4. Describe your Coaching

We successfully were able to create a Unit Organizer for Colleen's next unit of study. The agenda and power point were very helpful with the pacing we set. And the casual atmosphere allowed her to ask questions without hesitation. The challenges were that we did not have diverse brains within the room on which we could feast. Seeing others ideas and drafts allow us to gain new ideas and also see areas that need adjustments. I used the power point to show Colleen different organizers used for different subject areas. This helped her see different formats/content. In coaching Colleen, I made adjustments that catered to her low level students (minimizing questions, clarifying relationships, simplifying wording). 

This was a very successful training, over the 2 days we were able to go over the Unit Organizer and Framing routines.
On the first day we went over the Unit Organizer and the participants were able to begin construction on their own drafts.  By the end of the 2nd day they had a completed device ready to use in their classroom, this was a great success.  

The challenge was in the time constraint, it is not easy starting out with the Unit Organizer.  Even though we were able to build one device and start another more time could have helped.  The energy of the teachers and enthusiasm was very helpful in getting the most out of the time that we had.

My delivery was a bit rushed at times and my SIM PDers did an amazing job of coaching me on this.  I feel that their feedback was very beneficial to the training as it allowed me to slow down a bit and get more involvement from the participants.  This greatly enhanced the overall experience and I believe led to the low stress creation of their device drafts.  I am definitely going to be more mindful of my pace moving forward.

Coaching Report Date August 14, 2017 09:00 

Attendees

Erin SmithCoachStephanie DayTeacherMichelle MorrisTeacher

Interventions

• Unit Organizer

Why is coaching being requested?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherPlanning with a grade level or content area groupPlanning with a teacher

Notes

Review guidebook for UO 
Bring an idea for a unit draft

What happened at this session?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherPlanning with a grade level or content area groupPlanning with a teacher

Goal with next actions

During the teacher workdays, be constructing a draft of your first content Unit Organizer.During the first week of school, we will schedule a time for me to come observe your use of the routine with the expectations and procedures UO. We will debrief from that time and go over the device and implementation checklist, as well as make adjustments and set goals for changes with future Unit Organizers.Within the first month of school, aim to audio or video record your use of the routine (working towards your Level 2 micro-credential).Recorded by Erin Smith August 14, 2017

Coaching Report Date September 12, 2017 08:00 

Attendees

Erin SmithCoachMichelle MorrisTeacher

Interventions

• Unit Organizer

Why is coaching being requested?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherObserving a lesson with a strategy/routineDebriefing a lesson with a teacher

Notes

Michelle and I met to debrief about my observation of her first use of the Unit Organizer (with her procedures and expectations).Overall, Michelle demonstrated strong fidelity with the routine (based upon the device and implementation checklists). This is especially true considering it was her very first attempt with the routine. She made excellent use of vocabulary discussion, and also took great effort to co-construct with the students. For example, she allowed them to use words that were more familiar with them to complete the expanded map, rather than rigidly sticking to the words on her draft.

What happened at this session?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherPlanning with a teacherDebriefing a lesson with a teacher

Goal with next actions

Michelle's next actions and goals, of course, are utilizing the UO routine in her content area. We will meet next week to discuss drafts of content unit organizers and any additional questions she may have in that regard.Additionally, we will work to set up a time when Michelle can come to observe my use of the routine in my room, and then discuss those observations and any questions or concerns she might have as a result.Finally, it will be a good idea for Michelle to record herself using the Unit Organizer, go through the device and implementation checklists herself, and then let me look at the video and go through the checklists also, so that we can then discuss the fidelity of implementation together.Recorded by Erin Smith September 15, 2017

Coaching Report September 14, 2017 08:00 

Attendees

Erin SmithCoachStephanie DayTeacher

Interventions

• Unit Organizer
• Framing

Why is coaching being requested?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherObserving a lesson with a strategy/routineDebriefing a lesson with a teacher

Notes

Stephanie and I were meeting primarily to debrief from my observation of her lesson the prior afternoon, using both the Unit Organizer Routine and the FRAME routine.Based upon the device and implementation checklists, we discussed that Stephanie was indeed utilizing the routines with excellent fidelity, following the Cue-Do-Review steps and already showing excellent progress in the direction of co-construction with the students.

