Weekly Coaching Roundup: Overcoming Coaching Barriers

If you’ve ever struggled with resistant or reluctant teachers then take a look December’s Coaching Roundup—we put together a number of great resources on overcoming coaching barriers this month.

And if you’d like to stay up-to-date on the latest coaching news from your peers, be sure to subscribe below to the Weekly Coaching Roundup—our hand-picked list of first-person perspectives, resources, and tools from instructional coaches!

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The Causes of Coaching Reluctance

Cailin Minor dissects the various causes teachers may feel “stuck” and reluctant towards coaching.

“The most important thing is that we don’t jump to solutions without really getting to know the teachers we work with. After we start to have a deeper understanding of our teachers and their needs, we can find solutions that may help them get unstuck.”

Breaking Down the Coaching Barriers

Vicki Collet shares her techniques for working with reluctant teachers by breaking down coaching barriers to create buoyant coaching partnerships.

“Your position as a coach may be viewed as a position of power. Teachers are used to being the ones in control, so threats to that control by someone they consider to be in a position of power may be unwelcome. To soften this tension, find ways to offer choice.”

How Can I Coach a Resistant Teacher?

Elena Augilar relays Shane Safir’s tips for working with reluctant teachers and how the role of “humility” factors into coaching.

“When we label a client ‘resistant,’ we create a psychological and even moral distance that can undermine our goals. . . . When I arrive at coaching with equal parts humility and confidence in what I have to offer, I inevitably can see past ‘resistance’ to the person in front of me—with her own unique story, values, and capacities to build from.”

Turning Resistant Teachers Into Resilient Teachers

Jessica Bohn explains four categories of teacher resistance to coaching and how she’s overcome the hurdles of each.

“Resistant teachers can have a profound effect on the school climate and culture in both positive and negative ways. . . . How you tailor your approach to resistant teachers can have a powerful effect on school culture and morale.”

10 Strategies to Combat Reluctance

Cailin Minor also cites her top strategies for combating reluctance and feeling “stuck” that coaches face when working with teachers.

“Forming relationships, establishing trust, building your coaching program, and getting buy-in takes time. There is no way around it. . . . Don’t skip the steps of getting to know them and putting in the effort of building a working relationship. Dig below the surface to see what is there, both for them and you, and you will find a pathway for working through reluctance.”

Working With Reluctant Teachers

Lisa Kelly and Demetrius Roberts provide five suggestions for working with hesitant teachers and how relationship building sets the tone.

“The coach-teacher relationship is one of the most important aspects of gaining and keeping the trust of reluctant teachers. . . . While building your relationships with teachers in your school find out what they need, what their teaching insecurities are, and how you can support their growth. Genuinely express your desire to help those reluctant teachers enhance teaching and learning in your school.”

Working With Reluctant Teachers

Cristine LaMontagne shares the power of intentional goal setting to impact coaching when working with hesitant teachers.

“Instructional coaches and mentors often allow their teachers to choose their own goals, but an intentional coach can help steer this process in order to help the teacher create a self-selected, task-oriented goal.”

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