Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
Coaching and mentoring in a virtual world: What to keep and what to change
Presenters: Elvira Pichardo-Delacour, Leighann Fields, Sharron Helmke and Stacey Jones
Is it the new normal or the now normal or just new and now? As educators across the world have adjusted to current teaching and learning environments, instructional coaches and mentors have been essential in helping to ensure continuously smooth transitions. From online office hours to virtual collaboration and feedback sessions, just-in-time tips and strategies, and ongoing emotional support, the job of the coach and mentor continues to evolve and grow.
Join us for this important webinar as instructional coaches and mentors share how their practice has amplified and changed and what they are looking forward to keeping and changing going forward.
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Presenters
Elvira Pichardo-Delacour is a 6th - 8th grade instructional specialist at Churchville Middle School in Elmhurst, IL. Pichardo has a Master’s degree in bilingual education grades 1-6 from Hunter College -The City University of New York, and is working on her master's in educational leadership. She serves on the School Leadership Team and the School Improvement Team. She has worked in both urban and suburban school districts and in elementary and middle schools. She has worked predominantly with emergent bilingual students, focusing on instructional strategies, curriculum development, and language acquisition.
Leighann Fields is a 6th-grade math teacher and mentor teacher at Central Middle School in Eunice, Louisiana. Fields has a master's degree in Special Education for grades 1 - 12. She serves on the Instructional Leadership Team and is the chairperson for her school-based School Building Level Committee and Well-Being Leadership Team. She was selected as Central Middle's 2020-21 Teacher of the Year.
Sharron Helmke is the vice president for Professional Services at Learning Forward. She is a professional certified coach with the International Coaching Federation and a Certified Gestalt Professional Coach. She is the author of the recurring “Coaches Corner” feature in The Learning Professional. Sharron formerly served as senior consultant for Learning Forward, leading our Coaches’ Academies and supporting schools, districts, and regional organizations in the implementation of instructional coaching programs, mentoring, and teacher leadership development. She also serves as a content development consultant, supporting the design of Learning Forward’s virtual offerings and customized professional learning, including the ELA Mentor Coaching and the Content Coaching programs.
Previously, Sharron served as a classroom teacher, campus based instructional coach, ELA program coordinator, and coordinator of instructional coaching. She holds a doctorate in transformational change for societal impact and her published research focuses on shared leadership for instructional improvement.
Stacey Jones is currently an academic coach and literacy instructor for the Cobb County School District. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and went on to become a middle school teacher and department chair. She has worked as a literacy consultant for the Consortium on Reading Excellence in Education, serving both urban and rural school districts across the United States. Jones has facilitated numerous trainings within districts and at the state level. While working for the Cobb County School District since 2007, she has worked in various capacities that support and lead teachers K-12. Her positions have included high school administrator, lead teacher, intervention instructor, and high school academic coach.
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