Principles and Philosophies
CORE BELIEFS
WE BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT TO:
- Believe that every person is of value, has something meaningful to offer, and deserves to be treated with dignity and kindness
- Enjoy what we are doing
- Have fun and appreciate a sense of humor
- Find ways to emphasize and pursue the positive
- Be aware of and work with the basics of Adult Learning which includes a foundational understanding that adults make lasting changes to their personal or professional lives if they find value and relevancy
- Listen thoughtfully to others
- Respect others' opinions
- Differentiate coaching
- Be committed to doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reasons
- Promote the belief that ALL students can and will learn and deserve a quality teacher
- Encourage teachers to establish rapport with students, to create quality lesson plans that engage students and to reflect on their teaching practice
- Implement the Partnership Philosophy (Jim Knight, Instructional Coaching, 2007)
COACHING PHILOSOPHY
THE NATURE OF COACHING:
- Flexible, depends on teachers' needs
- Collegial and collaborative, teacher valued as an equal and honored as a professional
PARTNERSHIP PHILOSOPHY (Jim Knight, Instructional Coaching, 2007):
- Equality is believing the people we collaborate with are no less important than us or anyone else, and that consequently their ideas, thoughts, and opinions are no less important than our own.
- Choice is believing that choices lie at the heart of professional practice, and that when we take away others' choices, we treat them as if they are not professionals. We have found that when we offer others choices, we actually increase the likelihood that they will embrace what we have to offer. Taking away choice is a bona fide recipe for resistance.
- Voice is believing that a part of learning is helping people find the words they need to say what matters to them. Another important part of voice is making it possible for others to openly communicate what they think.
- Dialogue is believing in the importance of conversations that enable people to think together.
- Reflection is believing that learning can be enhanced when we have numerous opportunities to consider how what we're learning might impact what we have done in the past, what we are doing now, and what we will be doing in the future.
- Praxis is believing that learning is most meaningful when we reflect and recreate knowledge so that we can use it in our personal or professional lives.
- Reciprocity is believing that every learning experience we create provides as much of a chance for us to learn as it does for our learning partners.
COACHING GOALS
THE GOALS OF TCT COACHING ARE TO:
- Inspire positive change in teacher practice
- Assist teachers to develop a reflective teaching practice
- Build the capacity of the teacher
- Encourage communication between teacher, principal and colleagues
- Focus on promoting quality instruction
- Keep student learning as the central focus