Dialogue 5 : Professional Coaching: A Recipe for Success
Do you have a large number of teachers who are trying but struggling to experience success with their students despite their (and your) best efforts?
This is probably because most teachers work in isolation. Despite best efforts and intentions, it is hard for teachers to improve their practices on their own. The bottom line is this: Teachers can’t get better at teaching without self-reflection, and they can’t do it without collaborative support.
CEP uses a reflective questioning model for coaching teachers. In this model, teachers analyze their student data using questions that require them to reflect on how they are teaching. In addition, it forces them to ask the tough question of whether or not their classroom practices are working for their students. Furthermore, it places the onus on teachers to find/develop alternative teaching strategies that will work for their students. Lastly, this model creates ideal conditions for teachers to find these alternatives through a process of collaborative exchange, exploration and experimentation.
At the heart of this model is the facilitator/consultant. Because we come from outside the school system, it is easier for us to ask the tough questions that people working inside the same school might be uncomfortable asking. We are able to do this because we are experts at coaching adults.
We observe teachers’ teaching practices and then discuss them so that teachers can see what they could have done better. Our workshops take place in a positive, non-judgmental atmosphere and teachers appreciate this. When the right model is in place, teachers find that they are able to overcome the barriers in their classrooms. Everybody wins from this process – teachers, students, and schools.