Coaching for Professional Learning Communities – Whole Program
Setting the Stage 2-Hour Coaching Session: Co-facilitated by Coach and Administrators. All teaching teams meet in whole group. All Teaching teams review PLC process, team building, coaching and team agreements, pre-survey of individuals. Planning of kick-off activities for families.
MAKE NOTE: A one-hour coaching session is 50 minutes with 10 minutes of note-taking/reflection time, give or take.
Types of PLC Coaching Sessions
- Coaching Administrators
- Coaching Whole Program (non-training)
- Coaching Classroom Teams
- Coaching Individuals
Practice-Based Coaching
The Wheelhouse Collaborative employs a Practice-based Coaching model that includes a three-step process:
- Shared Goals and Action Planning (occurs prior to and throughout PLC)
- Focused observations (1-hour observations in-between Training)
- Reflection and Feedback (1-hour reflection in-between Training)
For all PLCs, step one, “shared goals and action planning” occurs prior to starting the PLC AND in each Training with all classrooms present.
Coaching sessions follow the next two steps in the coaching process in-between each Training of the 12-hour PLC.
PLC Feedback Loops
Each of the three coaching sessions of the PLC follows a unique feedback loop. Each feedback loop provides structure and clarity and ensures teachers are collaboratively embedding PLC concepts in real-time. Administrators are actively involved in supporting this work.
The following are examples from the Engineering Mindset curriculum:
- Feedback Loop 1: Embodying Habits of Mind / Problem-solving Design Activity & Routines
- Feedback Loop 2: Empowerment Strategies / Problem-solving Design Activity & Routines
- Feedback Loop 3: Accommodation Strategies / Problem-solving Design Activity & Routines
