Course Description : Academic Coaches

I am very interested in the position of Learning Coach within USD 497. With experience in both K-12 and higher education, I have a very diverse skillset that reflects my passion to support students, teachers and administrators in the pursuit of improving teaching and learning. As an Instructional Coach (IC) for the Katy Independent School District (KISD) in Katy, Texas and a School Improvement Specialist (SIS) for the Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD) in Houston, Texas, I experienced great success creating a positive and supportive work environment, guiding collaborative planning teams and refocusing instructional strategies that eventually led to improved test scores and learning outcomes. In both of these positions, I successfully

Describe the re-engagement lesson you designed to develop each focus student’s mathematical knowledge in relation to the targeted learning objective/goal. Your description should include

This year, in MA103 I hope to greater develop my problem solving and mathematical skills. In order for this to happen, I have a few expectations for the course. On top of course expectations, I also have expectations for the instructor and myself that I hope will be met throughout the semester.

The primary goal of the lesson sequence was to actively engage students through fostering problem solving skills and develop conceptual understanding about mathematics. Consequently a range of authentic learning experiences that aimed to actively engage learners through the use of real life contexts, concrete materials and peer collaboration was incorporated in the lessons. The purpose of designing authentic learning experiences was to enthral students in true mathematical problem solving. Fisher, (2005) supports this theory by stating ‘The true use of maths is seen in its application to real-life problems. The activities throughout the lesson plan were intended to support students in actively constructing knowledge by completely immersing students in relevant and authentic learning experiences to become an expert on the content.

With CCSS being present in 2016 in most states it is of relevance to take it in to consideration that it will be around for a while. In years to come, CCSS may become the standards in all states. In order to ensure that there are no refusals to work with these standards, administration and faculty in high schools across the United States should find a way to accommodate these new common core state standards. This can be done through reassuring individual teachers that they are able to teach the new standards in ways that are easy for them, showing different ways to help students achieve a higher-order of thinking, and offer a better way to connect students previous knowledge to knowledge they are currently receiving.

Of the effective classroom practices discussed in this Module, select two. Describe their importance for teaching mathematics. Discuss how you plan to put these practices into effect in your own

Instructional Coaching: I provided instructional coaching with a first-year teacher from January, 2016-March, 2016. I worked with the teacher to plan lessons that aligned to the course standards. We began with designing an appropriate assessment for each unit and then discussed various strategies and techniques that would help students achieve mastery. I assisted the teacher with differentiation in the lessons to meet all students' needs and then co-taught with the teacher for the first two weeks of the coaching cycle to model lesson integration and classroom management.

This paper serves to compare the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards for Secondary Mathematics (NCTM), Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and Virginia’s Standards of Learning (VSOL). The comparison will include similarities and differences among the three documents as well as discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Lastly, a combined set of standards will be developed and presented, encompassing the strengths of the various standards.

Fortunately, the CCSS holds students to a higher standard than those set by NCLB. Students are now turning away from mere memorization and regurgitation of information given to them by their teachers. Instead, they are taught “standard detail skills and basic concepts that students should master in each grade in mathematics and in the broad realm of English language arts and literacy” (Clemmitt, 2014). The CCSS were created by “The National Governors Association and the Council of

The written coaching fails to establish a true timeline of events. There are two different incidence that were addressed in this write-up. One states I failed to communicate with the pending applicant which caused the unit to lose out on a candidate; the other case stated that I processed the applicant into the system with an incomplete background check. There was no true timeline established which showed that Iwas at fault for the delay. It was a delay in processing the applicant into the system with reasoning, which was due to not being able to reach the applicant.

I met with nineteen individuals (listed below) and one group during my three-day visit. I was not able to meet with two people due to a schedule a conflict and vacation. I met with three new people due to promotions or new leadership assignments.

Due to the success of programs such as Math-in-CTE and Literacy-in-CTE, state leaders are pushing to implement a statewide training for CTE instructors, in the hopes that it may help current CTE instructors develop a higher understanding of CCSS math and literacy. State leaders also believe that CTE teachers should create lesson plans which help to develop students’ reading, thinking, and problem-solving skills, thus helping teachers understand CCSS better, while also implementing it into the students’ education (About the Standards, 2014). Overall, mandatory state training for CTE teachers needing to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to teach CCSS should be implemented, as it appears to be the most efficient and effective way to prepare teachers to teach CCSS

Coaching. Killion, Harrison., Bryan, & Clifton (2012) describe the work of the coach as resource provider, data deliver and interpreter, curriculum specialist, instructional specialist, mentor, provider of professional development, and change agent.

The role of a College Coach is not a job, more accurately it is not only a job. More completely being a College Coach is an experience. I feel that it is possible to learn from a traditional job, but I went into becoming a College Coach intending mainly to learn.

Upon successful completion of this project I will identify an existing problem of a team that I am a part of and I will act as team leader and develop a coaching plan to solve this problem. I will use my current place of employment as an example. As team leader, I will lead the resolution to the problem and build a more cohesive and productive team.