As a coach, do you ever find yourself wondering, “What should I be doing right now?” I’m sure you’re usually quite busy. And any other task aside from coaching can swallow your time. But every once in a while, things slow down a bit and an odd time of the school year comes along.
Like being out of school for an extended time and returning back to work. Or diving into testing and being part of the all hands on deck. Or when teachers are busy with grades at the end of a quarter. Then, it’s time to come back up for water and you’re wondering, which direction do I need to go?
I did find myself needing direction recently. I had been on maternity leave and came back trying to figure out how I could jump back in. I couldn’t necessarily pick up from where I left. Much of that was outdated and done with. So how could I best gauge where I was needed?
By using Google forms! I absolutely love creating Google forms to gather input, feedback and ideas.
I created a simple Google form with just a few concise questions that would help guide my time for the coming weeks. I keep them short for a few reasons. Teachers have a lot on their plate and I want to respect their time. Too many options can be overwhelming for all involved. And I always leave the last question open ended.
So for this particular Google form, I asked teachers to choose the areas they would like coaching help. I picked a few areas that we had been addressing all year, since they lined up with our school improvement goals. I reassessed the time of day teachers liked to attend professional learning since we are gearing up for the last quarter of school. And then I asked if teachers preferred in person PD or a video screencast to view at their own convenience. As I touched upon earlier, my last question asked teachers how else I could support them with instruction.
I shared the Google form via email. As responses came in, I exported them into a sheet and sorted by need. I first addressed the most popular choice in both an in person PD and by making a screencast. I made myself available all day for this particular need. I explained to teachers that this PD was based on their needs-the topic, the format and the time. Then, I addressed the next need and so forth. I added a column that says “Addressed?” on the sheet in order to track my follow-up with teachers. Some teachers had an individual need, for which I individually contacted them to schedule a meeting or ask for more details.
Within three weeks I was able to solicit feedback, review the data, address the needs and get back on board with Instructional Coaching. Judging by the numbers of teachers who expressed their excitement of my return, I think it’s safe to say I’m on the right track.
Feel free to reach out if you need some guidance!
Like being out of school for an extended time and returning back to work. Or diving into testing and being part of the all hands on deck. Or when teachers are busy with grades at the end of a quarter. Then, it’s time to come back up for water and you’re wondering, which direction do I need to go?
I did find myself needing direction recently. I had been on maternity leave and came back trying to figure out how I could jump back in. I couldn’t necessarily pick up from where I left. Much of that was outdated and done with. So how could I best gauge where I was needed?
By using Google forms! I absolutely love creating Google forms to gather input, feedback and ideas.
I created a simple Google form with just a few concise questions that would help guide my time for the coming weeks. I keep them short for a few reasons. Teachers have a lot on their plate and I want to respect their time. Too many options can be overwhelming for all involved. And I always leave the last question open ended.
So for this particular Google form, I asked teachers to choose the areas they would like coaching help. I picked a few areas that we had been addressing all year, since they lined up with our school improvement goals. I reassessed the time of day teachers liked to attend professional learning since we are gearing up for the last quarter of school. And then I asked if teachers preferred in person PD or a video screencast to view at their own convenience. As I touched upon earlier, my last question asked teachers how else I could support them with instruction.
I shared the Google form via email. As responses came in, I exported them into a sheet and sorted by need. I first addressed the most popular choice in both an in person PD and by making a screencast. I made myself available all day for this particular need. I explained to teachers that this PD was based on their needs-the topic, the format and the time. Then, I addressed the next need and so forth. I added a column that says “Addressed?” on the sheet in order to track my follow-up with teachers. Some teachers had an individual need, for which I individually contacted them to schedule a meeting or ask for more details.
Within three weeks I was able to solicit feedback, review the data, address the needs and get back on board with Instructional Coaching. Judging by the numbers of teachers who expressed their excitement of my return, I think it’s safe to say I’m on the right track.
Feel free to reach out if you need some guidance!
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