Notes
Coaching Session #5 – Reflection and Commitment to Change in Practice
Coachee: Kelly Seward
Date/Time: April 2, 2026 8:30 a.m.
Next Coaching Date/Time: April 16, 2026 3:00 p.m.
Overarching goal with students: The 3rd grade students in gifted education will be able to identify root words with 90% accuracy by April 3; identify prefixes including using words with prefixes correctly (grammatically) with 90% accuracy by April 30; identify and use suffixes with 90% accuracy by the end of the year. The success of the students will be assessed using a pre-test and post-test through SeeSaw. The strategy to be used will be a graphic organizer that asks students to correctly dissect a word but also use an illustration, drawing, and sentence to demonstrate understanding (possibly an adapted Frayer Model).
Problem of practice goal: This is the first year for teaching in the gifted education program. I will reflect in three different coaching sessions on my practice over this academic year. For the April 16, 2026 session, we will focus on reflecting on the beginning of the school year (August through October); for the April 30, 2026 session, we will focus on reflecting on the middle of the school year (November through February); and for the final coaching session, we will focus on reflecting on the end of this school year (March through mid-May). These reflections will help me to improve my practice for the next academic year.
Discussion during coaching session focused on current students’ progress toward goal: The students will be assessed for root word knowledge April 3, 2026. Kelly will let me know how the students perform, but it is likely that they will meet or exceed the goal of 90%. The students are very invested in exploring root words.
Questions to consider:
What worked? The students are mastering their exploration of root words, prefixes and suffixes. They are using what they have learned often and applying what they have learned in other situations and back in their regular education classrooms (as reported by classroom teachers).
What didn’t work? The learning has been very positive; everything is working. The students are continuing to work hard. Challenging the gifted students can be challenging for Kelly.
What accounts for the difference? Additional words and application.
What is next? Fully applying their learning during spelling. The students are not necessarily applying what they have learned when they take spelling tests and write in other areas of learning, however, there is no specific spelling curriculum and not all teachers are including spelling instruction in their classrooms. Looking further at word origins is also a possibility.
Would you have done anything differently? The students are learning; Kelly would not do anything differently.
What was most or least valuable? The most valuable was that students have a renewed vision of what phonics study is and they are excited about what they have learned. They understand that what they have learned about root words is important for reading and writing.
What is a problem of practice that you want to work on while continuing to work on your goal with your student(s)? This is the first year for teaching in the gifted education program. I will reflect in three different coaching sessions on my practice over this academic year. For the April 16, 2026 session, we will focus on reflecting on the beginning of the school year (August through October); for the April 30, 2026 session, we will focus on reflecting on the middle of the school year (November through February); and for the final coaching session, we will focus on reflecting on the end of this school year (March through mid-May). These reflections will help me to improve my practice for the next academic year.
Thinking back to the Schutz and Hoffman article, what is something you want to practice in your teaching? Kelly is encouraged to think about the “practice” of teaching as she implements the problem of practice.
Working on Next Steps
Think about what occurred at the beginning of the year, and we will discuss a set of questions at the next session.
Keep working on steps toward goal with your identified students that you want to meet by mid-April.