In this #coachbetter episode Kim chats with Kim Porter, who at the time of recording was a Primary Math Coach at UWC Singapore, and is now UDL Coach & Support Specialist at ASIJ in Japan.

Kim and Kim talk about the elements that make instructional coaching thrive, how international schools are unique in terms of instructional coaching environments, the cognitive load for instructional coaches, particularly in an international school setting where we have additional complexities in our environments; and what Kim wishes she knew when she started out as an instructional coach. 

If this sounds interesting to you, please make sure to check out a previous #coachbetter Quick Tips episode from this season: Navigating the Complexities of Instructional Coaching in International Schools.

Connect with our Featured Guest

Subscribe to #coachbetter via your favorite Podcast Player!

Bonus! Watch the Spotlight Version on YouTube!

Show Notes

Please tell us about your journey as an educator

ES trained in the US, spent over 20 years in the ES classroom, grades 1-5: US, China, Kenya, Hungry, Singapore.

Coaching found me. Half of my career was in Hungary, in that 11 years, I did every middle leadership position under the sun. Was very involved in the school. As I was taking on those roles, people would come and ask different questions, want mentoring, moved out of taking on a role into supporting people in those roles. Did a lot of coaching PD. Mentoring relationships moved into coaching. My school at the time didn’t have a coaching team. I offered to practice with colleagues, leadership made some suggestions. 

One of the key things: a colleague and I went to a coaching course together and then started coaching each other. Because it was so open, I got to coach all across the school. Then, when it was time to have a new challenge, I got a match coach here in Singapore.

In your experience, what are the elements that you have seen consistently make instructional coaching thrive (or struggle)?

In the school I’m going to, the coaching culture is new. In my current school it’s well established. 

There were things that helped me be successful:

• Very strategic in building relationships – made sure to reach out to every single teacher, made a spreadsheet with a dropdown list of the kind of conversations I had – having those conversations not be school related
• By about the second month there were 5 teachers I hadn’t spoken to – I was able to get a little bit of an in from the other coaches
• Relationships developed right off the bat. People don’t want to work with people they don’t like.
• Strategic visibility: lunch in different places on different days of the week.
• Defining what coaches do (especially in a teacher-facing way), using a coaching menu, posters on every copy machine
• Helping school leaders understand what coaches do and how they can leverage coaches
• Utilize the systems that are already in place: regular leadership team meetings (bi-weekly with principals, monthly with Dir T&L), making those meetings very strategic – identifying their goals, helping them support teachers and understand teacher needs, curriculum development
• Get on the calendar for PD with other MLL
• Leverage the strengths of the coaching team & teachers who have specific strengths (especially good for seeking feedback, insight, distributing workload)
• Helping leadership understand individual strengths of the team or other teachers
• Position yourself as a partner to your school leader (rather than just someone else they have to manage)
• Mutual coaching between leader and coaches
• Helping your leader know what you do, and be your voice champion on the SLT

I’m very strategic about building relationships. People don’t want to work with people they don’t like.

Utilize the systems that are already in place to help school leaders understand what coaches do and how they can leverage coaches.

Position yourself as a partner to your school leader, and help them understand the strengths of the coaching team or other teachers that can support the work and goals of your school leaders.

What makes international schools unique in terms of instructional coaching?

International schools have a diverse population in terms of backgrounds, language, cultural context, and educational experiences. It’s essential to be aware of your biases and positionality, and to be open to learning and consider different perspectives.

Diverse population: backgrounds, language, cultural context, education experience, DEIJ awareness. Being aware of my biases and positionality. Understanding perspective. Have had to do some work. I was in Hungary so long, over a decade, was very comfortable in that environment. Moving to SG put me in situations that were sometimes uncomfortable. Recognizing my reactions in a new culture. Openness to be willing to learn and consider perspective.

International schools have a dynamic of change: students change, teachers change, curriculum changes, initiatives change. This can be exciting, but it can also be challenging. There are so many things on the plate, it’s hard for teachers to find time to opt in. We have to start with what they need and be strategic about leveraging their time.

 (even a lot of longevity can be a plus and minus), used to be a  suitcase curriculum, there are strategic plans, pedagogy, so much about neuroscience, all of those factors about changing curriculum is exciting, but can be challenging – so many things on the plate, it’s hard for teachers to find time to opt in, have to start with what they need, and leverage their time.

---

What’s YOUR level of coaching mastery?

All coaches go through various stages of coaching mastery. Once you identify where you’re at, you can begin to build the skills needed to move to the next stage.

This quiz is based on real-life case studies compiled from years of working with coaches inside The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program!

When you receive your results, you’ll also get your matching case study from the STRIVE Case Studies to see where you fit in the stages of coaching mastery.

