Adapted From: Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (2nd edition) By Diane Sweeney and Leanna Harris We find that teachers often assume that the entry point for working with a coach is to identify a goal for themselves, or that coaching is about all of the things they should be doing in their classrooms. This typically surfaces …
Adapted from: The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching By Diane Sweeney and Leanna Harris If the purpose for instructional coaching is improving student learning, then coaching has to be in-depth and sustained over time. It requires a coach and teacher (or team of teachers) to determine where the students are in their learning, design and …
Mini coaching cycles are a great way to respond to teachers who need support on something that is narrow in focus and short in duration. They also help us build trust in the coaching process because when teachers experience the student-centered nature of our work through a mini coaching cycle, they are often interested in …
Ending a coaching cycle means it’s time to celebrate all of the learning that has occurred. Acknowledging the hard work and results of what took place reinforces the coaching relationship and provides energy for teachers to feel seen and valued. In her book, Collective Efficacy, Jenni Donohoo writes, “Celebrations help highlight the power of working …
Written by: Diane Sweeney, Leanna Harris, and Julie Steele Coaching cycles are an essential practice for Student-Centered Coaching. They move us away from drive-by (or one shot) coaching where we help one person, one time, with one thing, and towards deeper coaching practice. When schools or districts are working to implement Student-Centered Coaching, it is …
By Thomas Ferrebee, Learning Coach at Nido de Aguilas It’s where coaching cycles go to die, right? The halls of high schools are full of savvy teenagers looking to bust a teacher for having a coach: What’s up mister, why do you need a coach? Not doing your job right? Add the college-bound pressures of …
Feeling effective as an instructional coach depends on having systems that work. Any coach will tell you that one of the things Covid affected the most were those very systems. Many coaches felt like they were set adrift as classrooms became empty, teaching moved online, and many teachers were overwhelmed. We realized pretty quickly that …