When I began my coaching campaign this academic year, I was fully online, which meant that I could record my coaching conversations and watch them back with the coachee’s permission. I check off the type of questions I have used and write supplementary notes on where to improve next time. Usually, it turns out that I talk too much, or I don’t have the poker face I thought I did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that I am back on campus, I’m struggling to use the checklist because recording takes away from the fluidity of my conversations. When I sit with the checklist after a conversation, I don’t have a video to use, which hinders the “doing” nature of the reflection. I am, however, a problem solver, so what I have been attempting is to take the checklist with me to my meetings and mark it off as I go. It has been going ok so far, but when I have to come back to my desk and upload everything, I tend to slack. Maybe an iPad is my best bet here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Note<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, my current checklist focuses on the competency of questioning, but as coaches, we know that listening is just as\u2014if not more\u2014important. My plan is to show that I’m satisfied with this skill, and then add a column that allows me to become a better listener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the goal that I have set for myself this year is attainable, but it will require me to be extremely deliberate in taking the time to indulge in reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About Our Guest Blogger<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer is a first year instructional coach in the Middle East. Coming from Ireland, where instructional coaching is not something many are familiar with, the concept was brand new to her until 3 years ago. In her tenth year in education, she has experience teaching in Ireland, London, Sri Lanka, and Kuwait. As an English Literature and Language teacher, she has taught grades 6-12 with most of her time spent doing what she likes best\u2014helping get Grade 8 students ready for their high school journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first year coach, one of Jennifer’s goals is to improve her questioning and listening skills, and in turn, help teachers and administrators understand the power of self-reflection and its link to classroom effectiveness. She hopes to build connections with new and experienced coaches through social media. By sharing her reflection tools, Jennifer wants to help new coaches in their self-reflection for improvement journey and hopes to receive feedback from any experienced coaches that might help her improve.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":7305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[87,456,457,78,458],"class_list":["post-6084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development","tag-communication","tag-guest-blogger","tag-instructional-coaching","tag-professional-development","tag-resources"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n