Jenni Keith

Cognitive Coaching Sessions for Jenni Keith & Sherry Brott
Friday July 9, 2004

Session 1 – Jenni Keith, Coach and Sherry Brott, Mentor

Session begins at 12:10PM

Jenni Keith: Can you tell me your feelings about the mentor sessions you had with Melody and how you felt they went?

Sherry Brott: For the most part, I think they went very well. I found that it is really easy to get off track unless I make a strong effort to stay focused. Melody is so excited about adding more technology and she has a ton of ideas.

Jenni Keith: I hear you on that! What kinds of things did you do to help the two of you stay focused?

Sherry Brott: Having hard copies of what I wanted to discuss really helped. That way I was reminded of what we needed to talk about at any one time.

Jenni Keith: Do you feel like the unit will ultimately be successful?

Sherry Brott: Yes, I really do, especially since she is tackling this lesson at the beginning of school. Her enthusiasm will still be strong and she has clear goals for what she wants to accomplish.

Jenni Keith: What kinds of things will you do to assure her success?

Sherry Brott: First, I've promised to be available any time she has questions (email, phone, etc.) but I will also be there when she presents her first teacher presentation to introduce the unit, then when she takes the students to the lab. Since my position is changing next year, I'll be able to work around her schedule instead of the other way around.

Jenni Keith: It was clear she will be helped and comforted by your presence, especially in the lab.

Sherry Brott: I am also in the process right now of having her evaluate the website she was going to use for creating the brochures. I am hoping she will decide to go back to the first Publisher template she created.

Jenni Keith: There does seem to be more flexibility with Publisher. I was impressed with the way that you handled that issue with her in the session. Now she will be the one to make the decision because she ultimately has to live with the consequences. Would you do anything differently next time or during another mentoring session with others?

Sherry Brott: First of all, as you know, this meeting was not held at an ideal time or location. Since she tutors in the mornings during the summer, we decided to use her room in spite of the heat and the distractions of the custodial staff. In the future, I'd like to really try to come up with a more mentoring friendly atmosphere. That way we can really concentrate on the lesson and how I can help her. I'd also like to ask more open ended questions of her...to model what I'd like to see in the classroom.
 

Jenni Keith: How do you think atmosphere will impact your mentoring sessions during the coming school year?

Sherry Brott: I am hoping each campus provides Gay and I with a room or other location that we can meet with the teachers while we are at their campuses. If there aren't any distractions I can also meet with her after school or during her conferences. At least the a/c will be on and all her materials won't be stored away. At some of our other sessions, she has spent a lot of time looking for stuff. Same with me. I guess the main difference is I intend to be more organized.

Jenni Keith: How do you feel about the progress you've made toward meeting your own goals for mentoring?

Sherry Brott: After all we've learned on AT, I also want to go through her class list when she gets it to see how to best help any other students with disabilities that she might have other than the one boy she knows she is getting. So far, I haven't been able to address the goal of keeping my hands off the mouse, but I'm sure that when school starts and I'm able to answer some questions she has about the actual software, I'll get the chance. I think I'm coming along pretty good on the other goals. I'm providing more wait time on a regular basis.  I know that with practice, I'll keep improving in the questioning area.

Jenni Keith: What could I, as your coach, have done differently?

Sherry Brott: Gosh, I'm not sure you could have. You've been so flexible. And you are a good listener.

Jenni Keith: Thanks. If you need to have a sounding board throughout the year as you embark on this new position, feel free to contact me. It sure has been a pleasure working with you and I hope we can continue during 1002!

Sherry Brott: Me, too. I thing we've built up a strong trusting relationship already. Even though we've worked together for 2 years, being at different schools and grade levels, we didn't have much opportunity to interact. But, you can bet that you will be hearing from me often. You have so much experience that I can glean knowledge from. Do you have any suggestions for me based on what you saw in that session?
 

Jenni Keith: It won't be a one way street that is for sure! I feel like I have a new friend:) Things are so different when you are working during the year with deadlines, time crunches, yours and everyone else's. The only thing I can tell you is to be mindful of what your goals are and to keep coming back to them over and over. Reflect on what interactions you have with teachers and how you will improve the next time. Also, as you mentioned earlier, having a plan is always so important to keep both your goals and your time under control. You will be fantastic. I know it already!

Sherry Brott: That's a good idea. It's so easy to get distracted...especially with my ADD. I have so many things I want to share with my teachers. I need to remember to work on one thing at a time.

Jenni Keith: Just keeping your mind on the goals you want to work on is half the battle. I tend to get so swamped that I lose sight of what is most important sometimes. I'm ready for my questions when you are. I'll be interested to know how things turn out with Melody. I know you'll be working with her lots. Keep me up to date! Thanks Sherry.

Sherry Brott: I will. She's committed to integrating technology in her classroom, but more than that she really wants to get the other 4th grade teachers on board. I'll be working very closely with her. I've promised her to give her all the help she wants.

Jenni Keith: This is the end of Post Conference for Mentor Sherry Brott and Coach Jenni Keith 12:50P.

Session 2 – Sherry Brott, Coach and Jenni Keith, Mentor

12:55PM

Sherry Brott: Jenni, how do you think your mentoring session with Jenny went?
 

Jenni Keith: I was pleased with all that we accomplished and overall it went well. There are things I would definitely do differently!
 