Ready to tackle your challenges and move on to the next level in YOUR coaching practice?

The STRIVE Model of Coaching Mastery quiz will help you identify your level of coaching mastery by matching you with case studies compiled from years of working with coaches inside The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program so you can easily see where you fit!

You’ll go straight to the Quiz, and get the Case Study Document via email.

---

Show Notes continued…

Leadership focus: what’s the number one thing, or top two things you want to see happen this year

Time: don’t have as much time on teams because there so many new initiatives “You can only change 10% a year successfully”

Unintended culture of competition, we always have to do it better, do more, work harder. Needs empathy and understanding to be able to demonstrate that they’re on the side of the teachers. We don’t just teach the curriculum, we have outdoor learning, service learning. Teachers need someone on their side who just gets it.

Tell us about the realities of being an instructional coach in international schools – navigating the rewards & challenges of an instructional coaching position (the realities)

Being flexible is the key. I timetable projects and color code my calendar so I know what can be moved and what can’t, and so I can see how my time is spent. The ability to drop everything and support teachers as needed. 

As a coach, being able to prioritize what’s most important is essential. 

Coaching is the art and the science of relationships and navigating people. At the core of everything we’re working with people who are working with children who want to grow and learn. We’re in the business of people, what’s most important when you’re dealing with that individual, team or student’s needs.

Relationships are really important.

The professional no: I would love to talk about this with you, can we find a time.

I have to have boundaries about when I’m working and when I’m not. A lot of opportunities come from corridor conversations or in passing, so I work to be strategically visible in common spaces to provide opportunities for those conversations to come up. When I sit in those spaces I have to be ready to put aside any work and fully focus on what that person is saying at that moment. I have to know when I can’t sit there.

Being aware of my own self and what I can give and how I can be present in the moment. There’s a lot of boundary setting, but you can’t set too many because you want to be open and flexible. Sometimes I’m the person putting on the brakes, helping teachers synthesize and then prioritize what makes the most sense to start.

It’s the things that aren’t defined in the role – needs a graphic organizer – that aren’t actually the job description, that are the cognitive load – leave some blanks for other school environments (like bilingual / bicultural schools). What are the questions to get people to think about this?

What you wish you knew when you started as a coach

I wish when I started coaching I knew to “trust your gut.” Coaching doesn’t always look one way. All of the coaching models are part of a toolkit that are beneficial at different times. In those moments of making a decision – thinking about the next question, the next tool in your toolkit – whatever you decide is a good choice. You’re not going to do it wrong. Yes, you get better at it as you go along. Let your gut lead you to support the person that you are fortunate to be working with.

---

Ready to Learn More about What Helps Instructional Coaching Thrive?

If you’re ready to dig deeper into how instructional coaching can thrive in a school or organization – or if you’re new to instructional coaching and you’re curious about getting started, join us for one of our courses for coaches!

To learn more about these options, we have three FREE workshops to share with you today.

For New or Aspiring Coaches

If you’re just getting started as a coach, and you want to be successful in your early years, watch our New to Coaching Workshop, which highlights the key mindset and skill set shifts you’ll need when moving from the classroom to a coaching role. The workshop will also tell you all about our online course, Getting Started as a Coach. This course is specifically designed for classroom teachers who are moving into a coaching role so you’re prepared for the transition. It’s focused on exactly the skillset & mindset shifts you need to so you can be successful in your first years as an instructional coach. 

For Experienced Coaches

If you’re already a coach & you want to think about being more intentional & strategic in your practice, watch our workshop on the Thrive Model for Coaching Success which will help you evaluate your program and your practice to see where you may have room to grow. You’ll walk away with a clear picture of exactly what you need to focus on to build a thriving coaching culture – and help you decide if our year-long mentorship and certification program, The Coach, is right for you, right now. This program is designed for current coaches who are focused on building a coaching culture through intentional and strategic coaching work at all levels – with teachers and school leaders.

For Coaches Ready to Lead

For experienced coaches ready to look at the bigger picture of the school to see what might be supporting or hindering the sustainability of the coaching program, and you want to make sure your school has all of the systems and structures in place, watch our workshop: Scaling Your Impact as an Instructional Coach. You’ll get a bird’s eye view of what’s needed to make coaching sustainable for you as an individual coach and for your school. When you’re ready to put that learning into action, join us in our online course for coaches ready to lead: Coaches as Leaders and put it all into practice – with support from Kim and our global cohort! This course is designed for experienced coaches, ready to lead.

You can find all the workshops on our coachbetter website at coachbetter.tv/workshops

Wherever you are in your coaching journey, we can support you!

For All Coaches

Connect with us!

Subscribe to the podcast iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

Follow us on social media: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

Join our #coachbetter Facebook group

Explore our courses for coaches