GLEAN START COACHES NEWSLETTER
September 2019
WAYS TO PROVIDE COACHING
What is the role of a coach???
- Helping to create a culture of reflective practice in the classroom
- Assisting staff with understanding and transforming into a systems approach
- Build capacity in your district by sharing and communicating
Qualities of an Effective Coach
Relationships
- Trust - Trust develops from consistent actions that show colleagues you are reliable, cooperative and committed to team success.
- Communication - Communication is intended to be a two-way street. Don’t just talk because you are the leader without listening to anyone else. Communicating is more than just talking. It’s about connecting with people.
- Connections - Social connection provides a sense of unity in the workplace, which is essential for cultivating creativity, teamwork, and collaboration. People with positive relationships become more dedicated and motivated to perform their best.
- Commitment - For a committed team, goals are not just a number, date or a target; it is a vision and journey for them.
- Care - Throughout a typical work week, employees will interact more with their colleagues than loved ones. The best leaders are those who lead from the heart, those who have the ability to inspire others through kindness, flexibility, and support.
Communication
- Empathic listening - When we listen empathically we’re focusing our attention on the person who’s talking; we’re focused on climbing inside their head and seeing the world as they see it.
- Active listening - Active listeners avoid interrupting at all costs, summarize and repeat back what they have heard, and observe body language to give them an extra level of understanding.
- Awareness of non-verbal cues - Non-verbal cues can be as important, if not more important than what we say. Start to build awareness of your facial expressions, tone of voice, proximity, eye contact, and body language.
- Providing thoughtful feedback - Remember, you are simply providing the gift of information for them to decide whether they would like to action or not. Try to remain detached from the outcome and emotionally neutral, listen to what the other person has to say, and thank them for their time.
- Acknowledgment - A simple acknowledgment can make a significant difference. An acknowledgment recognizes the whole of the person, both who they are being and what they are doing.
Emotional Intelligence
- Self -awareness - This skill allows you to spot your emotions as they arise rather than in the aftermath of a difficult situation. Self-awareness helps you to anticipate the upcoming emotional reaction by defining and being aware of the things that drive you towards those emotions.
- Empathy - Empathy is feeling with someone, while sympathy is feeling for someone. To relate, to communicate, to effectively problem solve, we need to be able to get out of our own experience and feel the experience of another.
- Self Regulation - Self-regulation is all about expressing your emotions and responses to situations appropriately. Engage in reflective practices: thinking back over situations enables us to analyze and understand why we acted in the way that we did, and this, in turn, can help us to behave more intelligently in the future.
- Motivation - Motivating yourself and others to act starts with being clear on what you want to achieve. The only thing more contagious than enthusiasm is the lack of it.
- Social Skills - Proficiency in managing relationships and building networks, and an ability to find common ground and build rapport. This includes effectiveness in leading change, persuasiveness, and expertise in building and leading teams.
STRATEGIES FOR COACHING
Leverage Technology
- Utilize online tools such as Google Drive to share tools, resources and communicate.
- Share the Smore Newsletter with colleagues
Set Goals
- Construct 1 or 2 clear goals
- Utilize the CETA for goal planning
- Design a route to meet those goals
- Discuss possible barriers
Follow-Up
- Schedule regular times to meet and review progress
- Check-in with how they are doing
- Send an email or note with an acknowledgment of their hard work
Utilize the CETA when coaching individuals and/or teams!
BOOK RECOMMENDATION!
2019-2020 START Trainings at GISD
Please follow this link to the GISD Professional Learning Catalog for more information and registration for START training in Genesee County. Please consider sharing this information with colleagues and administrators.
September 30, 2019
Positive Behavior Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
October 18, 2019
Literacy and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
November 6, 2019
Working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder for Para-Educators
December 6, 2019
Meeting Mechanics
February 28, 2020 (1/2 day morning session)
Transitional planning for the next year
February 28, 2020 (1/2 day afternoon session)
Early Childhood Foundations for Learning and Behavior Support
March 10, 2020
Other START training is available through a partnership with Livingston ESA including:
Looking at ASD Differently
Educational Strategies and Supports for Students with ASD
Positive Behavior Supports for Students with ASD
And more!
Please contact your local GISD Teacher Consultant for ASD for further information.
State-level Peer to Peer training in East Lansing
November 5 & 6, 2019
Additional START training offered around the state can be found here.
GISD will be offering a START Mini Intensive training with a K-6 focus this year. Teams attend together and receive 4 days of training throughout the year to plan for a target student. Please contact your ASD TC for more information and registration.
GISD START Coaches Training
Mark your calendars for two START Coaches trainings for the 2019-2020 school year:
Monday, October 21, 2019
Monday, February 10, 2020
Topics and registration will be coming soon!
GISD Special Education Consultants & START Coach Leaders
If you have changed buildings or districts, please let your TC know so we can update our records. We will be in touch soon to establish bi-monthly coaches meetings for the year.
Barb Olszewski
Alex Keesling
Laura Henry
Kelli Pierscinski
Angie Grindel
GISD's Regional Collaborative Network (RCN) has partnered with Livingston ESA to strengthen our resources and collaborate to bring your MORE amazing things from START. We were previously known as CAN4GCA but will now be GLEAN (Genesee-Livingston Educational Autism Network).