Prior to embarking on a career in education, Davis worked as a business analyst spending her days looking for ways to break models and programs, in an effort to make them better. She now applies those skills, coupled with her advanced researching prowess on her quest to constantly improve educators and mentors, while also pursuing her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.

Ursula is constantly pushing the limits of learning and boundaries, all in pursuit of improving the teachers and peer-to-peer mentors within her district.

The soon-to-be Dr. Davis recently shared some of the resources that have inspired her during the buildout of the K-12 teacher induction program at RCPS, many of which will also be cited in her dissertation – “Impact of Video Coaching with Elementary Induction Teachers“, which will examine how elementary school induction teachers perceive video coaching as a job-embedded professional development strategy.

The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12
By Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, & John Hattie

The pandemic teaching of mid-2020 was not really distance learning, but rather crisis teaching. But starting now, teachers have the opportunity to prepare for distance learning with purpose and intent – using what works best to accelerate students’ learning all the while maintaining an indelible focus on equity.

Harnessing the insights and experience of renowned educators Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie, The Distance Learning Playbook applies the wisdom and evidence of VISIBLE LEARNING® research to understand what works best with distance learning. Spanning topics from teacher-student relationships, teacher credibility and clarity, instructional design, assessments, and grading, this comprehensive playbook details the research- and evidence-based strategies teachers can mobilize to deliver high- impact learning in an online, virtual, and distributed environment

Hattie Model of Feedback
John Hattie – Visible Learning

Performance Feedback plays a critical role in the coaching cycle.  It is when the coach presents data on the teacher’s performance they obtained from the Observation they performed.  Feedback can be formal or informal and is thought to be so important to achieving a successful outcome from the coaching experience that some researchers consider it to be an evidence-based practice in and of itself.  Feedback is said to be most effective when it is specific, timely, positive, and corrective if necessary. There are a few ways a coach can deliver their feedback to the teacher; written, face-to-face, or via a video – all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. 

Davis is currently digesting the wealth of knowledge that is this feedback structure. She is working on a way to deliver this information through a series of trainings for administrators, that they can then redeliver to teachers to apply it to the district’s peer-to-peer feedback model.

Get Better Faster: A 90-Day Plan for Coaching New Teachers
by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

There are many different coaching models in existence, but most are based on similar principles and are applicable to teachers in Early Education, Early Intervention, K12, and Higher Education.  These models showcase the best practices for improving an individual teacher’s performance. There are 4 broad categories of an effective coaching cycle for teachers: Observation, Modeling, Performance Feedback, and Alliance Building Strategies.

The Beginning Teacher’s Field Guide: Embarking on your first year
By Tina Boogren

The joys and pains of starting a teaching career often go undiscussed. This field guide dives deep into the personal side of teaching, offering crucial advice, empathy, and new-teacher support. The author details six phases every new or first-year teacher goes through (anticipation, survival, disillusionment, rejuvenation, reflection, and second anticipation) and outlines targeted classroom strategies, teaching tips, and self-care practices for each.

* Ursala says: It is as important for administrators who are coaching and working with new teachers, as it is for new teachers to read.

Supporting Beginning Teachers: Classroom Strategies
By Tina Boogren

Give new teachers the time and professional guidance they need to become expert teachers. Investigate key research, and examine the four types of support-physical, emotional, instructional, and institutional-that are crucial during a teacher’s first year in the classroom. Discover essential strategies for K-12 mentors, coaches, and school leaders to develop an effective mentoring program schoolwide. 

Jim Knight, Founder of Instructional Coaching at Learning Forward 2017

Learning to integrate video into instructional coaching takes practice. One mistake that Jim Knight originally made in his own instructional coaching was not utilizing the video strategically and at the right time within the coaching process. Jim reveals his best practices and worst mistakes for instructional coaching with video. Read the entire blog from Edthena here.

* RCPS secured permission from Jim Knight’s Instructional Coaching to incorporate the Watch Yourself and Watch Your Students rubric into their program.

Teaching in the Online Classroom – Surviving and Thriving in the New Normal
By Doug Lemov

A timely guide to online teaching strategies – School closures in response to the covid-19 coronavirus pandemic resulted in an immediate and universal pivot to online teaching. More than 3.7 million teachers in the U.S. were suddenly asked to teach in an entirely new setting with little preparation and no advance notice. This has caused an unprecedented threat to children’s education, giving rise to an urgent need for resources and guidance. The New Normal is a just-in-time response to educators’ call for help. Teaching expert Doug Lemov and his colleagues spent weeks studying videos of online teaching and they now provide educators in the midst of this transition with a clear guide to engaging and educating their students online. 

