In this first #coachbetter episode for Season 8, we’re talking about the difference between coaching and the role of the coach – and the 3 things all coaches (and coaching programs) need to thrive – not just survive – the school year. While we often talk about the work of coaches, the practice of coaching is what this show is all about.

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Show Notes

Coaching creates the space for us to be reflective about our practice, to wonder about what might or what could happen, to be intentional about taking risks and trying new things. Coaching ensures that everyone has a safe space to grow. In our increasingly busy days, when we are asked to do more with less, coaching is what we need. And although the person with the title of coach may have the most responsibility to build a culture of coaching, it’s the practice of coaching that’s most important – not necessarily the job title of coach.

First mindset shift: It’s about the practice of coaching, not the job title of coach.

We’ll be following the Thrive Model and exploring each step of each phase in Clarity, Consistency and Community, giving you a vision of what you can create in your school community.

The difference between the practice of coaching vs the role of the coach.

Absolutely everyone can benefit from coaching. And everyone can benefit from learning coaching skills. Think about how helpful all these things are:

Listening better: ✅
Asking better questions: ✅
Providing agency in the learning process: ✅
Slowing down to ensure you understand the other person: ✅

All of those skills are valuable for anyone and everyone. Because coaching is a practice. Coaching is a way of interacting with another person, it’s a skill, and anyone and everyone can practice the art of coaching. Whereas the role of the coach is a job title. And that person very often does so much more than just coaching. Coaches actually do much more than have coaching conversations. But sometimes we think the only person who can do the coaching is the coach.

Even if your school doesn’t have a coaching program right now…

you can do some coaching on the side.
school leaders are actively engaging in conversations with a coaching mindset all the time
teachers can support each other with a coaching mindset
you can start having better conversations today by embracing some of these coaching skills

And we know when we work better together, student learning improves. As I referenced in the last episode of season 7, Jenni Donohoo’s work (from 2017) and John Hattie’s work (from 2012) show that collective efficacy is the number one factor in student achievement. So if we are working together to improve student learning, as educators, we need to work better together. And we can do that, through coaching. But the challenge is that coaching can not be successful in isolation. It needs to be part of the systems and structure of the school.

And whether you have coaches – or you don’t – there are 3 things every coaching program needs to be successful.

Thrive Model

Clarity: about what coaching is and is not; so you can build a shared understanding within your school community,
Consistency: in the development and implementation of consistent coaching practices so teachers engage consistently & coaching serves its purpose of improving student learning, and
Community: to build a coaching culture that gets embedded within the culture of the school.

So many schools, and coaching programs, have 1 or maybe even 2 of these things, but very few have all three. They sound simple, but it takes a lot of work, and collaboration, to develop all three of these.

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!

TAKE THE QUIZ!

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 Study Document via email.

Show Notes continued…

The second mindset shift: coaching can only be successful when we build a culture of coaching

That is supported by the systems and structures within the school. That’s why we need: clarity, consistency and community for coaching to thrive – not just survive – the school year. If you’re already a coach, hoping to become a coach, or trying to lead the development of a coaching program, you need to know about all three of these, where you’re at in your current school setting and how to make the next step forward.

Wondering how you might know which one of these you’re missing?

If you feel like you’re doing a lot of work, but you’re not seeing a lot of impact, you likely have a consistency gap.
If you notice that teachers are reluctant to be coached and it’s hard to find coaching partners, you likely have a clarity gap.
If you’re finding that coaching is stuck at the 1:1 level and it’s challenging to scale up to work with groups or teams, it’s likely that you have a community gap.

If one of those sounds like you, you’re not alone. Almost every school is missing at least one of these elements, and it can feel like coaching just isn’t working. It’s not you. It’s the systems. And we can identify where the challenge is, and work towards building the solution. Together.

A Small Tweak

The reality is, not every school is going to be fortunate enough to be able to hire coaches. And not every educator wants to be in the position of coach. And in fact, many educators in middle or informal leadership positions like team lead, grade level leader, head of department, curriculum leader, benefit from using coaching skills within the scope of their role – even without having the title of coach. But, everyone deserves coaching – and coaching skills can support everyone.

So I changed the name from The Coach to the Thrive Coaching Certificate.

It’s super small, but it’s intentional. I want to make sure that even if you’re not in a formal coaching role – in fact if you’re a teacher, informal leader, or administrator passionate about cultivating a coaching culture, this is for YOU! And no matter where you are in your coaching journey, you can make an impact in your school setting when you deepen your understanding of coaching as a practice, and the program development needed to make it sustainable over time. Because coaching doesn’t work in isolation – we need to build a coaching culture alongside the actual practice of coaching.

Coaching will only thrive when we build a culture around the practice.

So, it’s about coaching, not about the job title of coach. That’s what we do in the Thrive Coaching Certification. The content is staying the same (aside from our consistent annual improvements based on new learning and participant feedback), but now the name is more aligned with the Thrive Model that we use inside the program.

Keeping the focus on those three things that everyone who believes in the power of coaching needs – with or without the job title of coach – Clarity, Consistency and Community

And if you’re ready to start being more intentional about the data you track and how you analyse and reflect on that data, we can support you with that inside The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program – which by the way was just renamed to the Thrive Coaching Certificate.

I know, it’s a small change, hardly even worth mentioning, but it’s very intentional. I want to make sure that even if you’re not in a formal coaching role – in fact if you’re a teacher, informal leader, or administrator passionate about cultivating a coaching culture, this is for YOU!

We have worked with educators in so many different roles in The Coach and the what they all have in common is they all want to

create magical moments where teachers feel seen, heard, valued, and respected for the experts they are through coaching conversations.
cultivate a culture where professional growth designed to improve student learning is authentic and alive
simply start having better conversations and build better relationships with colleagues, students, their families and school leaders.

You can do all of that when you build your coaching practice at the micro level – and develop the systems and structures needed to make it sustainable at the macro level.

That’s what we do in the newly re-named Thrive Coaching Certificate! Learn all about it at edurolearning.com/coach

🔗 KEY LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE

Bonus! Watch the Video

Ready to create a coaching culture that improves student learning and builds belonging?

Come learn with me!

I help educators, instructional coaches, informal or positional leaders work together to create thriving coaching cultures that improve student learning and build belonging.

Coaching programs based on the Thrive Model, with clarity, consistency and community, can create time and space for educators to feel seen, heard, respected and valued for the experts that they are – creating a sustainable system of educator professional growth that ultimately improves student learning.

For this kind of coaching to thrive we need to focus on both the micro view of your coaching practice and the macro view of your coaching program, so while you’re developing your individual coaching practice you’re also intentionally developing a sustainable coaching culture.

If you’re ready to build this kind of coaching culture in your school community, join us for the Thrive Coaching Certificate program!

edurolearning.com/coach

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

When you’re ready, there are three key ways we can work together:

Leave a comment below, or reply to any of my emails and let’s start a conversation to see how we can work together to create a thriving coaching culture in your school setting!

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3 Things All Coaches (and coaching programs) Need to Thrive – not just survive – the School Year with Kim Cofino [322]