Coaching: How it Works
 

I  The Pre-conference  

A. The purpose of the pre-conference is to "set the stage" for the observation.  During the pre-conference the observing teacher meets with the teacher being observed (the inviting teacher) to gather information about:

        The lesson objective(s)

        The purpose of the lesson

        The context of the lesson

        What the teacher plans to do

        What the teacher expects the students to do

        Any concerns the teacher may have

       The role of the observer and how the teacher would like data to be collected

B. The inviting teacher determines the focus of the observation.  He/she determines what kind of information would be most useful, then works with the observing teacher to select or design a form to collect the information.  It is important that the data be objective.  The data collection might focus on:

        The verbal interaction between teacher and student (Verbal Flow Form)

        The engagement of students (At Task Form)

        Interactions between teacher and students (Interaction Analysis Form)

        Types of questions asked (Observational Guide - Motivation)

        Any other data that the inviting teacher feels would be useful (Design own form)

II  The Observation 

During the observation, the observing teacher collects only the data requested by the inviting teacher.

III  The Post-Conference

The purpose of the post-conference is to promote teacher reflection on the observed lesson.  During the post-conference, the observer presents the data collected and assists the teacher in "thinking back through" the lesson and reflecting on what he/she did by:

    Recalling won/student behaviors

    Comparing actual desired behaviors

    Analyzing why behaviors were or were not performed

    Speculating on the effectiveness of his/her teaching behaviors

          ~What did I do that facilitated student learning?

          ~If I were going to teach this lesson again, what would I do the same; what would I do differently?

At the end of the post-conference, time is spent discussing the coaching process and generating future plans.  During this time, the observing teacher may ask for feedback on the effectiveness of his/her coaching behaviors. 

Pat Robbins, 1993