Weekly Coaching Roundup, Week 50: December 17, 2021

This week we learned the ins and outs of effective PLCs, four ways to make every coaching conversation impactful, why even principals deserve an IC, and more!

Join over 3,000 of your coaching peers who receive fresh coaching content every Wednesday! Subscribe to our Weekly Coaching Roundup below.

{{cta(‘1623fdae-2dee-4cee-a003-34270e4a47e4′,’justifycenter’)}}

Four Tips for Effective Coaching Conversations

Jessica Crawford highlights four coaching conversation moves she’s learned over the years from other leading instructional coaches. Read on for some new ways to help your conversations begin to forge stronger teacher partnerships.

“Starting a conversation is fantastic, but
to truly impact our coaching conversations, we have to be a good listeners. Before I started coaching, I thought being a good listener and co-worker meant I should help and have the answers for whatever my conversation partner was bringing up. I became the speaker, talking about what I would do, or have done, in the situation. . . . This did not, in fact, lead to better conversations; It actually shut them down.”

Interview Questions for Instructional Coaches

Do you know anyone interviewing to be an IC? If so, be sure to pass along these nine questions Delia Racines believes will help any teacher be ready to knock the interview out of the park.

“The reality is that you will meet a few teachers and administrators who are negative about coaching.
Do not feel you have to justify coaching defensively. Start with defining the mission, vision, and purpose of instructional coaching. . . . Place yourself in the interviewer role. Listen.
Reiterate how you are the right person for the job, and share your excitement about the next steps in the process.”

The Case for Coaching Leaders

Eric Sheninger recognizes the impact of everyone in an organization working with a coach, not just teachers, and why it’s the key to school improvement.

”
Leaders need consistent support and feedback on all aspects of the position to continually grown and improve, but the most emphasis should be on issues related to instructional leadership. If teachers are being coached on research-based instruction and digital pedagogy for example, then
leaders need to be well equipped to provide useful feedback and conduct effective observations or evaluations.”

Navigating Non-Coaching Responsibilities

Ariel Durham passes along six timely tips to help you manage the stress of stepping up to “fill shoes” outside of your coaching role.

“Changing habits (yours and others’) takes time, but you’ve spent time helping teachers become more intentional and reflective about their practice. Now you have an opportunity to give them space to practice that learning in a more independent way. As you juggle your many responsibilities right now,
remember that flexibility is a key asset of effective coaches. One of our longstanding commitments is to be role models of how to learn and grow through challenges.”

A Fresh Approach to Teacher Collaboration

Dr. Lisa Corbin identifies what makes an effective PLC and how you can use the “Learn, Be, Do” model to grow and develop yours.

“At its core, the shared goal of every PLC is student achievement. . . . In fact, most effective schools
ensure that all personnel understand how their role specifically contributes to the shared goal of student achievement.”

{{cta(’34b13594-505a-497a-8a75-16ae35acf14d’)}}

Have some interesting instructional coaching news?
Share it with TeachBoost and we’ll highlight it here!