Coaching a coach is an exciting experience, but everyone has struggles that they need to mastermind one in a while. Alison Jalufka is a Learning Coach at an elementary school in her Central Texas school district. She started her teaching career in 
elementary education as a first-grade teacher and now has the opportunity to make an impact as a tech coach.
Alison now supports technology AND learning on her campus, as well as coaching her teachers on best practices. She has been developing professional learning opportunities better serve her teachers and has questions about how to bring the expectations of her position to fruition.
Kasey and Alison chat about creating actionable goals both for her individually and for her position. She already knows that she needs to find ways to better integrate the 4Cs into each workshop that she develops, but what else is needed? Kasey helps her talk through the process of creating her goals and how best to integrate learning and processes into each action and activity.
There are so many great nuggets of information in this on-air coaching session that you won’t want to miss. Many of the barriers that Alison faces each day are likely similar to yours. Listen in as they discuss strategies for better tackling the problems with teacher buy-in and why building relationships and creating open lines of communication are the keys to success for a Learning Coach. Alison is already doing so many things right, but with just little mindset shifts here and there, she could be smashing her administrator’s expectations.
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In This Episode:
[00:29] – Welcome back and get ready to meet Alison Jalufka, a Learning Coach.
[01:24] – Shout out to Daniel Island School for having me out to deliver the Dynamic Learning Workshop. Special thanks to Pam Hubler for making it happen.
[02:54] – What is a digital learning coach, and how do they help teachers?
[04:53] – Learn what the vision for Alison’s position within her district was meant to be.
[05:39] – When they removed the word “digital” from her title, did they change her expectations?
[06:45] – Alison shares the technology map for her district and the barriers she faces with integration.
[07:38] – How are the teachers responding to training and expectations?
[09:26] – Do the teachers on her campus understand her purpose is to help them in a variety of ways?
[11:22] – What does communication with her teachers look like?
[13:21] – Is Alison given guidelines from her administrator on how to approach her role?
[13:47] – How does she communicate and meet with other Learning Coaches in her district?
[15:42] – Does she meet with the principal of her school and set goals together?
[17:46] – Is she meant to be involved in professional development with her teachers?
[19:18] – Learn why teacher buy-in is one of Alison’s biggest struggles and how she is working to overcome it.
[22:02] – How has Alison approached the 4Cs in the past, and what has she implemented this year?
[26:33] – What is the best way to present the 4Cs for professional learning?
[29:38] – Alison shares the best workshop she attended as a teacher for professional learning.
[31:54] – Has she delivered any professional learning workshops since being in the coach position?
[35:07] – What goals would Alison like to accomplish before this semester is over?
[40:03] – Learn one of the best ways to help teachers understand that we’re not adding to their workload, we’re altering it.
[42:26] – Don’t forget to share the time-saving hacks that you use in your newsletters.
[45:24] – Alison shares some of her final takeaways and next steps.
Podcast Question of the Week
[47:48] – Kasey shares the podcast questions of the week:
How can you use the ideas from this episode to make an impact as a coach?
Post your answer to your favorite social media platform using the hashtag #ShakeUpLearning, or share it in the Shake Up Learning Community on Facebook!
[49:09] – Thank you for listening! Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on iTunes. (Bonus points if you use the word “y’all” in your review!)
About Allison Jalufka
About Allison JalufkaHello! My name is Alison Jalufka. I am a Learning Coach on an elementary campus in Central Texas. I previously taught first grade for ten years. See my journey as a first-grade teacher here.
My passion is to help teachers transform learning in their classrooms. I want to help teachers incorporate elements of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity into their lessons. Right now, my favorite lesson is connecting classrooms across the United States to play Mystery Skype (a learning game in which classes ask each other yes or no questions in order to guess the location of the other class). I am a Level 2 Google Certified Educator, Nearpod Certified Teacher, and a Seesaw Ambassador.
I live with my husband Brian, and our three children on a small farm in Central Texas. Our family loves to spend our free time outside. One of my favorite things to do is take care of our flock of chickens and ducks.
Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
The Shake Up Learning Community on Facebook
Alison on Twitter
Alison’s website: Transformational Learning
Other Tech Coach Resources
- Top 10 Secrets of an Awesome Tech Coach – SULS019
- Google Tips for Instructional Coaches and Tech Coaches
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