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: Phase 1: Find Clarity

The Task: Share your artifact and a written reflection on your learning during this phase.

What were your key “aha” moments during Phase 1: Finding Clarity? 

There have been many take aways. For me doing this course has been all about reflecting on my systems and structures around coaching, the coaching menu, the meeting agenda, the data capturing. I have really appreciated all the examples, I have taken things tried them out, reflected if they worked for me.

Did you face any obstacles during this phase of the program? How did you overcome them?

Obstacles are that there is alot of other factors going on at work at the moment so some times it has been hard to refocus the teachers on the coaching cycle, when they want the time to be about mentoring or a coaching conversation about other issues not related to their goal. 

I have also been working on the arc of my coaching conversations and makign sure there is enough time for the metacognitive piece.

What artifact did you choose to create and share? (Please link to your actual artifact)

I made an artifact about the different teacher growth conversation. I started by asking our leadership team to write their definition of a coaching mindset conversation, a FOG conversation and a coaching cycle.  I then created the Supportive Conversation Continuum Infographic and then I added the table Teacher Growth Continuum to try and clarify my artifact. 

Why did you choose to create this artifact?

I chose to create this as it will support the action research project I want to do, I want to focus on the outcome of these three conversations – my suspicion is the first two have an impact on the teacher and the coaching cycle has an impact on the teacher and students.

What did you learn in the creation of this artifact?

I really appreciated the clarity it brought to me and also the feedback Kim gave me which really got me thinking.

Where are you at in terms of clarity in your coaching role or program right now?

I am excited to conduct my action research with the teachers and then to see what they say and if it is what I have predicted the impact to be. 

What are the next steps you need to take to further increase clarity in your coaching role or program?

Create the questionnaire that teachers will fill in after coaching conversations, FOG conversations and coaching cycle.

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

Angela: The Benefits of Coaching

Andrea: Creating a Definition of Coaching

Alexsandra: Creating a Coaching Vision Statement

Tine: Inside the Coach: Coaching Culture Visual

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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!