Professional Learning and Coaching

Final Report
Description of Your Professional Learning and Coaching Experience
This section should include a detailed description of your professional learning and coaching
experience. What did you learn during professional learning? What did you offer to set up and
interact in PLNs? What were your coaching experiences? What materials did you find and use?
What type of context did it take place in? (e.g., traditional classroom, after-school program,
social media, etc.)

This course was different from the other courses I have taken so far. ITEC 7460 was different
because the main focus was on coaching and professional learning. The other courses I have
taken centered mostly around technology and how to implement it in the classroom. Although
technology was used in this course, my main take away is that this course helped me think like
a leader in the area of professional development and learning.

This course has given me the knowledge necessary to be a better coach and the ability to
evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development learning opportunities that my
school provides. Analyzing the current reality of my school helped me see that there are some
areas that my school can improve upon. Although we have implemented many initiatives, one
thing that I noticed was the lack of follow-up after strategies or initiatives have been
introduced. I’ve also learned that an important factor in evaluating professional learning is
evaluating if the organization supports the initiatives and strategies. As I think about the role of
a technology leader, they have to be able to plan professional development learning
opportunities. I feel that I have the knowledge of what makes professional learning effective.

One area that I have definitely grown in is instructional coaching. Although I am someone that
people go to when they have technology questions or need help, I wasn’t sure how I would do
coaching another teacher. I was very nervous when I realized I would be coaching a peer.
Throughout the coaching cycle, I learned that coaching is a long-term partnership that requires
gathering data, implementing strategies, and monitoring progress. My coaching sessions helped
me improve my communication skills which is a very important skill to have as a coach and
technology leader.

Before this class, I was always a bit hesitant on leading a training session for a group of
teachers; however, this course greatly increased my confidence in training others and provided
me with the necessary tools to lead effective sessions for teachers based on their wants, needs,
and interests. I am hopeful that I will get to continue my coaching work with other colleagues in
the building.
For ISTE Portfolio
Pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in
local and global networks (ISTE-E 1b)
This section should document how you pursue professional interests by creating and actively
participating in local and global networks through your PLN project.

ISTE Portfolio Questions

2. How are you active in these networks? (You want to showcase your activity; this
activity needs to be you as a contributor in creating discussions AND replying to
discussions.) I am active in the STEM network on Twitter by
interacting with professionals who follow other STEM professionals. I like, comment,
and retweet content that is STEM related and for STEM educators. It has been really
interesting collaborating with other professionals and learning new STEM content. For
my STEM cohort, we would meet in person and via Zoom to discuss lesson plans,
collaborate, and learn new technologies to implement in our classrooms.

3. How do you use these networks to expand your learning as a professional? I use these
networks to keep up to date on current science and STEM trends, as well as technology
to implement within my classroom. I collaborate with other science and STEM educators
in the district and have discussions on the best practices to utilize. Following other
professionals allows me to grow my capacity as a science/STEM educator.

Evidence of one or more artifacts (ISTE-E 1b)

As part of my STEM cohort, I helped to create lesson plans and digital learning activities for
third grade educators to use in their classrooms with students. Teachers had access to these
lesson plans and activities via our STEM Google Drive. This link is to a presentation that I led for
other 3rd grade teachers over the upcoming unit in science.
 digital activity for 3rd grade students

I also created a STEM Twitter account and tweeted, liked, and commented on other STEM
educator and STEM professional accounts. I was able to share my own STEM experiences with
the learning network and gather ideas from them as well.

Twitter activity

Final Thoughts of the Course

 What have you learned about professional learning and coaching?

So much! This class really gave a hands on approach to the coaching process. I learned
that professional development is constantly changing and evolving based on the needs
of teachers and staff. I also learned how to go through the coaching process and how to
reflect on others’ as well as my own teaching practices. Coaching is truly an art and
takes time to get really good at it.

 What was your goal and how do you assess your progress toward the goal?

My goal for this course was to create a Twitter account that connected with other
science and STEM professionals. I also wanted to learn more about coaching and the
qualities that make a good coach. I feel like this course helped me learn more about
myself and my coaching mentality and approaches. I have a better understanding of
how to facilitate a conversation around teaching strategies, goals and how to reach
those goals with other teachers. I have also learned how to effectively listen and reflect
on what others are saying to me. The text used for this course was very helpful as well.
It outlined how to go through the coaching cycle and gave great tips that I hope to use in
the future.
 What are your next steps towards professional learning and coaching?

My next steps towards professional learning and coaching are to apply again to be a
science curator for Gwinnet County Public Schools. I enjoyed working with other science
and STEM educators and learning from their own classroom experiences. I also like
creating and implementing technology into our science plans and will continue that
work.

 What was your favorite part of the course?

My favorite part of the course was having the opportunity to work with my mentee Ms.
Swanger. I grew more comfortable and confident each time we sat down to discuss her
goals and progress towards mastery. While the recording was daunting, I learned a lot
about myself as a coach and was able to determine where I needed to improve in my
own coaching practices.

 What suggestions would you like to make to improve the course?

While I enjoyed watching the coaching video’s that my other colleagues posted, it is
very time consuming to watch and reply to two each time. Most of us in the cohort are
working full time and it was sometimes difficult to complete all of the coursework in a
timely manner. For future students, you might consider only one reply to discussions to
save time. Overall, this has been one of my favorite courses I have taken thus far as I
learned some valuable tools that I can use in the future.