Technology based- instructional strategies during my coaching experience.

The coaching relationship that I have with my coachee has turned into a learning opportunity for the both of us. I have learned from her and she has learned from me as well.

Her main goal is to progress from beginning (1) to the developing level (2) on one of her self profile elements. The particular element her and I will focus on is the engaging of students cognitively with complex tasks involving hypothesis generation and testing. My coachee is a science teacher so this element shouldn’t be that difficult to begin implementing. According to Marzano and Simms (2013) after a goal has been established the next step for the coach is to “provide an understanding of the important steps and parts of the strategy”(p. 37).

One part of the strategy we are examining is the classroom setting. The classroom setting should mimic and exemplify the teachers’ expectations. The teacher should not only focus on the material and resources but also on the classroom environment / setting. Education World lists a few things that teachers should include when developing theri individual classroom settings:

• Be sure the classroom is clean, orderly, and inviting.

• Arrange your classroom so that you have all the resources you need at hand.

• Make it easy to supervise your students.

• Organize the physical space of your classroom for movement and interaction.

• Make it safe for students to participate and ask questions.

 A classroom environment should make students feel safe, and comfortable where they can make a mistake and not have to worry about being picked on.  A teacher can also implement technology into the safe classroom setting.There are various technology based instructional resources available. Most technology based instructional resources can provide classroom teachers with engaging lessons for their students at little or no cost. One great resource is Edpuzzle. This resource is a teaching tool used to place interactive content into pre-existing videos from a variety of sources, such as TED or YouTube, or into videos you have made. The videos also have the option of embedding questions for students. These questions can be used to check for understanding or a formative assessment tool.

According to Marzano and Simms(2013)” Cognitive complex tasks require students to question their current knowledge and adjust it to accommodate their findings”. Science is a subject area that can provide opportunities for students to complete many complex tasks that require students to question their current knowledge and adjustments due to findings. Marzano and Simms (2013) states that “ Projects that involve investigating or solving problems are associated with a 29% gain in students’ understanding of principles and a 13% gain in students’ application of knowledge”. 

One of the recent lessons my coach did with her students was a lesson about weather forecasting. She started with an Edpuzzle video assignment “Be a weather watcher : Weather patterns”. The students commented that the video was very engaging and it had multiple choice questions embedded.  The students ventured outside everyday.  They began watching and monitoring the weather daily and recording the temperatures from the outdoor thermometer stations. After a few days they had to make hypotheses about the future forecast, based on their observations and documentation. It was interesting to listen to the students as they defended their weather predictions to their classmates. Their hypothesis and reasonings behind their choices provided the students with opportunities to cognitively engage and complete complex tasks.

During the unit, the teacher implemented technology in her science lessons daily. According to

Gonzalez (2019) “It’s how we design and use technology in schools that can truly improve students’

learning outcomes”. After researching many different science apps we found Legends of Learning. This

site has more than 2000 games and simulations for both math and science. They are designed to

increase student retention, comprehension, and interest in their studies, as demonstrated by research. 

After we continued researching for useful technology,  and created a safe classroom environment, she is well on her way to achieving her goal.

References

Dusenbury,D.(2020). Creating a Safe Classroom Environment. Education World. https://bit.ly/37q6rXy

Emily Gonzalez (2019, October 9). The Value of Digital Tools in Science Classes. Edutopia https://www.edutopia.org/article/value-digital-tools-science-classes

Marzano, R.J., & Simms, J.A. (2013). Coaching Classroom Instruction.The classroom strategies series. Bloomington, IN Marzano Research.

Tina Padilla. Be a weather watcher: Weather Patterns. Edpuzzle   https://bit.ly/3kmkAbK