What happened at this session?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherObserving a lesson with a strategy/routinePlanning with a teacherDebriefing a lesson with a teacher

Goal with next actions

Stephanie expressed that one of her goals with the UO routine was to work on improving her own flow with the routine, increase her discussion of vocabulary with the students (perhaps future training in the LINC routine - this is just my personal thought), and also figure out ways to "personalize" the routine (within the bounds of fidelity). It would be a good idea for her to examine the "WIN" section of the guidebook for ideas about how to take those kinds of personalizing steps.Another next step in that regard will be to come and observe my use of the Unit Organizer in my classroom (which we are planning to do next week).We also had time to discuss the use of the FRAME routine for a short time period. Stephanie expressed that she is interested in using this tool for a variety of topics in her class. Specifically, we discussed the use of a single column FRAME for her lesson on Reconstruction Policies, as she could express the main idea, and then highlight the key policies as essential details to the topic. So another next action will be drafting that device and perhaps discussing any additional questions that she might have for me in that regard.Finally, it would be wise for Stephanie to record herself using the Unit Organizer and/or FRAME routines, go through the device and implementation checklists herself, and let me look at the videos and go through checklists as well, so we can discuss fidelity of implementation collectively.Recorded by Erin Smith September 15, 2017

Coaching Report October 09, 2017 

Attendees

Erin SmithCoachMichelle MorrisTeacher

Interventions

• Unit Organizer
• Framing

Why is coaching being requested?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherDebriefing a lesson with a teacherDoing paperwork

Notes

We met to debrief from a unit organizer observation and to discuss any further questions or issues that Michelle might have regarding the unit organizer as we move forward.

What happened at this session?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherDebriefing a lesson with a teacherDoing paperwork

Goal with next actions

The next step that we discussed is for Michelle to videotape herself using the unit organizer so that she can then perform her checklist and move another step closer to her Level 2 Fidelity of Implementation credentials. A specific target date will be identified tomorrow.Recorded by Erin Smith October 09, 2017

Coaching ReportEdit Delete ReportTypeUnscheduled CoachingDateOctober 09, 2017 11:30 AMLocationDuration25 minutes

Attendees

Erin SmithCoachStephanie DayTeacher

Interventions

• Unit Organizer
• Framing

Why is coaching being requested?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherDebriefing a lesson with a teacher

Notes

Stephanie and I met to discuss any lingering questions or concerns that she has after my observation of her lesson and her observation of mine.

What happened at this session?

Meeting one-to-one with a teacherDebriefing a lesson with a teacher

Goal with next actions

Stephanie stated that she feels pretty comfortable with the unit organizer and the FRAME routine at this point in time and doesn't have too many questions. She especially liked seeing how in my class the entire unit organizer is revisited day after day through the game.The next step for Stephanie will be to videotape her lesson and apply the device and implementation checklists for herself. This will hopefully get set up within the next week or two, once we can meet to pick a specific date.Recorded by Erin Smith October 09, 2017

I have provided several Models of launching, floating, and tying up units, followed by a debrief of the device, the cue-do-review instructional sequence, use of formative assessment, and student engagement. New teachers in my department have embraced the routine and are committed to implementing with fidelity. This was a suggested goal for teachers new to the county this year: to implement the Unit Organizer Routine at least three times per week with fidelity.

To assess fidelity, we rely on the guidebook, device checklist, and implementation checklist. New teachers are expected to observe at least one model and be observed at least twice and provided feedback. I am working with several teachers in this coaching cycle.

Successes:
There is an investment in SIM at my school, and teachers want to use the Unit Organizer Routine to impact student achievement positively. With grade level teams, we work frequently on alignment between the county curriculum and pacing guides, our unit organizers, and our unit tests. Our devices are generally strong and well-aligned to benefit our students. Many teachers have observed me modeling the UO Routine with my students. They say they have learned a lot by watching the cue-do-review and co-construction process. The next step is for these teachers to be observed; there does not seem to be an urgency for that yet this year.

Challenges:
In English department, most teachers are using station teaching. Some teachers have expressed that whole-group co-construction of the Unit Organizer is at odds with the small-group student-led instruction model we use. Through coaching, we have brainstormed ways of making the launch effective in whole group instruction and keeping the Unit Organizer in front of students throughout our units, which tend to be about 6 weeks long. 

My coach mentored me through the process by holding meetings to make sure I was comfortable with the routine and answered any questions I had about presenting this routine to my class.  She gave me examples when I wasn't sure what should be involved in the expanded map and gave constructive feedback after observing me present the unit organizer to my students. Some adjustments I made were realizing the difference in a chapter versus a unit, making the unit questions more general, but in a way that details were necessary when the students answered them.

Janet Atallah and I as well as several other PDers implemented unit organizer to social studies teachers at the middle and high school level in 2004-2005.  Teachers either bought in or fought implementation because the devices were overwhelming due to the lack of time to really learn the device.

The Algebra I teacher I was working with was a first year teacher who was not certified to teach Algebra I. He was a Physics teacher. Clearly he had the math knowledge to teach Algebra I, but helping him break down the content into student-friendly terms was challenging. We frequently had to refer to the curriculum framework to help us focus on required content. Once we had the units created, he quickly bought into the process. Delivery to the students went very well. Although the unit organizers were a part of the student's interactive notebooks, he did not revisit the map throughout the unit. He was able to recognize that more deliberate use of the unit organizer would be more meaningful for his students. In an effort to hold himself accountable to more frequent use, he wrote it into his lesson plans.