Fletcher Instructional Coach, Andrea Marsh works with teachers, Janna Anderson, Katie Zwald, Pam Gustafson and Joe Leone to learn the new ALL (Additional Language and Literacy) Block Curriculum. Submitted photo

“Instructional coaching benefits not only teachers but students too,” said Fletcher Elementary School Instructional Coach Andrea Marsh. “We make a big impact on teachers who then make a big impact on student learning. We have noticed tremendous gains in student engagement in the classrooms. Fletcher’s instructional coaches are a well-blended team, each with their unique strengths and they balance each other out, which offers multiple opportunities for Fletcher staff to incorporate them into their teaching.”

Instructional coaching is an essential component of an effective professional development program. Fletcher Elementary School instructional coaches, Stephanie David, Trevor Hitchcock and Andrea Marsh, help build skills, knowledge and capacity in classrooms because coaching can go where no other professional development has gone before: into the intellect, behaviors, practices, beliefs, values and feelings of an educator. Coaching creates a relationship in which a teacher feels cared for and is therefore able to access and implement new knowledge. A coach can foster conditions where deep reflection and learning can take place. A teacher can take risks to change his/her practice, where powerful conversations can take place and where growth is recognized and celebrated.

“I love being an instructional coach at Fletcher School,” said Mr. Hitchcock. “I think it is really important to have instructional coaches because we can help teachers focus on their individual needs in the classroom and find resources to help bring growth in teaching and learning. We can help teachers get to a place where they are sharing best practices with one another.”

The instructional coaches work closely with teachers to provide support in an area that they are looking to improve upon. Mrs. David uses the learning lab where she models instructional strategies and follows up with teachers in the classroom to provide feedback. Mr. Hitchcock helps teachers create tools to analyze and interpret student data using technology. Mrs. Marsh’s focus is related to curriculum work including starting guided reading in their classrooms, creating pacing calendars and helping develop common formative assessments for grade-levels to utilize.

Instructional coaches also plan in-service days for staff based on their needs. The Fletcher instructional coaches started a “pineapple chart” where teachers identify professional areas that they are interested in growing in allowing the coaches to provide personalized professional development.

Some recent trainings by the Fletcher instructional coaches have been: an additional language and literacy block for third and fourth grade students that extends the modules, implementation of Fletcher’s new website, curriculum workshops and Quick Tech afternoons with a 15-minute lesson on one aspect of technology that a group of teachers need to use.

“I want them to know that I am not an administrator, just a fellow teacher that is willing to help solve a problem that they may have with a lesson, a piece of technology, or an upcoming lesson that they may want an extra set of eyes and ears to watch and give feedback,” said Mr. Hitchcock.