Running Head: COACHING JOURNAL 1

Coaching Journal

Susan Kohanek

Kennesaw State University

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Session One: Monday, February 26, 2018

Strategies

My first session with Mrs. Covin began with any immediate needs and questions that she

had for me about technology. She asked about Google tools, specifically how to save and access a

Google spreadsheet sent to her in an email without always having to go back to the email. I showed

her how to access the Google Sheet in her Google Drive and how to access it through the Shared

with Me Folder.

We then focused on two tools, Common Lit and Flip Grid. A second colleague sat in on

the session because she is also interested in using Common Lit and Flip Grid as they were recently

introduced in a brief session on a professional development day. This colleague, Dr. Tilley, is more

open to technology in the classroom than Mrs. Covin. Since Mrs. Covin and I are colleagues, and

she has been my department chair and friend for five years, we have a strong rapport. She,

however, is resistant to technology as she does not have time to learn new tools to implement in

an already packed schedule and classroom. Therefore, I know that simply showing her what I have

done with a technology tool will help her to envision using the tool in her own classroom. As

Knight states, “ICs who wish to make it easier for teachers to learn new teaching practices must

plan their explanations by thinking carefully about what the new practice will look like in the

classroom. In this way, ICs can address the practical concerns that teachers might have” (2007, p.

105). Knowing that Mrs. Covin would be more apt to use a tool I show her if she can see its valid

and practical use in her classroom allowed me to approach her with a variation of Knight’s strategy

of “You watch me” (2007, p. 111). Although I am not actively modeling using the tool in class, I

am modeling my use of the tool and showing her my students’ results because I know that one of
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the best ways to show Mrs. Covin the potential of a new tool is to show her the results I have gotten

with that tool.

To begin this session, I showed Mrs. Covin an article that I assigned to my students in

Common Lit. Then I showed her the data that Common Lit generated once the students had

finished the assignment. I explained the value in Common Lit for critical reading practice as well

as for Milestone practice (which our students take in April). I then showed Mrs. Covin the variety

of articles available in Common Lit and how to search them by grade level. Since Mrs. Covin and

I both teach American Literature, any articles that I find can also apply to her instruction as well.

After showing Mrs. Covin what I assigned and graded in Common Lit, I showed her what

I had assigned in Flip Grid. Our students had just completed two Cyber/Digital Learning Days, so

my students’ work was from these two days. After reading the article in Common Lit and

answering the critical reading questions, the students recorded their responses to a discussion

question relating the article to the book we were studying (which Mrs. Covin’s students were also

studying). They then posted their recorded responses to Flip Grid. I showed Mrs. Covin several of

the student videos, and she was impressed with the higher-level thinking that the students

demonstrated.

Skill and Affective Changes

Knight (2007) mentions that “teachers frequently feel rushed; they face great pressure to

accomplish numerous tasks, and they feel the weight of the moral imperative behind what they do

when their students fall behind” (p. 150). Mrs. Covin fits the definition of a teacher who feels

rushed and pressured to accomplish more tasks than for which she has time. She frequently feels

overwhelmed. Since she is generous enough to share her time with me for these coaching sessions,
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I want to make sure they are valuable and useful to her. I know that I need to introduce new

strategies and tools to her slowly, or she won’t consider trying them. Subsequently, my goal for

this session was to make sure she saw clear results of what these tools could do to enhance her

teaching and her students’ learning. She wants to incorporate technology more frequently, and she

feels the pressure to do so, but she doesn’t have time to research new tools and then to teach herself

how to use these new tools.

One of the buzzwords in education is assessment, specifically, formative assessment.

Knight (2007) discusses formative assessment and how it empowers “teachers to help their

students see the relationship between effort and success” (p. 169). I wanted Mrs. Covin to see the

potential of Common Lit and Flip grid as tools to aid with formative assessment. According to

Carnegie Mellon University (n.d.), formative assessments “help faculty recognize where students

are struggling and address problems immediately,” and they “are generally low stakes.” I wanted

to expose Mrs. Covin to these two tools in order to get her thinking about how the tools

would/could look in her own classroom and how she can use them for formative assessments.

Dr. Tilley left the session ready to use Common Lit and Flip Grid with her students, but

Mrs. Covin needs more time to consider what I showed her and how she could use these tools in

her classroom. I could tell she liked what my students had done, but I could also tell that she isn’t

ready to incorporate them into her classes quite yet.

