-rules-of-effective-instructional-technology-coaching/
ISTE. (n.d.-b). ISTE Standards for Coaches | ISTE. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-coaches