Video in Teacher Learning: Through Their Own Eyes
By Laura Baecher

Video recording is the only feedback method that allows educators to view their teaching through their own eyes. Video in Teacher Learning provides guidance on how to get started and how to engage in nonjudgmental, descriptive analysis using this powerful tool.  Written for instructional coaches, administrators, supervisors, and individual teachers.

Ursala Davis and the RCPS administration are constantly seeking ways to enhance their teacher induction program, exploring every opportunity to improve and support the educators within the district. We at Torsh are proud to be a part of those efforts, by providing a platform that is flexible enough to support their ever-evolving needs.

Hear what mentors within the RCPS have to say about the value of TORSH Talent to the program.

Interested in how Torsh could improve your school or district’s professional learning program? Click here to connect.

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Who are Teacher Coaches?

There seems to be no debate that coaching is important for teachers, but who are these special people who can help make a teacher better?  Frequently, a special education teacher who has expertise in cutting edge instructional practices will become a coach. School psychologists also have the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to be a coach and often are.  Teachers with years of in-classroom experience who also are up-to-date on the latest best practices for teaching can transition a coaching role as well.    

There are a few common traits among these groups of coaches.  One is that they are experts in the field. They are also experienced and are highly educated on best teaching practices.  They are committed to helping other teachers deepen their practice and identify areas from growth. Finally, they work collaboratively with their mentees and are good relationship builders.  

Coaching Cycle

There are many different coaching models in existence, but most are based on similar principles and are applicable to teachers in Early Education, Early Intervention, K12, and Higher Education.  These models showcase the best practices for improving an individual teacher’s performance. There are 4 broad categories of an effective coaching cycle for teachers: Observation, Modeling, Performance Feedback, and Alliance Building Strategies.

Observation

Observation refers to directly watching a teacher perform in their learning environment and is the entry point into a coaching relationship.  The main purpose of observation is to give the coach a baseline on the teacher’s practices and how they apply them in a real-world setting. By familiarizing themselves with how the teacher operates in the classroom the coach is then able to suggest areas for improvement, provide further information on evidence-based practices or another area of performance feedback, or to model evidence-based practices with the teacher.   Observation can be performed in-person or by video for review at a later time.

Modeling

Modeling is also referred to as demonstrating or learning and is a coach showing a teacher how to properly use a practice that the teacher has been using incorrectly or in a less than an ideal manner.  The purpose of modeling goes beyond simply demonstrating the best way to deploy an evidence-based practice; it is a way for the coach to show how the practice directly impacts the student.  

Performance Feedback

Performance Feedback plays a critical role in the coaching cycle.  It is when the coach presents data on the teacher’s performance they obtained from the Observation they performed.  Feedback can be formal or informal and is thought to be so important to achieving a successful outcome from the coaching experience that some researchers consider it to be an evidence-based practice in and of itself.  Feedback is said to be most effective when it is specific, timely, positive, and corrective if necessary. There are a few ways a coach can deliver their feedback to the teacher; written, face-to-face, or via a video – all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. 

Alliance Building Strategies

The final step in the cycle is Alliance Building Strategies which references the interpersonal interaction between the coach and mentee.  Creating and maintaining a strong and positive relationship can ultimately lead to higher quality work and progress from the coaching event.  The success of the teacher/coach relationship is dependent on the coach’s interpersonal skills, collaboration skills, and expertise in the subject matter they are coaching.  In summary, an alliance is a collaborative partnership that encourages and reinforces the teacher’s goals and needs in a positive way which helps them be more receptive to the information presented by the coach and to learn to be better at improving student outcomes.

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Early Intervention Programs

Early Intervention has been proven valuable enough to warrant programs being available in all 50 states and in many countries around the world.   Programs can be based in a central school location, out of the child’s home, or some combination of the two. Although there is a vast range of services and programs, they often fall into five broad categories of focus: Self-Help (dressing, eating), Physical (crawling, walking), Communication (listening, speaking), Cognitive (problem-solving, learning), and Social/Emotional (playing, feeling secure).  

Programs are available near you (if you are in the United States).

Early Intervention Service Coordinator

An Early Intervention Service Coordinator serves as the primary point of contact for the parents of a developmentally challenged child.  They play a key role in helping parents access the services provided by their specific program. In addition, they facilitate and periodically review the child’s customized development plan, organize and maintain documentation of evaluations and assessments, coordinate funding, and initiate a transition plan when the child is ready to move onto preschool, school, or elsewhere.  

Early Intervention Specialist

An early education specialist is a trained educator who works directly with developmentally challenged young children and their families who are enrolled in Early Intervention programs.  They sometimes will join the child in their preschool, but more frequently work one-on-one with them in their home. Their main functions are to perform an evaluation, create a treatment or educational plan, suggest learning activities, establish realistic development goals, and monitor progress.  They can suggest specific social service specialists if that is what the child needs such as an audiologist, speech pathologist, or occupational therapist.  