Reflection on Challenges and Solution

Although Mrs. Covin needs time to process what I showed her, hopefully, she will

eventually want to have her students sign up for Common Lit or Flip Grid (or both). I also know

that in her teaching, she is primarily concerned with rigor, writing, and rhetorical devices.
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Therefore, I need to find tools that will enhance her teaching of these devices without taking class

time away from her other objectives and assignments.

One of my biggest challenges is that I get really excited about a new tool, and I can’t wait

to share that tool with other teachers. This means that sometimes, my excitement overwhelms

them. I am hoping that my pacing with these coaching sessions will allow Mrs. Covin time to think

about and process what I am showing her so that I can help her incorporate new strategies and

practices into her classroom. I also have to make sure that I am not trying to sell her on new

technology tools just because they look “fun” for the students. I need to make sure that I clearly

communicate the increased rigor and engagement that I believe result from incorporating new

technologies into the classroom.

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Session Two: Wednesday, March 8, 2018

Strategies

As with our first session, I began this session by asking Mrs. Covin if she had any

immediate needs or concerns related to technology. She did not have any specific questions but

did say that she would like more information on setting up Common Lit for her students since she

liked the work I had shown her from my own students.

According to Knight (2007), “If ICs are working with teachers who have a deep

understanding of their content and who manage classroom behavior effectively, they can shift their

focus to collaboratively exploring how to enhance instruction so that more students master

content” (p. 160). Mrs. Covin teaches the top students in the junior class, and she taught AP

Language and Composition before changing to American Literature. Therefore, Mrs. Covin has

mastery of her content and has no issues with classroom management which allows us to

collaborate for more effective instructional practices. To that end, I showed Mrs. Covin how to

create a Common Lit account. I helped her create her classes in Common Lit and generate class

codes for each class. She had to decide whether or not to create one group for her students or

separate groups for easier class management. I also showed her how she can assign individual

students specific items based on their reading levels. I then helped her create a news post in her

eClass page with the sign-up instructions and class codes for her students. She plans to share this

information with the students so that they can begin completing the readings and questions that

she assigns. Since we are both teaching The Crucible, we searched for articles in Common Lit that

we could connect to this text. The biggest connection is to McCarthyism, so we discussed how to

set up an assignment that would connect to that aspect of the play. We found a speech by McCarthy

in Common Lit as well as an article about the actual Salem Witch Trials. Mrs. Covin assigned
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these two articles to her students which they will be able to access once they read the news post

with their class codes.

Since we are both teaching The Crucible, we discussed modern-day witch hunts and how

they are usually caused by fear and/or mistrust. We then discussed how social media plays a role

in modern-day witch hunts. We brainstormed ways to address this connection to The Crucible but

in a more interactive and engaging way. Mrs. Covin decided to have her students research modern-

day witch hunts and then to have her students go to Padlet (which she has used before) to post a

link to an example of a modern-day witch hunt. They will then compose a brief 2-3 paragraph

essay on what a modern-day witch hunt is and how social media and the digital age play roles in

modern-day witch hunts and submit that paper to the eClass Dropbox.

Skill and Affective Changes

According to Robinson and his research on the diffusion of innovations (2009), Mrs. Covin

might be in the Early Majority category with Common Lit. Robinson (2009) states that “Early

majorities are pragmatists, comfortable with moderately progressive ideas, but won’t act without

solid proof of benefits” (p. 5). They are also “risk averse” and “looking for better ways of doing

what they already do…they hate complexity. They haven’t got time to think about your product

or project…they want to hear ‘user-friendly’” (p. 6). Although I would classify Mrs. Covin’s

general attitude toward technology in the classroom as “Late Majority” (Robinson, 2009, p. 6)

because of her discomfort with risk, I am pleased that she was more open and willing to experiment

with Common Lit after just our initial session. I think seeing how it looked for my students was a

strong factor in her willingness to try it with her students.

Reflection on Challenges and Solution

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I’m happy that my predictions about Mrs. Covin were correct – that if she had time to

consider how Common Lit could work in her classroom, she would be willing to try it. I was

hoping for interest in Flip Grid, but she is not interested in it at all. Dr. Tilley (who sat in on the

first session but not on this session), however, has tried both Common Lit and Flip Grid. She

thoroughly enjoyed both, and she thinks her students did as well.

I still want to find tools that will maintain or increase Mrs. Covin’s classroom rigor while

also increasing student engagement with content such as rhetoric, rhetorical devices, and writing.

