I embarked on a project where I undertook the role of peer coach. Using the communication skills and logistical training from class, I enhanced my coaching skills over a ten week period. I’m not a stranger to coaching, in a former career I counseled patients on therapeutic diets, diet change, and overcoming barriers to change, using … Continue reading Reflections on Peer Coaching
Coaching culture is prevalent in the business world. Simple internet searches on the topic offer many articles and resources providing suggestions to build a stronger culture on the corporate scale. In these articles, managers are called to encourage coaching through shared experiences and incentivize employees to successfully participate. In education, peer coaching has established itself … Continue reading Creating a Peer Coaching Culture
Good peer coaching ensures successful lesson plan outcomes. In my last blog post, I explored the value of teacher vs. student focus during peer coaching sessions and concluded that when the teacher is focused on improved learning, both the students and the teacher benefit greatly, (Vlad-Ortiz, 2018). In peer coaching, the main tasks involve co-planning … Continue reading Building Checklists for Effective Engagement Resources
Educators are facing an ever-changing professional landscape. As society evolves into the 21st century, the needs of various industries change, requiring different skills. Teachers are challenged to improve and update skills, knowledge, and actions to match those needs, (Ma, Xin, Du, 2018). Teachers can’t keep up on their own. “New curriculum, standards, resources/materials, assessments, methodologies, … Continue reading Peer Coaching Focus- For Teacher or Student Outcomes?
If the foundation of effective peer coaching is collaboration, good communication is one of its pillars. Mark Ladin, CMO of Tiger Connect, an IT company, shares this mindset by defining communication and collaboration as one and the same. He argues that both communication and collaboration function on the exchange of information, however without good communication, … Continue reading Managing Common Coaching Miscommunication
Building 21st century skills is the imperative focus for most educational institutions. Many education articles and blog posts are centered around techniques and concepts that educators can use to develop these skills in their students. Yet what about an educator’s need to build these skills? How can educators learn and gain 21st century skills before teaching and modeling them in … Continue reading Length of Peer Coaching Session for Successful Planning and Implementation
The community engagement project challenges students to create a professional development session to be presented at a conference of the student’s choosing. As part of building effective digital age environments, as prescribed by the ISTE Standards for Coaches #3, I chose to create an interactive session that focused on active learning and digital collaboration tools … Continue reading Developing Professional Development as Part of the Community Engagement Project.
The word “troubleshooting” most often invokes images involving a conversation with the IT department, a progression of actions guided by the technician and performed by the user, and ending with a resolution in which the user’s original knowledge of technology has not been augmented. Unfortunately this is a all too common scenario. The user defaults … Continue reading The Connection between Digital Competence and Problem-Solving
Digital tools in the classroom is an asset to learning. According to the U.S. Department of Education, technology in the classroom ushers in a new wave of teaching and learning that can enhance productivity, accelerate learning, increase student engagement and motivation, as well as, build 21st century skills, (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). The offerings … Continue reading Developing Evaluation Criteria for EdTech Tools
How you learn is built in to the larger part of who you are, embodies your collective experiences, norms, beliefs, and values; it is a part of your culture. Building community in the learning environment, whether on- or off-line, establishes safety, facilitates collaboration, and can help cultivate sense of self and role in the community. … Continue reading Culturally Relevant Learning Environments- Examples in Nutrition
