Review the following information regarding coaching support prior to, during and after the Externship.

2. Coaching Support Prior
to, During and After the
Challenge-based
Learning Externship

3. Coaching Support Prior to the Externship
It is important that academy teams have time to prepare for what they are about to
experience. Prior to the site visit, schedule and arrange for at least a half to full day
session for teams to work together. That will ensure that they are ready to experience the
Challenge-based Learning Externship to its fullest.
As their coach, you will need to design the time in such a way that they are able to:
1. Reconnect to the employer: background, organizational overview, purpose and
function
2. Re-familiarize themselves with the proposed challenge, including its significance,
stakeholders, and functions involved
3. Identify “look fors.” What are the things they want to find out more about or
understand more deeply? (This can be a good opportunity to review the Effective
Challenge Case Criteria.)
4. Reconnect to their course standards as they relate to the challenge, and identify
possible opportunities for assessment they can keep in mind while on site
5. Develop group understanding of everyone’s role and what each person will be
focusing on or looking for
6. Be familiar with the note-taking process and tools they will be using

4. Coaching Support During the Externship
Once you have completed all the planning and pre-work, it may feel as though
the heavy lifting is complete. For the coach, however, your work is not done!
While the employer is the host, the coach must wear several hats and engage
in multiple tasks throughout the experience. Tasks include the following.
• Networking: Continue to build relationships between the employer partner
and the school. Keep an eye out for opportunities to be appreciative, to
make connections, and to stoke enthusiasm among the employer’s staff.
Remember that you want them to want to keep participating. Perhaps they
may even come to the school to support the student experience. Look for
these opportunities!
• Instructional coaching: The Externship will not carry as much weight if
teachers cannot make connections to their own standards and course
requirements. Help teachers look for and document those connections. Be
ready to point them out and help teachers identify assessment opportunities
or useful resources for students.

5. Coaching Support During the Externship
• Developing systems thinking and design thinking habits of mind: While teachers may
have experienced professional development in these areas, it can be helpful to have a
coach act as an “outside eye” and critical friend. Encourage teachers to think and observe
more systematically and to find opportunities for empathy. This practice also has the
advantage of modeling the kinds of coaching questions teachers can eventually use with
their students.
• Challenge Case Toolkit Development: Help teachers identify artifacts they may not have
thought of collecting for the student toolkit. If an employee mentions a tool or process they
use, make a note. If the teachers don’t ask, follow up and find out if the team can have
access or copies. Take pictures for the team to use later on. Model investigation, inquiry,
and a learning stance.
• Facilitating Reflection: It will fall to the coach to ensure that reflection and synthesis
happens among the academy team members. Teachers will be excited and engaged, but
remember this. At the end of each long day they will also exhausted and ready to head for
home! Put a priority on protecting time for synthesis and reflection, and use tools that make
this reflection efficient and useful. Most importantly, keep the team’s eyes on the ball. The
focus needs to be on developing the Challenge Case so students will get the most
authentic experience possible.
(Continued)

6. Coaching Support After the Externship
After every Externship, you will need to build in time for the team to use
what they have seen to finalize the Challenge Case Toolkit and develop
their instructional plan. The more time that goes by after the
experience, the less fresh and authentic the planning will become.
Ideally, in the week following the Externship, each team will have a
minimum of 2-3 planning days to develop their Challenge Case for
student exploration. During this planning period, it is extremely helpful
to have the employer partner present for at least some of the time, so
they can be part of shaping the student exploration. It is also important
that they make themselves available to provide resources and staff at
appropriate points in the team’s planned timeline.

7. Coaching Support After the Externship
As their coach, you will need to design the time in such a way that they
are able to do the following:
1. Reflect: Share high-level highlights and learnings, as well as
questions raised
2. Synthesize: Share observations, artifacts, and connections from
each whole-group experience at the site
3. Share information: Share observations, artifacts, and connections
from anything small groups experienced differently from their
teammates
4. Refine: clarify and revise the challenge description and scope
based on the externship experience
5. Identify assessments: Identify assessment opportunities for each
participating content area
6. Create a timeline: Develop scope and sequence for the student
exploration, including targeted employer involvement and sharing
of resources
(Continued)

8. If time permits, encourage and
support teams as they create
individual lesson plans for the
student exploration. Have them
share the plans with their
teammates and employer partner
for feedback and fine-tuning. (See
Additional Resources for helpful
collaboration protocols.)