Pennsylvania Institute for Instructional Coaching — A Partnership Between the Annenberg Foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Education
January 2017 event is largest PLO yet! PDF Print E-mail

Instructional coaches, district administrators, PIIC Mentors, and Regional Mentor Coordinators (RMC) from around the state came to the Penn Stater Conference Center for PIIC’s latest Professional Learning Opportunity (PLO) that took place January 4-6.   It was the largest PIIC PLO in history! 

The event kicked off on January 4th at noon with PIIC Executive Director, Ellen Eisenberg, welcoming the attendees.   After the guests were welcomed, Jamie Pitcavage led the group in an ice breaker activity.  After the ice breaker, Ellen Eisenberg facilitated Coaching 101.5! for the new PIIC participants to learn about the PIIC Instructional Coaching Model.  Veterans attended one of other five pre-selected breakout sessions:

·         Instructional Learning Visits (ILVs) facilitated by Bruce Eisenberg, PIIC Associate Director, and education consultant Skip McCann;

·           The Coach’s Role in Hybrid Learning and the Station-Rotation Model facilitated by IU PIIC     

  Mentor Christine Mitchelltree, and Instructional Coach Donna Spear; 

·         Using Protocols to Support Teacher-Coach Collaboration facilitated by Instructional Coaches Jennifer Schrecengost and Heather Herger, North Hills SD;

·         Reflecting on Your Practice: Diving Deeper into Coaching facilitated by IU PIIC Mentors Amy Walker and Diane Hubona

·         Digital Formative Assessments That Inform Instruction facilitated by Instructional Coaches Stacy Kreitzer and Vickie Feinstein, Lower Dauphin SD.

After a short break, participants attended The Coach’s Role in Extending Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, a general session facilitated by Joe Ginotti, Director of the Penn Literacy Network (PLN). 

Our special dinner guest was Dr. Randall Grove, Superintendent of Conrad Weiser SD. With audience participation and sharing success stories about the impact of instructional coaching, the address was entertaining and informative. He followed up his address with an “Afterthoughts” session on Day 3 for administrators and other school leaders.

Day 2 started with new PIIC PLN participants attending Building a Foundation through PLN facilitated by Joe Ginotti.  Five breakout sessions were held for veterans: 

·         Facilitating Small Group Discussions: The Coach’s Role facilitated by educational consultant Kathleen Eich, Instructional Coach Heather Housel, and Instructional Coach Leah Richwine;

·         Adults are Different: Meeting the Needs of Adult Learners facilitated by IU PIIC Mentors Lori Ceremuga and Amy Walker;

·         The Art (icle) of the Deal: Using Article Studies to Grow Professional Learning facilitated by Instructional Coach Kelli Livermore, Instructional Coach Mike Baker, Instructional Coach Mandie Manning, and IU PIIC Mentor Jen Herncane;

·         College and Career Ready: Coaching Teachers to Prepare Students for What’s Next facilitated by Instructional Coaches Sharon Deiling and Joanne Custer, DCTS; 

·         Coaching Teachers to Thrive in a World of Digital Learning facilitated by Instructional Coaches Keith Royer, Annville-Cleona SD, and Amanda Funk, SD of Lancaster.

After a break, next on the agenda were the concurrent sessions: Engaging Teachers in Coaching Conversations around Disciplinary Literacy facilitated by IU PIIC Mentors Heather Moschetta, Amy Walker, Terri Lewis, Virginia Glatzer, and educational consultant Kathleen Eich.

Participants then attended their third pre-selected breakout session:

·         The Quiet Storm: The Process of Listening with your Brain facilitated by RMC Tom Sebastian and educational consultant Kathleen Eich; 

·         Listen, STOP, and Reflect: You, the Coach, in Action facilitated by IU PIIC Mentors Teri Everett and Heather Moschetta;

·         Breakout to Your PLC facilitated by IU PIIC Mentors Scott Snyder and Alicia Hull;

·         Rewriting the Story: How Coaches help Teachers Move from “Faux Feelings” to Underlying Need facilitated by IU PIIC Mentors Carol Adams, Demetrius Roberts, Amber Molloy, and Jamie Pitcavage;

·         Formative Assessment: A Great Place to Start facilitated by coaches: Rebecca Conn, Conemaugh Twp. SD; Jana Bennett, Westmont Hilltop SD; Chris Hudak, Windber Area SD;

·         Coaching in the Culture of TDA facilitated by Terri Lewis and Instructional coaches Matt Baker and Jackie Druck.

After a short break, the day ended with IU team time (an opportunity for IU groups to reflect together on their new learnings) and mentor reflection (an opportunity to process information and plan for future use).

The event concluded on January 6th with announcements made by Ellen Eisenberg and Ivan Charner, Director, National Institute for Work and Learning, and a totally “RAD” (Reflect, Apply and Discuss) session.  After a short break, the conversation continued with Ivan Charner introducing the Afterthoughts sessions.  Topics discussed during the Afterthoughts session were developed by participants and were intended to continue conversations from the sessions that took place during the first two days of the PLO.  Participants then ended their day with Independent Reflection, IU Team Time, and more mentor reflections. 

Feedback from the PLO was positive: “I loved being able to spend extended time with other coaches and hear real life stories of coaching. I left with a bag of new tricks, new friends, and new energy to bring back to my school.”

“I have now attended two PLOs. Every session that I attended provided me with useful information that be implemented in my school. The camaraderie at these PLOs is amazing and unlike any other conference I have attended. It helped me to build my network and resources.”

“This PLO, like all the others I have attended, gave me a chance to pause, learn, and reflect. I gained a lot of valuable insight to share with teachers and administrators in my district.”

You can read more feedback from this PLO on the Testimonials page.   The PLO agenda is available on our Past Professional Learning Opportunities page.   You can also find photos from the event in the PIIC Photo Gallery.  Our next PIIC Professional Development will be May 1-3, 2017 at the Penn Stater Conference Center.  For more information, visit our Events Page or contact your IU PIIC Mentor.