Bridget Peterson

MAT 781
December 10, 2014
Coaching Experience Reflection
Throughout this course, I have learned strategies in becoming an effective coach and how
I can use my leadership skills to enhance the learning of students. I have been able to put all of
my acquired knowledge into action by acting as a coach to one of my colleagues. This
experience was a positive one for me and solidified my aspiration to one day become an
academic coach and guide other teachers to success in their classrooms.
I was able to complete my first academic coaching experience with my grade level team
leader, Jessica. Jessica has thirteen years of classroom teaching experience and has taught
kindergarten at our school, Fernbrook Elementary, for the past six years. Jessica is not only a
highly effective teacher, but also an incredible leader. I was thrilled to have this experience with
her as I felt that I would not only have the chance to share my knowledge with her, but I would
also learn through our conversations and data review. Being that we already have developed a
strong working relationship and trusted one another, I knew that these qualities would transition
well to the coaching situation. Marzano and Simms (2013) state that trust is an important
aspect of effective coaching relationships and effective schools.
Throughout the coaching experience, Jessica and I were able to have discussions that
included both concerns and celebrations. When she expressed concerns that the decodable books
with the curriculum were too difficult, I suggested that she supplement with additional materials
that she has found effective in the past. Jessica also shared with me that she was concerned
about the amount of time dedicated to assessing her students on their DRA levels as it is a time
consuming process. I provided her with the suggestion that she assess her students who are

already exceeding the SMART goal less often. I believe that I handled these situations well as I
allowed her the freedom to make the best choices for her classroom, but I also provided her with
ways in which she could alleviate the issues. Gallwey (2000) supports the notion of providing
choices and states that allowing someone to choose what to work on and how to work on it
builds trust and keeps a coaching relationship from becoming manipulative.
I believe that Jessica and I share many of the same thoughts and beliefs on education and
the role of the teacher in the classroom. The choice to create SMART goals around the area of
literacy was a decision that came easily to us as we believe that it is an important component in
kindergarten education and a passion for both of us. The shared beliefs that we had also helped
in deciding on the strategic activities that she would implement in her classroom to support the
SMART goals. We wanted to ensure that students are experiencing engaging, meaningful
activities (Knight, 2007) and created a plan of the resources that she would utilize. Knowing
that teachers need to know whether their students are learning the content and reasoning being
taught (Knight, 2007) we also agreed on a plan in which she would use to assess her students
progress.
Jessica and I easily agreed on every aspect to the coaching plan. Reflecting on that, I
have to conclude that we were able to see each situation similarly because we are grade level
teammates and teaching in very similar environments. We know the capabilities of a
kindergarten student and effective strategies for instruction and interventions. However, these
similarities could be a deterrent as it may be difficult for me to provide her with new and fresh
ideas and perspectives that an outsider may have.
I feel that I am an effective teacher and have a lot of knowledge and strategies to share
with others. I am also a person who often looks at things with the if its not broke, dont fix it

mentality. In the future, this could hinder my ability to present new ideas to my coachees. I
believe that to further my experience and effectiveness as a coach, it will be important for me to
be open to new strategies, curriculum, and assessments as they are developed and proven.
To improve on my current coaching situation, I would implement observations. One of
a coachs most important functions is to provide teachers with feedback on their performance
(Marzano & Simms, 2013). Because Jessica and I teach at the same times, I was unable to
observe any of her teaching and provide her with specific feedback about her performance in the
classroom.
My first coaching experience was a positive one for both Jessica and me. Not only was
she able to learn from me, but I was also able to learn from her. I look forward to more
opportunities in which I can continue to lead colleagues and share my knowledge with others.

References
Gallwey, W. T. (2000). The inner game of work. New York: Random House.
Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Marzano, R. & Simms, J. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research
Laboratory.