2022 Education magazine

Page 32 2022 Education Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS February / March 2022 M ount Pulaski CUSD 23 has implemented an Instructional Coaching program this school year. Instructional Coaches are individuals who partner with teachers to set goals for classroom teaching and learning, identify instructional strategies for meeting those goals, train and/or model strategies for classroom instruction, and provide support until the goals are met. An Instructional Coach is a professional development resource for staff members who can help support learning, growth, and achievement of all students. Teachers have an opportunity to develop instructional methods that are strategically selected based on their individual classroom and students’ needs. Instructional Coaching for Grades 9 through 12 At Mount Pulaski High School, Mrs. Linda Smith serves as the Instructional Coach. She earned her bachelor’s in English from Eastern Illinois University with a secondary education emphasis and her Masters in Teaching in Learning from Nova Southeastern University. She is an internationally certified life coach and a published author. Having experience at the secondary level of education, Mrs. Smith brings both urban and rural exposure as well as several varieties of modalities of teaching in her nearly 30 years of being a classroom teacher. Her passion lies in teaching others how to find their gifts and to accentuate their strengths. To date, Mrs. Smith has worked with several teachers who wish to align their curriculum with state standards as well as develop corresponding assessments which best reflect the mastery level of students. In addition, she has partnered with a variety of teachers to develop novel units, review games, and manipulatives as well as provided assistance in preparing instructors for observation cycles. One of the many benefits Mrs. Smith has seen thus far is the willingness of several teachers to continue to refine their exceptional skills, modeling how lifelong learning is evident for their students. Instructional Coaching from Pre-k - Grade Eight Mrs. Jenny Mendenhall serves as the Instructional Coach at Mount Pulaski Grade Instructional Coaching Program at Mount Pulaski CUSD 23 By Heather Fricke, Danielle Lora, Jenny Mendenhall and Linda Smith Continued p