Daniel Hartford

According to the table, Daniel hopes to get the following from coaching: a better understanding of how to apply [new literacy knowledge] in conversations with families and teams.

In talking with Daniel, I learned that he views himself as a “solver of problems”, and he prefers direct communication.  He uses idioms and says he gets stuck asking yes/no questions.

Daniel collaborates with the 5 Special Education teachers who serve about 90 students.  There are 500-560 students in the school, and he might see several in a day for a variety of reasons.  He is responsible for about 40 IEP reevaluations each year. In talking with Daniel,  I learned that he wants to be a better support for the SPED team and the students, especially in determining the best assessments to use.  He described the current assessment protocol as being primarily FastBridge, sometimes Quick Phonics Screener, and the assessments in Wilson Intensive Instruction. Daniel said that CBMs were not used consistently.

Currently, Daniel meets each week with the Special Education team to support them in whatever way is needed and to talk about student needs.  Daniel would like to broaden his knowledge and resource base and find opportunities to support teachers by better understanding what teachers need.

We talked about a short-term goal of asking more questions instead of leading with a solution.

We agreed that I would send a summary email of our conversation with a possible goal, and he would respond with corrections or revisions.

Suggested goal: By the end of September, during regular team meetings and in individual meetings with students, Daniel will become more of a partner than a solver, by asking more questions and offering fewer solutions related to literacy instructional issues. After each meeting, Daniel will reflect on how many questions he asked and how that led to more solution-focused dialogue by the team.