I tried a website, No Red Ink, but it is expensive. Furthermore, when I emailed them, they

responded that they do not support a school as small as ours.

At this point, coaching is relatively easy, but I know that’s because I chose to ask a teacher

who is also a friend. I keep thinking about how this would work if Mrs. Covin and I didn’t already

have an established friendship – if the principal had assigned her to me because she needs to

increase her use of technology in the classroom because we are a STEM school with expectations

for using technology in the classroom. Knowing Mrs. Covin as I do, she would be courteous and

professional, but I don’t think she would be quite as willing to try something new. She trusts me

because we’ve been working together for five years. What if I was brand new to her? She knows

the principal wants her to increase technology in the classroom, specifically, Gwinnett County’s

learning platform, eClass. If Mrs. Covin didn’t know me, and I had been assigned to her by the

principal, I think it would be much more difficult to gain her trust. I would have to spend multiple

sessions just talking to her and showing her examples of what could work in her classroom.

However, without my own classroom, I wouldn’t be able to show her my students’ work as proof

that my ideas could work in her classroom. I have a feeling that I would be dealing with the

resistance that Knight (2007) describes as “the biggest fear” (p. 20). I would have to start by
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establishing the “partnership mind-set” (p. 24). Overall, I’m glad I chose Mrs. Covin because she

has expressed to me on multiple occasions that she wants to shift the focus of her classroom to the

students (as opposed to direct instruction); however, I also need to realize the limitations of our

relationship and that the ease with which we work together will not always translate to other

professional relationships.

Session Three: Monday, March 12, 2018

Strategies –

As with the first two sessions, I began by asking Mrs. Covin if she had any immediate

questions or concerns, but she did not.

At this point, Mrs. Covin is comfortable with Common Lit and liked the assignments and

assessments that she gave her students. She sees Common Lit as a valuable tool to enhance what

she is already teaching, and she found it easier to use than she originally anticipated.

Since Mrs. Covin didn’t have any specific objectives for this session, I asked her about her

use of eClass (since the principal wants her to use the county’s online learning platform more

frequently). The county monitors teacher and student use of eClass, and Mrs. Covin needs to

increase the amount of time she spends in eClass, especially since we are a STEM school that

incorporates Digital Learning Days at least four times a year. There is significant pressure on

teachers to make sure our work at GSMST is advanced and technology-based (as seen through the

eyes of the county).

Mrs. Covin was willing to explore eClass further, so I asked her what she is comfortable

doing in eClass. She is comfortable posting News announcements and creating DropBoxes for

digital assignments. However, she has not used other tools in eClass such as discussions, quizzes,
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and rubrics. Out of those three tools, she was most interested in how to create online discussions

in eClass, how to create and manage groups in eClass for online discussions, and how to create

and use rubrics in eClass for online discussions and dropbox submissions. She was not interested

in using quizzes in eClass because of her concerns about student integrity and cheating.

Based on Mrs. Covin’s needs, I followed Knight’s approach of “’I Do It, We Do It, You

Do It’” (2009, p. 163). For this session, I focused on the “I Do It” step of the approach. Later

sessions will focus on “We Do It” and “You Do It.” This is similar to how I coached her to use

Common Lit as well. We began by logging in to eClass, and I showed her what my online

discussions look like. For example, when I was absent one day, I left my students an online

discussion activity related to Modernism and art. I showed her how to create groups and then how

to add her students to groups. I showed her that my students were not assigned to groups by class

period but rather across class periods to allow for different interactions than we would have in our

regular classroom. I explained what I see as the benefits to placing students in groups as opposed

to having them all participate as one large group. I showed her how to set restrictions on the

discussions including how to set the discussions to end at a designated time/due date. I showed her

another online discussion that I had created that asked the students to relate a quotation to Of Mice

and Men. I showed her the rubrics for the discussions and how the rubrics also accounted for

student responses to each other.

For the dropbox assignments, I showed her an assignment I had created and the rubric that

I also created in eClass to go with the assignment. I showed her how I copy and paste comments

in the feedback box as well as how to complete the rubric for each student’s assignment.

The fourth coaching session, Tuesday, March 20, focused on continuing to explore

eClass; this was the “We Do It” phase of Knight’s approach (2007, Knight, p. 163). We also set
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up online discussion groups for Mrs. Covin’s students. I printed out the instructions from

GSMST’s eClass training page for Mrs. Covin to keep for future reference. I also printed out the

instructions for how to create rubrics in eClass. However, I don’t want to push Mrs. Covin too fast.

