the student wasn’t fully benefiting from the tools in place. While it may seem like a slow process, taking a coaching ap- proach will ultimately enable the teacher to identify effective strategies to support students struggling with AT integration. AT EXPERTISE AT professionals must carefully balance their roles as coaches, collaborators, and experts by assessing the needs of the edu- cators and the context. This nuanced discernment is supported by research in educational and professional development mod- els. According to Aguilar (2013), effective coaching requires col- laboration and empowerment to develop the skills and confi- dence necessary for independent implementation. In contrast, when educators face complex technical issues or are new to AT, it might be most important to provide AT expertise by offering specific guidance, technical knowledge, or immediate solutions (Park et al., 2021). At any given time, an AT professional may serve as a coach, collaborator, or expert, adapting their approach to the situation’s specific needs. This dynamic role requires flexibil- ity to solve immediate challenges while also building long-term capacity where educators can integrate and support AT. AT Professional Role Chart Role Characteristics Consultant Collaborator Coach Assumption You are not doing as well as you could be and I’m here to help There are concerns and together we can address them
An AT professional must consider several key indicators when determining the best approach. What is the educator’s foundational AT knowledge? If the goal is capacity building, a teacher who is unsure how to use a new AT device but is mo- tivated to experiment and committed to support the student might be ready for a coaching conversation. Coaching is ideal for complex and open-ended situations because exploration and experimentation are needed. However, when an educator lacks foundational knowledge about AT, the situation may initially require the AT professional to provide expert guidance. This expertise can help establish a clear path forward, including recommendations for training or resources to build the educator’s long-term skills. Similarly, when an immediate or critical need arises—such as including a visually impaired student in a classroom who requires a func- tioning screen reader—the situation demands expert action. In these time-sensitive scenarios, the AT professional’s specialized knowledge is essential to ensure rapid and effective solutions that minimize disruptions to the student’s learning experience. AT professionals balance the dual roles of expert and capacity- builder by addressing urgent needs while fostering skill devel- opment. Should I coach or consult? Reflection Questions for AT Pro- fessionals. 1. What does this educator already know about AT? 2. Does the situation require immediate action or special- ized expertise? 3. Will coaching in this context help the educator grow their skills and confidence? 4. How can I ensure the educator feels supported while also fostering independence? LEADERSHIP DRIVING AT COACHING SUCCESS AT professionals developing a coaching mindset is signifi- cantly influenced by the support of AT school leaders. Admin- istrators are critical in creating a culture where AT coaching and AT capacity building are expected, ensuring system-wide alignment and sustainability. School leaders impact the coach- ing process by setting clear expectations, providing resources, and promoting collaboration. For example, one of the districts partnering with the HQIILE project demonstrates the transformative power of adopting a coaching mindset across all staff levels. This district’s strate- gies have included opportunities for micro-professional devel- opment tailored to the unique feedback and identified needs of educators. Staff engage in weekly connections to celebrate successes, share effective practices, and collaboratively address challenges in meeting both student and staff needs. The team analyzes data monthly to identify trends and refine their strate-
You are highly skilled and valuable and could be even better Decision making processes, perceptions, values, mental models Listening, pausing, probing, questioning, paraphrasing, and withholding advice, judgements or interpretations. “What might be some ways you can incorporate his AT use during reading?” To transform the teacher’s thoughts and perceptions about AT, to develop decision making, self- monitoring, and reflection skills.
Conversation focus on:
Policies, procedures, behaviors, strategies.
Generating information, problem solving and action planning. Mutual brainstorming, clarifying, advocating, deciding, identifying steps to be taken.
Conversations are characterized by:
Recommendations, Rationale, advice, suggestions, and demonstrations.
You might hear:
“Here are serveral ways to approach the integration of the use of his AT during reading.” To inform regarding the law, student needs, policies and procedures, or specifics strategies. To provide technical assistance.
“How van we develop a plan for his AT use during reading?”
The goal is:
To work together to solve instructioal problems, to apply and test shared ideas, approaches and solutions.
The source of accountability is: The support role in relation to the teacher.
The specialist.
The teacher and specailist together
The teacher.
Expert.
Colleague.
Mediator of thinking.
Bowser, G. and Reed, P. (2012 Adapted from Costa and Garmston (2002, Cognitive Coaching Copyright: Gayl Bowser (gaylbowser@aol.com) and Penny Reed (1happypenny@gmail.com Permissio to use is granted if credit is retained.
February / March, 2025 | https://www.closingthegap.com/benefits-of-membership/ 33 Closing The Gap © 2025 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator