Admin of LT Week 3

This week’s blog will focus on course design and coaching for SMART goal attainment. The course being developed is to help with the following SMART goal:

To enhance my instructional practice, I will complete 1 written reflection about a lesson that involved a student-centered technology activity, once a week throughout the 1st and 2nd quarters of the school year. The reflections will be written using a digital reflection log on a Google Doc. These reflections will focus on lesson effectiveness, student engagement, and instructional adjustments, and will incorporate digital tools such as student performance data from online platforms (IXL), digital exit tickets, and student work samples collected through Seesaw/Google Classroom. Reflections will be documented within 24 hours of the lesson in the digital log, allowing me to track progress over time and make timely adjustments to improve my future lessons.

Part 1- To help develop this course, I chose to read an article written by Stephen P. Gordon (2022) that discusses how Kolb’s (2015)  experiential learning cycle (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation) can be used with educational supervision to help teachers learn and grow professionally. 

After reading this article, I have considered several ideas as I develop this LMS course. Kolb’s (2015) experiential learning cycle will need to be explained to peers, as many may not be familiar with it and will need a basic understanding of the framework to move forward. In the first module of the LMS, I would provide a link to Kolb’s article for learners to read and refer to throughout the course as needed. The SMART goal aligns with Kolb’s opinion of being reflective. Our “concrete experience” is the digital reflection log learners will be completing throughout the course. I will be the lead learner by modeling how I would complete a reflection log and how I will use it along with student data to shape my next lesson. Learners will then be required to upload their first reflection log as the module assignment. 

Part 2- The Cognitive Coaching approach can be used to support teacher technology use practices that are aligned with the Danielson framework and ISTE standards. My SMART goal is aimed at building teachers’ reflective practices by using technology. I am having them write weekly reflections, which allow for reflective observation and self-directed growth according to Costa & Garmston (2016). Incorporating digital tools to collect student data gives teachers a source to analyze the change in their instruction and how it has impacted student performance. Reflection aligns with both the ISTE Standards for Educators (2025) and my district's evaluation framework, Danileson. The SMART goal requires teachers to self-assess to strengthen their practices. 

From learning about the Cognitive Coaching approach, when I design my LMS, I will keep in mind to keep a nonjudgmental stance. Instead of focusing on the negative, I will model asking questions that promote a “mediated thinking process”. For example, instead of asking “What went wrong this lesson?” I will ask “How did the students respond to this lesson?” and “What does success look like in this lesson?” When working with teachers 1 on 1, I will ask them to try and find trends in their students’ data and see what if they can find what is causing these trends whether is negative or positive. 

Part 3- As I reflect on this process of being a facilitator of peer learning, I addressed the following ISTE standards for Coaches and Education Leaders (2025):

Coach

• Change Agent- By requiring the use of a digital reflection log, I am inspiring educators to create high-quality learning for their students after reflecting on their instructional practices.

• Connected Learner- I am providing an environment for educators to learn from one another and focus on reflection strategies that will help improve their instructional practices, which will help with student learning outcomes. 

Education Leader

• Digital Citizen Advocate- Promoting the act of being reflective will benefit the students and the educators. This is because by reflecting on their work, they will find ways to make sure all of their students' needs are being met when using technology. 

The ISTE Essential Conditions (2025)  also support this work, having provided ongoing evaluation by having learners complete weekly reflections, which will promote the growth of their instructional practices. I am sharing the template with them all, so I am creating equitable access for learners to strive. 

References

Costa, A. L., & Garmston, R. J. (2015). Cognitive Coaching: Developing Self-Directed Leaders and Learners, 3rd Edition. Rowman & Littlefield: Lanham. 

Gordon, S. P. (2022). Integrating the experiential learning cycle with educational supervision. Journal of Educational Supervision, 5 (3). https://doi.org/10.31045/jes.5.3.1 

International Society for Technology in Education. (2025). ISTE standards: For coaches. https://iste.org/standards/coaches 

International Society for Technology in Education. (2025). ISTE standards: For education leaders. https://iste.org/standards/education-leaders 

International Society for Technology in Education. (2025). Essential Conditions for Effective Tech Use in Schools. https://iste.org/non-essential-conditions-for-effective-tech-use-in-schools 

Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.