After four coaching sessions, she is using Common Lit and the discussion tool in Eclass, and that

is definitely progress.

The fifth coaching session, Thursday, March 29, won’t be the last session since Mrs.

Covin and I continue to work and plan together. At the beginning of the session, I showed her how

to embed links to the discussions and the dropboxes in her eClass news posts. Then I showed her

a Digital Breakout activity that the media specialist and I had been constructing together. It has

many flaws, but I wanted to see what Mrs. Covin thought of it and how to increase the rigor of

such an assignment. I wanted our last official session to be a give-and take with me using what I

know about technology and Mrs. Covin using what she knows about rigor.

Skill and Affective Changes

eClass is a more difficult tool to sell to Mrs. Covin, and I think I encountered some of the

resistance that Knight references (2007). The resistance isn’t to me, though; it is primarily because

Mrs. Covin doesn’t see eClass as a particularly valid instructional tool that will enhance her

classroom teaching. Regardless, the pressure to use eClass exists, so we have to find ways to

incorporate it that are legitimate and will genuinely enhance instruction.

My goal with showing Mrs. Covin the tools that eClass offers was the same as when I

showed her Common Lit and Flip Grid. I hope that showing her how I use eClass will help her to

consider ways that she can use eClass. Our Google calendars are already embedded in our eClass

pages, but eClass is also a communication tool. I would like to encourage Mrs. Covin to see eClass
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as a way to communicate announcements, reminders, and assignment instructions to her students.

I would also like her to see the benefits of online discussions as a way to conduct formative

assessments as well as a way to continue discussions that we don’t always have class time to finish.

Mrs. Covin has the basic skills to navigate eClass. I need to explore the county’s documents

(embedded in GSMST’s training page) to provide Mrs. Covin with easy-to-access instructions for

skills such as creating groups, managing online discussions, and creating rubrics. I also need to

make myself available as much as necessary to help Mrs. Covin when she decides to implement

these tools.

Reflection on Challenges and Solution

The challenge I mentioned in my previous narrative still bothers me – knowing that I

have had an easier time coaching Mrs. Covin because we are friends and colleagues, and we

teach the same class. I need to envision what it will be like to coach a teacher that I don’t know. I

also need to consider how I will coach a teacher whose subject matter is completely unrelated to

my own. Some tools will prove beneficial no matter the subject – such as Flip Grid. Some tools

are unique to math and/or science. Those subject areas will be my biggest challenge. How will I

coach a Physics teacher who is resistant to me as a coach? I will practice much of what Knight

teaches, beginning with the partnership philosophy. I will remember the “core principles of

equality, choice, voice, dialogue, reflection, praxis, and reciprocity” (Knight, 2007, p. 24). I will

also spend a great deal of time researching technology in other subject areas. I will ask my

coworkers what technology they incorporate on a regular basis including how a flipped

classroom works in subjects like AP Calculus and AP Physics.

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Honestly, I view coaching similarly to how I view teaching. I treat my students with

respect, and I value their voices. However, as Knight suggests, I will stay detached as I also do in

the classroom. “The simple trick of imagining that we are physically distanced from the

conversation can help us feel psychologically distanced from the interchange and help us avoid

responding in ways we will later regret” (Knight, 2007, p. 202). I teach 70 teenagers. If I let them

hurt or offend me, I wouldn’t be able to return to my classroom each and every day. Yet, even

though I have to maintain a certain level of detachment with my students, I can still maintain the

partnership mindset. I will treat the individuals I coach with the same mentality. Every person

we teach (and coach) is an individual who deserves to be listened to. Employing “authentic

listening” including attentiveness, self-awareness, honesty and authenticity, empathy and respect

is a skill worth cultivating in order to be more effective teachers, learners, and coaches (Knight,

2007, pgs. 60-64)

I don’t pretend that coaching will be easy, but with a positive attitude and the ability to

communicate with words and actions that I really care about and believe in what I’m doing, it

will definitely be rewarding.

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References

Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). What is the difference between formative and summative

assessment? Retrieved from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-

summative.html.

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Robinson, L. (2009). Changeology: A summary of diffusion of innovations. Retrieved from

https://www.enablingchange.com.au/Summary_Diffusion_Theory.pdf.