We want to give you a peek inside our Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program. Coaches taking part in this academic-year-long journey have graciously given us permission to post some of their learning and reflections from the private coursework they are undertaking during this program. Where possible, we have shared the course and the action task to give context for the guest post.

The Topic: Coaches as Leaders

The Task: Reflect on an experience where a new program was implemented in your school setting.

What was the change that was implemented?

Our school implemented a change initiative around deeper learning which basically means that we are trying to make sure that our teaching practices are aligned with cognitive science. The “why” is because if we’re not doing what we know to be best for student learning then it’s basically educational malpractice. Kind of harsh but true in a sense!

How was it communicated?

The change initiative was communicated slowly and parts. I feel like it could have been framed a little bit differently, by presenting the big-picture and explaining the rationale in more depth. I also think it may have been better to invite teachers into the process of uncovering the “why” because I think it would have led to more buy-in. Teachers were bold to participate in mandatory coaching cycles and professional learning. That’s why I have my job!

How did teachers react? In looking back can you see if people were grouped according to the diffusion of innovation curve?

Of course, the teachers reacted differently. The early adopters were all on board and super motivated to engage in the work. The people in the “middle car” have been coming along and I think we need to think more specifically about how to encourage these people to become more change agents themselves, leaders in the work. In terms of the coaching Cycles, the resistors were definitely dispersed throughout the year and many of them are coming through now. There was intentional planning around trying to reach a tipping point before some of those people came through the professional learning we planned.

What went well? What might have been improved?

Overall the initiative has gone well but I think the biggest way it could have been improved would have been to do more work with the coaches and principals before the initiative started. To explain, four coaches and two curriculum coordinators were hired before this initiative started yet there was very limited pre-work that was done in advance. All of us were new coaches and coordinators and lacked knowledge about change initiatives so we went into the work blind. I think there could have been better partnerships between principals and coaches built as well but this is hindsight.

If you were going to implement a similar change today, what would you do? What makes you say that?

If I were to plan a change initiative today, I would definitely spend time with my team planning the change process more intentionally and effectively, much like my response to the last question. I say this because I feel like it would have brought about more clarity between the leadership team and the coaches and that would have extended to the teachers.

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Read more from The Coach participants as they share their learning from the certificate & mentorship program…

Becca: Seeing Yourself as a Leader

Tina: What Challenges Do Coaches Face?

Becca: Dealing with Challenges

Kate: Working with Adults

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Level Up Your Coaching with The Coach!

If you are ready to dive deep into your coaching practice, to help you #coachbetter and build a thriving coaching culture in your school, please join us for our next cohort of The Coach!

Wherever you are in building a coaching culture in your school, The Coach will give you the strategies, skills and tools you need to make coaching a success and will empower you to confidently apply instructional coaching strategies in any situation – from building a coaching program, to having coaching conversations, to being a leader in your school community. We facilitate only one cohort each academic year so we can offer individualized support for each participant.

Coaches of all levels are welcome: you’ll start the program with a self-assessment to determine exactly what the next steps are for you!