It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a decade since the publication of Student-Centered Coaching: A Guide for K-12 Coaches and Principals (Corwin, 2011). Now with a collection of books about Student-Centered Coaching, we are often asked which one is right for me? I thought I’d provide answers to that question in this blog … Read more
Written by Diane Sweeney, author of The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching, Leading Student-Centered Coaching, and Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching One of the most important things we can do to set coaches up for success is to clearly define their role. If we leave it up to teachers to make … Read more
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 … Read more
Written by Diane Sweeney, Leanna Harris, and Julie SteeleFrom: Moves for Launching a New Year of Student-Centered Coaching (Corwin, 2022) There is so much to do in the first few weeks of school. Teachers will be reconnecting with their students, setting up classrooms, and many will be learning about new curriculum and programs. While we … Read more
Written by: Dr. Amanda Brueggeman Author of: Student-Centered Mentoring (Corwin, 2022) What is a successful lesson? Visualize a lesson. The timing was perfect and the delivery of content was exact. For new teachers, this is a common perspective of a perfect lesson. A different perspective is that the lesson went in different directions than was … Read more
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 … Read more
Whether it’s the beginning of the school year, or somewhere in the middle, engaging teachers in coaching is an ongoing process that requires intentionality and perseverance. In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins uses the term the ‘Flywheel Effect’ to describe how organizations get and maintain momentum. He writes, “No matter how dramatic the … Read more
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 … Read more