COACHING

n The extensive use of study teams and councils to facilitate learning is recommended n Each teacher and administrator has membership in a team whose members support one another in study n Each person can have membership in a coaching team of two or three n Each team is linked to one or two others, forming a study group of no more than six members

The principal and the leaders of the study group in a school form the staff development/school improvement council of that school The principal and the leaders of the study group in a school form the staff development/school improvement council of that school n A representative from each school within a district cluster serves on the District Cluster Network Committee, which coordinates staff development efforts between schools and the district and works directly with the director of staff development

n The coaching teams and study groups are the building blocks of the system n Team members support one another as they study academic content and teaching skills and strategies

Transfer... n Transfer refers to the effect of learning one kind of material or skill, or the ability to learn something new n Teaching, by its nature, requires continuous adaptation; it demands new learning in order to solve the problems of each moment and situation

n Horizontal transfer refers to the conditions in which a skill can be shifted directly from the training situation in order to solve problems n Vertical transfer refers to conditions in which the new skill cannot be used to solve problems unless it is adapted to fit the conditions of the workplace

n Setting up arrangements for the trainees to develop a self-help community to provide coaching is regarded as essential if transfer is to be achieved n Ideally, “coaching teams” are developed during training

Coaching involves three major functions: n 1- provision of companionship n 2- analysis of application n 3- adaptation to the students

Provision of Companionship n The first function of coaching is to provide interchange with another adult human being over a difficult process n The coaching relationship results in the possibility of mutual reflection, the checking of perceptions, the sharing of frustrations and successes, and the informal thinking through of mutual problems

n The companionship not only makes the training process technically easier, it enhances the quality of the experience n It is a lot more pleasurable to share a new thing than to do it in isolation

Analysis of Application n Among the most important things one learns during the transfer period are when to use a new model appropriately and what will be achieved by doing so n During training, the coaching teams need to spend a considerable amount of time examining curriculum materials and plans and practicing the application of the model they will be using later

Adaptation to the Students n Successful teaching requires successful student response n One of the major functions of the coach is to help “players” to “read” the responses of the students to that the right decisions are made about what skill training is needed and how to adapt the model

n Successful use of a new method requires practice n One of the principle jobs of the coaching team is to help members feel good about themselves during the early trials