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Week 3: Course Design and Coaching for SMART Goal Attainment

 

1. Considerations to build an asynchronous professional learning course for my adult ESL students.

As I build an asynchronous learning course designed to help my adult ESL learners improve their English skills and become more culturally aware, I need to ensure that they understand the principles of the Triple E framework that I aim to integrate into this project. Ultimately, these principles will help them achieve their language goals while developing greater cultural sensitivity. It is also important that my learners recognize that the purpose of these technology-enhanced activities is to support their progress toward their goals, while giving them opportunities to receive feedback and reflect on their own growth throughout the process.

The asynchronous professional learning course will include different activities and practice opportunities that engage students in meaningful tasks, provide scaffolding, and offer clear guidance so that they can practice independently and eventually apply what they learn in their daily lives. I also aim to integrate principles of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle by creating opportunities for students to experience, reflect, conceptualize, and apply what is being learned. Facilitating this cycle, along with the integration of the Triple E framework, will create opportunities for learners to better understand and use English in appropriate social settings. As Gordon (2022) explains, the learning cycle enables engagement with the social environment, fosters critical and reflective thinking, and supports the development of mindfulness.

2. Asynchronous learning supplemented with coaching.

Asynchronous learning modules will give my ESL students opportunities to practice language skills and explore cultural awareness at their own pace. However, Cognitive Coaching will be important to help them reflect on their learning, set goals, and connect their progress to real-life use. As part of the LMS I intend to create for my learners, I am incorporating a bank of AI-simulated field trips to help them interact in real-life scenarios such as “visiting the library” or “calling their leasing company to report a problem at their apartment.” For these simulations, I am using different AI-enhanced sites such as Magic School AI, coupled with Write & Improve or ChatGPT, to provide suggestions on how to improve sentences and make phrases more polite and culturally sensitive.

I want students not just to complete the asynchronous modules but also to reflect on their learning as they work through them and practice what they are learning with peers. For example, after completing a task, I might ask: “What strategies helped you understand this reading?” or “How could you use this new phrase at work or in your community?”.

Within the LMS, I can include reflection prompts and journals that mirror coaching questions, such as asking students to share one cultural difference they noticed or one phrase they want to try in daily life. In follow-up coaching sessions, either 1:1 or in small groups, I can provide feedback, encourage peer support, and help students apply what they learned in more personal and meaningful ways. Integrating these Cognitive Coaching principles by providing opportunities for self-reflection and autonomy to reach higher levels directly supports the ISTE standard of empowering learners (1.1), encouraging them to take an active role in achieving their goals, while I design authentic activities enhanced by technology (2.5). Through these Cognitive Coaching practices, I can enrich student learning while also gaining more experience and improving my professional practice (Costa & Garmston, 2015).

3. Reflection

Coach ISTE standards addressed.

I focused on ISTE standards for coaches 4.4 Learning Designer because I aim to intentionally create this asynchronous course with AI-enhanced simulations, and reflection activities that promote authentic learning and cultural awareness for my adult ESL students. While designing these experiences I need to think not only about language development but also about how technology could make learning more relevant and meaningful to my students’ daily lives.

I also addressed standard 4.1 Change Agent by exploring how AI simulations and Cognitive Coaching can shift traditional ESL instruction into a more student-centered, self-directed process. By integrating reflective prompts and peer collaboration, I am working toward transforming my classroom into a space where students develop autonomy, cultural competence, and confidence in real-world contexts.

How might the ISTE Essential Conditions also support this work?

While my adult ESL learners do not have direct access to laptops or tablets in the classroom, the school provides accelerators and computer labs that I will encourage students to use in order to take full advantage of the digital learning activities I have developed for them. Although students can also access content on their smartphones, they will have better functionality and access to the full range of digital resources when using a desktop, tablet, or similar device.

Skilled and sufficient technical support is essential not only for me as the facilitator and designer but also for my learners. As I continue to explore AI-enhanced tools, ongoing training will allow me to design more effective and inclusive activities. My students will have access to my guidance for any questions that arise regarding the LMS or assigned activities, as well as the support of technology coaches provided by the college. These coaches are available free of charge, and students can schedule appointments with them as needed.

References:

Costa, A. L., & Garmston, R. J. (2015). Cognitive Coaching: Developing Self-Directed Leaders and Learners, 3rd Edition. Rowman & Littlefield: Lanham. Excerpt available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14-bGtYgfnuZKQk1VxsUW0eC28cG0W8Cp/view?usp=sharing

Gordon, S. P. (2022). Integrating the Experiential Learning Cycle with Educational Supervision. Journal of Educational Supervision, 5 (3). https://doi.org/10.31045/jes.5.3.1