Best Practices
The assumption about success and a more knowledgeable other assisting and scaffolding the learner goes back to Vygotsky (1978). Although not written specifically for coaching or education, Covey (2006, 2013) created a valuable framework for working with and learning from others that is applicable to mathematics coaching. Covey (2006) considered speaking clearly extremely important when working with adults. When communicating something important, it is necessary to avoid uncomfortable situations and always speak the truth. Covey (2014) expressed that it is preferred to avoid saying something about somebody who is absent, as well as avoiding being authoritarian. In addition, a coach must be able to pose questions to make participants think about their thinking.
Creating mutual respect between the coach and teacher is also important (Covey, 2013). Showing respect means showing interest in others, respecting their dignity, worrying about them, and being kind with an honest mind. It is necessary to tell the truth in a way that people are able to prove it and check it.
A coach must be thoughtful and sincere, open and clear. People need to see the coach as “what you see, is what you get”, with no hidden agenda or motives. According to Covey (2013), it is necessary to balance transparency with providing confusing information that is not helpful at the moment.
A coach must be open to correct his own mistakes (Covey, 2006). Although it can be considered a negative characteristic, apologizing expediently when in error can create trust in relationships (Covey, 2013). Being an over-apologizer can also create the opposite. The coach must show humility as well as tenacity with their actions. As stated in the responsibilities, Covey (2013) also stated part of the work of the coach is team building. Those teams will collaborate effectively in the coaching process so it is fundamental that the coach recognize the merits of the team members.
A coach, as well as the entire school community, must be data driven in their decision-making to effectively support teachers in their instruction. Collecting data is a fundamental part of this work. Creating a good plan of action will determine if the results will be achievable or not. According to Covey (2006), if results are not achievable, no excuses must be given afterwards.
As part of the school staff, the coach must be willing to improve continuously. A coach should never consider himself superior than the rest of the team members or overestimate his skills for a given task. Everyone, as a team, will learn from each other. A coach must be a continuous learner and see himself as a continuous pursuer of knowledge (Covey, 2006). Next, the coach needs to directly face every obstacle and not to elude the topics that really matter even if it is uncomfortable. A coach must communicate and give clear expectations to make teachers responsible for their own achievements. Perhaps Covey’s (2006) loudest message is to listen before speaking, create understanding, then understand. A coach needs to listen to the staff carefully to understand their concerns and struggles. Covey (2006) proclaimed never assume to have all the answers before knowing the questions. Finally, effective scheduling is a big part of the work of a coach and maintaining the commitments is important to create trust on your staff.
A coach must trust the staff as well as create an environment where the staff trust her. The coach also needs to learn to how to build trust depending on the situation, risk and credibility of the involved people (Covey, 2006). Lastly, the work of a coach will have influence over others. Their job is to improve practices in mathematics teaching and learning, while following the mandates of the ones above them such as principals and superintendents. Collaboration with all these individuals is important to maintain good professional relationships that will allow the coach to be trusted with the task given (Hull, Balka & Miles, 2009).
As stated previously, coaches must be able to successfully perform multiple responsibilities to command change within a school and therefore improve overall school instruction. For that purpose, besides the previous practices outlined, coaches need to have specific knowledge that will support their ability to facilitate change in the mathematical practices of a school. Each coach will differ from one another in their knowledge, and some components will dominate others.
According to NCTM (2000), coaches should be able to understand how mathematical concepts work and how to interconnect them. Understanding primarily the content within the district and state standards as well as the assessments required will improve the learning of students. While the district may adopt different instructional materials, it is the math coach in charge of understanding the rationale of it, communicating it to the staff and organizing for the teacher’s use. Coaches should be continuously reading current research of how students learn and able to adapt those findings into their current school translating what it into effective instruction. Coaches should know how to engage teachers in motivating students in learning across the different grade levels.
Taking into account that coaches are likely previously expert classroom teachers, they must now undertake the concept of adult learners and be able to create and influence change into teacher’s beliefs and actions. As Covey (2006) stated, coaches must be effective listeners in order to use strategies effectively to engage resisting teachers to change their instruction to improve achievement. With regard to the math strategies for best practices in math instruction, according to Daro (2006), the poor performance in math of U.S students, is due to the focus on specific problems, and not the foundational skills needed to understand different types of problems that will come when teaching concepts, skills and problem solving. Standards-based instruction in mathematics are designed to identify what students must know at each grade level. In order for students to demonstrate mastery of the standards, a teacher must implement best practices using different instructional strategies that provide students with the necessary concepts and skills to problem solve all types of problems presented throughout the educational math life (Romberg, 2000). For successful standards-based implementation, teachers must understand the rationale for using the standards, and know the applicable national and state standards, then use them as a basis for planning instruction, and implement best practice instructional strategies that will be part of the work of the coach to create that influence of change.
Successful coaching will depend on the ability of the coach to communicate within groups of people in a respectful and supportive way. Setting up norms and understanding those social norms will be important for the coach to understand, as well as use effective methods of communication, such as body language, willingness to listen, openness and accessibility behavior, words and physical presence (Burgoon, & Bacue, 2003). Understanding synergy within people and building collaborative communities is a crucial understanding that must be in the belief system of the math coaches.
In order to improve instruction, coaches must understand the importance of data, both of that generated by the students and of the teachers. With the use of data, coaches are able to monitor their results while maintaining motivation, ensuring that all students are learning adequate content with best instructional practices (Hull, Balka & Miles, 2009). The data collected has to be relevant and accurate and must be organized for further interpretation and application to inform how instructional practices are working.