There are so many reasons for schools to invest in coaching, but it is a big investment. Understanding the value of coaching from multiple perspectives can help you advocate for coaching too!
This is a highlight from one of my favorite episodes from last season featuring Head of School Jim Laney and Director of Curriculum Sara Brodhead. What I love about this clip is how both Jim and Sara define the benefits of coaching on so many levels: what the Board needs to hear, what motivates leaders, and the benefits of coaching to improve student learning.
Understanding the “why” behind coaching is part of Phase 1 of the Thrive Model: Finding Clarity. We know from our AAICIS research that the clarity of a coaching program is the biggest factor in teachers and leaders reporting positive benefits to coaching. Without clarity it’s hard for us to recognize the impact and value of coaching.
If you want to learn more about the Thrive Model after this episode, head over to our website at edurolearning.com/thrive to get all the details – and check out this previous QuickTips episode where I share a brief overview of the model.
Wherever you are in your coaching journey, being an advocate for coaching is a key part of your role as an instructional coach – after you watch this episode, stay tuned to explore how you can continue to grow into your coaching advocacy (or into a coaching role from the classroom!)
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!
When you complete the quiz, you’ll get:
- Your matching case study,
- Specific strengths & challenges aligned to your result;
- Suggested next steps for each stage;
Plus the Case Study Document includes:
- Case studies leveled by coaching mastery;
- A framework to identify essential stages of professional growth & key areas to focus on in your professional learning;
- Alignment with the THRIVE Model for a Successful Coaching Culture;
- Space for you to reflect & prioritize so you can take action immediately!
You’ll go straight to the Quiz, and get the Case Studies by email.
Why hire instructional coaches?
The Board has seen improvements happening. Another resource we’ve been able to add is time. When I got here, teachers had 5 PD days during the year. That’s a big reason why there was not a documented, established curriculum, that’s why people were not working together, that’s why the MYP program was not functioning at a moderately successful level.
What I see with a really good coach is somebody who can work alongside master teachers, so everyone can learn with them. And obviously working alongside people who are newer in the profession.
We talk about diversity of teachers, we have people with 20 years experience and 2 years experience. In a situation where you have support, then you can have that kind of diversity and be successful.
Bottom line is kids have one year in grade 1, one year in grade 9. We really can’t mess around and hope they get it right. I want to hire younger teachers with less experience and know that they will be successful. I want those master teachers to feel like they’re contributing to the success of their colleagues, they have a lot to offer.
Good teachers want two things: to be growing and learning themselves and contributing to the school community. Coaching enables that.
Jim Laney
Having time, diversity of staff, support through coaches, connected to other coaches is how we create this opportunity for growth.
Unfortunately as a supervisor, any conversation that’s focused around continuous improvement can be perceived as threatening by some people. Coaching can bring it all together. It has to be deliberate, it’s not an automatic recipe for success.
At KAS, we have 700-750 students, American Curriculum, Common Core. NextGen Science Standards, MYP and DP programs. ES doesn’t have a coordinator, one of the coaches will be targeting ES Literacy. We used stakeholder input to identify the focus for that role.
For Secondary, we have coordinators for MYP & DP, but the instructional strategies that will support effective teaching & learning that will be the role of the Secondary coach. 90-95% of students don’t use English outside of the school. 85 min blocks. Understanding cooperative learning strategies, chunking strategies.
An instructional coach has a lot of potential to make people feel good about lesson planning.
Watch the Video
Advocating for Instructional Coaching
If you are thinking about the ways that your school might benefit from instructional coaching and you want to start the conversation, you are not alone! There are so many educators who are curious about coaching and want to provide this kind of learning experience in their school setting.
Many of them chose to join us in our course, Getting Started as an Instructional Coach! You can hear from a few of our graduates in some previous case study episodes of the show: including Sara, Vicki, and Danieal. One of our graduates, Brenda, who’s featured in a case study episode, says: “This course has helped me to understand the role of a coach and be more confident in speaking about coaching. My biggest takeaway from the course is I have what it takes to be an Instructional coach.”
Getting Started as an Instructional Coach is designed specifically for classroom teachers curious about moving into a coaching role – and it’s the introductory course to The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program.
If you’re new to coaching and you want to make the transition from classroom to coach as smooth as possible, join us for our next cohort of Getting Started as an Instructional Coach. This course is specifically designed for classroom teachers that 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.
We only open registration for our global cohorts only once a year – and registration begins in just a few weeks! Don’t miss your chance to join us this academic year!
Get all the details at edurolearning.com/gettingstarted
Don’t forget that advocating for coaching is part of your role as an instructional coach – whether it’s your first year in the job or your tenth! This is why we include coaching advocacy in all of our courses for coaches – at the depth that’s just right for your experience level.
So, if you’re not sure if Getting Started is the right course is right for you, watch one of our free workshops for instructional coaches, designed for your experience level so you can take the next step in your learning right now – and uncover how you can continue to advocate for coaching in your role right now!
Free Workshops for Instructional Coaches
To continue your learning, try one of our FREE workshops where you’ll be able to dig deeper into the concepts in this post, and get a peek at all of our courses for coaches.
We have workshops (and courses) to support coaches at every stage of their career: from educators curious about coaching, to new and aspiring coaches making the move from classroom to coach; to current coaches ready to be more intentional and strategic in their practice; to established coaches leveraging their coaching experience to lead.
You can them all on our coachbetter website at coachbetter.tv/workshops
If you’re curious right now, you have questions, please reach out. You can leave a comment below, join our #coachbetter Facebook group, or find us on social media at Eduro Learning and send me a DM. I’d love to support you on your coaching journey. See you next time!
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