

CLASS Master Coaching and the Benefits of Intentionality

13 Jun 2019 by Jerilyn White

Does the Following Story Seem Familiar to You?

You have been coaching Teacher A for 6 months. You’ve gotten to know each other well, you understand her classroom and some of the frustrations she has with the working environment. After your coaching sessions you’ve identified some issues and discussed solutions, but each time you return you discover the issues are the same and the solutions were never tried. As you leave you wonder, “what have I accomplished, why am I not seeing positive change, what am I missing?”

Could it be the simple act of intentionality? Intentionality in our work often times feels fleeting... there is just not enough time in the day. But what if you could utilize strength based strategies that would not take any more time in the day? That would produce a higher success rate of improved interactions and would reach teachers/coaches in a deliberate way to support their work with children and families? CLASS Master Coaching is just that strategy tool.

The Parallel Process

“I’m modeling that dimension right now in my teacher conferences with my educator.”

Have you ever had that moment? If you have you are demonstrating your awareness of modeling the parallel process to your coaches in a real-world scenario.

Teachstone’s new program, CLASS Master Coaching (CMC), provides the opportunity to connect with and learn from other coaches in the field of education. Along the way, you'll have a guide, a CMC CLASS specialist, to help you explore and practice new strategies for engaging teachers in self reflection and improvement. You'll have monthly cohort calls and one-on-one conferences where you focus on practice-based implementation and discuss submitted video and focused Coaching Competencies.

In the CLASS Master Coaching process you'll recognize the power of the parallel process by using prior knowledge of CLASS dimensions and indicators and connecting them to CLASS Coaching Competencies. You’ll also learn how to build relationships with your teachers, utilize a variety of learning format strategies, and encourage their discoveries through feedback loops and open-ended questions.

You're Not Alone

As you work with a “guide on the side” (CMC specialist) and a cohort of coaches, you will have the opportunity to practice and master strategies which will encourage teachers, directors, and coaches to intentionally influence their adult to child interactions. You will have opportunities to share your experiences with other coaches and learn from them through case-studies, ongoing discussion boards in the online course, and monthly cohort calls. By studying and practicing new skills, you'll utilize nine coaching competencies, alongside a coaching rubric that allows you to self assess and reflect, and not merely evaluate.

How the Learning Cycle Process Helps You Coach With Intentionality

What if in your next coaching session you are able to maximize your learning time and reach your coaching goals?

Thinking of each conference as a Learning Cycle. We can increase our effectiveness as coaches by bringing intentional behaviors to the interactions we share with educators. In CLASS Master Coaching, you learn how to guide educators through their learning by setting achievable and relevant goals, providing feedback and reflection opportunities, and building off of their strengths for further progress toward their goals. The impact is directly felt in classrooms through intentional teacher-child CLASS-based interactions!

Meanwhile, the Learning Cycle steps also guide the coach’s experience within the CLASS Master Coaching program.

class master coaching

  1. We begin by choosing a Focus within the Coaching Competencies, then ask you to
  2. Try It Out - video your adult-adult interactions with that focus, followed by...
  3. Reflection - think about an effective interaction that occurred as you practiced and reflect about its impact on the educator.
  4. Then determine how to build on this interaction, and Plan next steps.  

Wasn’t that easy? You’ve come full circle and are ready to begin again, learning and honing your skills within each step of the cycle.

Testimonials from CLASS Master Coaching Pilot Participants

"The components selected helped me to organize my conferences in order to be more productive and ensure a trusting relationship with the educator I am working with. When my specialist makes a recommendation from myTeachstone resources, I can tell that she remembers our conversation and she understood my needs in order to help those who also need me as a resource.”

“Having 36 years of experience in the field of education, I can unequivocally say that I have learned a whole new skill set and understanding of CLASS, strengths-based coaching and creating collaborative relationships with educators. Being in [this] program was like learning how to ride a bike for the first time. Exciting, new, at times awkward learning a new skill at this stage in my professional life, but my CBC coach was always there to encourage me. Her thoughtful questions at just the right time helped me master this new skill set. I am so grateful for this opportunity.”

If you are ready to move to the next level with CLASS—come join us! To learn more, contact Customer Support.