Sherry Brott: What kinds of things will you do differently?
 

Jenni Keith: Well, because of the special summer session we're in, Jenny and I had an extended session because I knew we wouldn't be able to meet much after that one time. So I definitely would not EVER do a 5 hour session again. Another thing I would try to change is that it seems we are always working on unit plans at my school and to try and mentor a huge unit plan in one setting is just too much. I think I would like to try and set objectives and then work on one-three lessons at a time depending upon the topic & technology.
 

Sherry Brott: I can understand that. I don't think these special summer mentoring sessions are ideal. How would you address the issue of a unit plan if a teacher comes to you wanting to do that?
 

Jenni Keith: Oh I'd still do it of course, but try to tackle just the unit objectives and overall plan. And then focus on 1-3 lessons in one session with the teacher.
 

Sherry Brott: Let me assure you though, that the two of you worked well together and didn't seemed overwhelmed by the unit. Of course, I didn't see the entire 5 hours either.
 

Jenni Keith: No it went really well, and we couldn't believe how long we had been there when it was over. The real problem is that you usually only have an hour at the most with a teacher and never have the luxury of no time constraint.
 

Sherry Brott: I think when you assured her that she could depend on you for help, she really got excited about this unit.
 

Jenni Keith: She is so capable, but not confident. So I am really trying to work with her to be more independent. When she gets practice and goes through it once, she takes off.
 

Sherry Brott: And during the year, we will have to be really mindful of all the other issues the teachers are dealing with. Do you have a plan in mind for how you will mentor your teachers (scheduling) next year?
 

Jenni Keith: She has a tendency not to troubleshoot problems, but just run to me for help when most times she could easily solve the problem with a little thinking on her part. But she panics slightly and wants it to be right all the time.
 

Sherry Brott: Have you considered ways to help her overcome her dependence on you?
 

Jenni Keith: I tend to do most of it during their conferences and after school, but next year is a whole new animal at CHS. Teachers will no longer have 90 min planning sessions daily, their entire schedule has changed, and we will have over 20 brand new teachers, including 2 of our 3 administrators. In many ways, we'll all be new again.
 

Sherry Brott: That is sometimes a good place to be, when there are so many new people that nothing can be taken for granted.
 

Jenni Keith: I do know I will have a session with new teachers to introduce them to tech at CHS during the school orientation day. Also, Rick has already asked me to do a Tech Kickoff session for the whole staff during their orientation days. You are right about that! I'm excited to be able to start fresh in many ways.
 

Sherry Brott: If you can get your principal on board you'll have it made. I'd like to go back to a question that might have gotten overlooked. Have you considered ways to help Jenny overcome her dependence on you? Since she is obviously enthusiastic and technology competent, that would be my main recommendation.
 

Jenni Keith: Yes, I think one key is having a couple short pre-sessions with her practicing FP in the way she will be introducing it to students and then having her do the lesson with me just there as a support. Normally, I would do the lesson first, but she just depends on me more that way. So I'll try to have her be more responsible for the teaching from the beginning, but always be there to bail her out if necessary. It really is a fine balance between doing enough for them that they are comfortable and learning and not doing too much so they are dependent or not learning at all. AND it really depends on the teacher you are working with so the amount varies all the time. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what is best for the individual you are working with.
 

Sherry Brott: Based on what I can gather from her own class webpage and from the mentoring session, she obviously has good organizational and classroom management skills.
 

Jenni Keith: So much so that she is sometimes obsessive about it, which can be a deterrent.
 

Sherry Brott: Is there something you can do to help her with that?
 

Jenni Keith: I work with this teacher a lot and yes, I've been complimenting her and reassuring her and mentoring her about it for the last, oh 4 months. She came to me and told me that if she couldn't figure out how to do things differently with assessment then she was going to quit teaching because she had no life with her husband. It would be a crime for this teacher to be lost to all her future students. So we have found a piece of software called Examview that will allow her to create exams that will be auto graded. It sounds simple, but with HS students who will cheat in half a second it has taken quit a bit of time to find something that will work and still be secure, work with French and not all be complete T/F, MC. And I'm buying her the software out of my tech budget.

Sherry Brott: I'm sure she will appreciate it. Do you a successful first experience in project based learning will be an encouragement for her? The rubrics ought to make the assessment easier. I agree, it would be a shame to lose her. Do you "think" a ...... left "think" out.

Jenni Keith: She's done project based learning before with the clay animation and other projects . It's the problem-based that is new and we will have to work to keep it a focus otherwise it could just become another research project. I think she is really excited about the class creating a web page because of the success she has had with her page. That will be encouraging if all goes well and I think it should with all the planning we are doing and all the support she will have. Not just me, but the librarian too
 

Sherry Brott: Sorry, my mistake, I meant "problem based". It seems to me that the two of you have all the bases covered. Is there anything I can as your coach to help you in your mentoring experiences? Is there anything I could have done differently?

Jenni Keith: If you were going to be able to go to ALL schools and not just K-6, I'd have you at my school working with me. Hee Hee! You've been wonderful and I don't think you could have done anything differently. It'll be nice to know I can contact you to talk things through if need be. I tend to think by talking (gets me in trouble sometimes) so it is nice to have someone who I can do that with and isn't always trying to give me the answers, but let's me think it out.