Transition to Preschool from Early Intervention

Sometime after the child turns 2, the Early Intervention Service Coordinator will start the conversation about moving from the current EI program into Preschool.  Ensuring a smooth shift from an Early Intervention program to Preschool is all about preparation, communication, and support. There is first a transition meeting where the child’s care team and family will create a transition plan.  This plan will set goals and discuss the child’s current performance levels and the effects that may have in their new environment. A list of action items is created and can be helpful in assuring the parents and child are prepared for the upcoming changes.  

Embedded Coaching in Early Intervention

Embedded Coaching connects a family-centered approach with evidence-based best practices in Early Intervention programs.  The objective is to enable Early Intervention Specialists to collaborate with families to strengthen a child’s development within their existing routines.  Coaching strategies are based on a few factors. First and foremost are the family and the child’s strengths and interests. Family history, goals, concerns, resources, and priorities are then considered along with the specialist’s own observations.  A discussion is then had regarding the best way to help the child learn. At its core, Embedded Coaching is all about supporting and enabling parents to be better parents.

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In the world of education, professional learning is the term used to encompass a diverse collection of methods that have the goal of improving teacher performance and thereby student outcomes.  Some of the methods used are advanced professional learning workshops or clinics, specialized training events, and formal educational courses. Professional learning has been proven to be an effective way to increase educators’ performance so much so that it is often a requirement for all teachers to perform a mandated amount each year.

Benefits of Professional Learning

The most important benefit of professional learning is that it improves student learning outcomes.  By keeping teachers up to date on the latest teaching techniques and increasing their knowledge base on the subject material in their field, they are able to deliver a highly relevant and engaging level of instruction in a way that better serves their pupils.  A study conducted by the U.S Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences has shown an approximately 21% increase in student achievement that can be attributed to a good professional learning program. In addition, when educators improve their skills and the outcomes they deliver through professional learning, they become more effective educators and achieve a higher level of job satisfaction.

Professional Learning Models

There are numerous models for professional learning programs; here are a few examples that have shown to be effective.  The first is the Observation and Assessment model which involves an experienced professional learning provider observing a teacher in action in the classroom and providing them with structured feedback.  A variation on that model is the Open Classroom model where a teacher invites colleagues in to observe them delivering a lesson and ask them to provide feedback afterward. Lesson Study is another model in which teachers collaboratively work on a lesson over a period of time.  During that period they observe, collect data, and ultimately make changes to improve it. Finally, the Training model involves having an expert teacher design and present the learning activities and objectives for a particular course of focused study.

Types of Professional Learning for Teachers

There are 2 primary types of professional learning for teachers: workshops and in-class observation.  Workshops can take many forms but generally speaking, they are instructional events that occur in a single session or on a periodic basis that concentrate on relevant and proven methods for improving performance using research-based best practices derived from educational literature.  A typical workshop can consist of a presentation where new information is delivered to teachers, a collaborative group discussion of the topics presented, and individual contemplation or exercise based on the material.         

In-class observation can be accomplished in a few ways as well.  A traditional method of observation is when a mentor, coach, or expert colleague/administrator physically sits in on a teacher delivering a lesson, providing feedback afterward.  Similarly, a fellow teacher or group of peers will watch a teacher and provide them with constructive criticism and helpful suggestions. A relatively newer tool for in-class observation is video observation, in which a teacher’s lesson is filmed for later review and feedback from others, or maybe reviewed by the teacher themselves to gain perspective on their own performance in action.

Professional Learning Strategies

There are a few common strategies that can be employed to make professional learning more effective.  One easy one is to keep it simple. By reducing the number of goals or priorities for PD it allows teachers to focus on those that are the most important and deeply integrate those practices into their routine.  A complementary strategy is to be patient. Even with a reduced load of goals, it takes time for newly learned information to be fully implemented and for results to be seen. This leads to the strategy of support which lets teachers know that their administration is committed to their professional learning and will provide all necessary follow-up support to ensure their success.  Finally, a strong professional learning strategy is to make sure there is a full feedback loop to help the teachers see the data and changes brought on by implementing what they learned in their PD program and adjust their teaching accordingly.

Professional Learning Online

There is an enormous quantity of online courses available to teachers.  Good online courses teach the most current best-practices available, are interactive, support collaboration, and allow teachers to learn at their own pace.  Mobile-friendly courses help make participation easier and more convenient for educators. Video observation and sharing are also accessible online. This tool makes it easier for teachers to get coaching help and receive feedback irrespective of their location.  There are online forums, support groups, and resources out there as well which can contribute to a successful online PD experience.

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