Week 2: Coaching Peers to Develop SMART Goals

My partner teaches in an alternative school setting and noted that many of her students lack basic computer skills needed to even begin using technology in creative ways that would allow them to be self-directed learners. Darvin notes that accessing information and creating knowledge are central to accessing power, and marginalized groups, like those that are often overrepresented in an alternative school setting, need educational structures that prepare them to use technology for “sustainable social futures” (2019, p. 225). This knowledge guided the development of the SMART goal: 

“By the conclusion of Block 1 (9 weeks), I will increase students’ independent and authentic use of technology by providing explicit instruction, modeling, and scaffolding aligned with the ISTE Standards for Students, specifically Empowered Learner substandard 1.1.d, and the Triple E Framework. Students will gradually assume responsibility for selecting, using, and applying digital tools to produce a final product for a meaningful purpose or audience. By the end of the block, 80% of students will demonstrate the ability to independently select and use an appropriate digital tool, troubleshoot common technology challenges, and create a product that enhances, extends, or transforms their learning, as measured by a structured teacher observation checklist.”

This goal explicitly addresses the Student Empowered Learner standard with its gradual release structure focused on students’ “selecting, using, and applying digital tools” (ISTE, 2026). Action steps to help reach the goal are focused on using Triple E instructional strategies that increase student engagement, enhance student learning, and extend student skills beyond the classroom (Kolb, 2020):

• Have students complete a short technology-based task with minimal assistance. Use a structured observation checklist to document students’ current ability to select and use technology independently, troubleshoot problems, and complete the task. Identify common areas where students need additional support. (3 days)
• Explicitly teach students a technology decision-making process: What am I trying to accomplish? Which tool will help me accomplish it? Why is this tool appropriate? Model the thought process involved in selecting a digital tool for a particular learning task. (2 days)
• Explicitly teach and practice strategies students can use when they encounter technology problems. Create a troubleshooting checklist that encourages students to attempt solutions themselves before asking for teacher assistance. (5 days)
• Allow students to choose from 2–3 digital tools to complete the same task. Discuss how different tools can demonstrate learning in different ways. Use this step to prepare students for a larger authentic project in which they will have greater control over their technology choices. (2 days)
• Assign an authentic project in which students independently select the technology that best supports their intended product and purpose. Require students to locate necessary resources, make purposeful technology decisions, troubleshoot minor problems, and complete their product before seeking teacher assistance. (10 days)
• Have students complete a task similar to the baseline task while working independently. Use the same teacher observation checklist to measure growth in students’ ability to select appropriate technology, use digital tools independently, troubleshoot problems, and produce a final product. Compare the results to the baseline to determine whether at least 80% of students demonstrated the targeted level of independence. (3 days)

The first action step for this goal is designed to elicit prior knowledge which is a key instructional strategy for engaging students in their learning (Kolb, 2020). Steps 2-6 employ an “I do, we do, you do” structure with explicit plans to model both technology usage and metacognitive strategies for selecting and troubleshooting the technologies . These are hallmark Triple E strategies used to engage students in using technology to meet learning goals (Kolb, 2020). In Steps 5-7, learning is personalized as students choose a tool and create a visual representation of their learning. These activities, along with the self-reflection in Step 7, are all Triple E instructional strategies designed to enhance student learning (Kolb, 2020). Finally, the use of authentic, prominent technology tools extend this learning into students' lives beyond the classroom.

Working with my partner to establish this SMART goal provided valuable insights into Coach standard 4.3 Collaborator and the skill required to engage in Cognitive Coaching (ISTE, 2026). I found it both easy and valuable to collaborate as we worked through the goal setting and action step writing process; however, I found myself slipping into the habit of giving advice rather than just mediating the conversation (Costa & Garmston, 2015). This habit made me believe that Coach standard 4.1 Change Agent is one that needs to stay front of mind for me as I work with colleagues in a coaching capacity. Standard 4.1.c discusses cultivating a supportive coaching culture (ISTE, 2026). In order to establish this type of culture, my focus needs to be on facilitating teacher reflective processes, not on advising them how to achieve their goals (Costa & Garmston, 2015).

The ISTE Essential Conditions also point to helpful structures needed to create effective practices for leveraging technology. I believe that my partner and I had a clear Shared Vision for setting learning goals that incorporate digital technologies (ISTE, 2026). I found when I spoke to the Curriculum Director at Weatherford Public Schools, there was a distinct lack of shared vision for technology usage. Technology was present and in-use, but there was a lack of common understanding about how technology might transform student learning (ISTE, 2026). Part of this disconnect at WPS was the result of professional learning that was designed to help educators discern best-uses of technology to create high-impact learning experiences (ISTE, 2026). Again, in the facilitation work I did with my partner, we shared that common language and professional learning gained via graduate level courses focused on these practices.

Each of these insights was invaluable as I developed my own SMART goal and action steps:

SMART Goal: Guided by the ISTE Learning Designer standard, I will collaborate with teachers during the first semester to support the development of two authentic learning experiences that use the Triple E Framework for integrating technology into lessons. Familiarity with the standards and comfort level with the use of digital tools will increase by at least one full point on a five-point scale, as measured by a pre- and post-collaboration survey.

Action Steps:

• Create and administer a survey that gauges teacher comfort level with using the ISTE standards and Triple E Framework to guide the use of digital tools in lesson planning. (3 days)
• Identify and explore three technology tools that are available within the district. (1 week)
• Introduce teachers to the Designer ISTE standard and to the Triple E Framework. (2 weeks)
• Design a learning experience in which teachers co-use technology to creatively communicate ways the Triple E Framework can help them incorporate ISTE standards into their teaching practices. (1 week)
• Model the planning of an authentic learning experience using the Triple E Framework and ISTE standards as a guide. (1 week)
• Create an environment for teachers to work collaboratively to design lessons that use digital tools to enhance student learning experiences. (8 weeks divided into two 4-week sessions)
• Administer post-activity survey and compare to baseline. (3 days)

References

Costa, A. L., & Garmston, R. J. (2015). Cognitive coaching: Developing self-directed leaders and learners (with C. Hayes & J. Ellison). Rowman & Littlefield.

Darvin, R. (2019). Youth, technology, and the hidden curriculum of the 21st century. Youth and Globalization, 1. 210-229.

Kolb, L. (2020). Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2026). ISTE Standards for students. ISTE. https://iste.org/standards/students