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and cognitive coaching, yet meaningful dialogue cannot occur if there is a lack of
            trust, empathy, care, or genuine attention given to each individual in the partnership.
            A skillful coach understands the importance of utilizing probing and questioning
            to push teachers to think metacognitively and actualize their strengths and areas of
            growth. In this facilitative conversation, the coach serves as a thought partner and
            empowers the novice to develop action steps that will support his or her teaching
            and  student  learning. As  a  teacher  progresses  toward  his  or  her  goals,  coaching
            interactions may continue to support the teacher or their work together may conclude.   Dr. Julie Bell is Assistant
                                                                                              Professor of Secondary
            Coaching Vignette                                                                 Literacy Education at the
                                                                                              University of Nebraska
                   Amanda Steiner: As I reflect on my preservice experience and first year    at Omaha. juliebell@
                   of  teaching,  I  know  that  my  career  transpired  because  of  the  support  I  unomaha.edu
                   received from strong mentors and coaches, yet I also know my experience
                   is not representative of everyone’s. That is why 8 years ago, when I was
                   invited to help a university create and implement instructional coaching with
                   preservice teachers, I jumped in. After attending training from Jim Knight
                   on instructional coaching and a workshop on mentoring, my colleagues and
                   I set off to work.
                       As I began to develop a partnership with my preservice students and
                   observed their work in field-based practicums, I quickly found myself in
                   uncharted  waters.  Classrooms  are  complex  spaces,  and  as  I  observed
                   instruction, I found myself overwhelmed with where to direct my attention
                   during observations. As I grew in my practice, I narrowed my focus during
                   observations to the big four: classroom management, content, instruction,
                   and assessment for learning (Knight, 2007). I collected observational data in
                   these four areas and used cognitive coaching (Costa & Garmston, 2002) to
                   frame questions that allowed the teacher candidate and me to have a targeted,
                   inquiry-based conversation. From this experience, I became aware of how
                   the context of a question aided in facilitating the conversation.
                       As I practiced my craft, I grew in my understanding of the power of
                   listening. This allowed me to meet preservice teachers where they were to
                   provide individualized support. Engaging in reflective dialogue led to setting
                   goals with clearly defined action steps. As teacher candidates made progress
                   toward their goals and grew in their practice, the duration of my work with
                   each  teacher  candidate  became  more  episodic. This  allowed  my  work  to
                   evolve by developing new partnerships or providing more targeted support
                   (i.e., planning, modeling, co-teaching) to others. Ultimately, as a coach I
                   knew how important it is for teachers to reflect on their practice and set
                   actionable goals, yet through this work I quickly learned that it is equally
                   important for coaches to also engage in reflection, so they can grow as well.

                                   Opportunities and Challenges
               Traditional mentoring practices (i.e., expert and buddy mentoring) are rooted
            in a more knowledgeable other providing support to a novice teacher. Traditional
            mentors use their expertise to advise novice teachers or provide resources (Trevathan
            & Sandretto, 2017). The foundation of mentoring is built through establishing a
            relationship between the mentor and mentee. Establishing a relationship is also a
            key component of educative mentoring and coaching, yet a noted difference between


            Educators’ Choice                                                                                  29
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