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instructional coaching

Relationship-Building Tips for Instructional Coaches

by Diana Benner November 18, 2019

written by Diana Benner

Building strong relationships with those you coach is one of the most important things an instructional coach can do. In this blog, I mentioned how relationship building in coaching is one of the first things you want to do. While this can be a difficult task, there are some things you can do to help strengthen the bond with your coachee. Here are a few that I’d like to share with you.

Really Get to Know the Person You’re Coaching

At the heart of making a strong connection is understanding who you are coaching. Get to know them as a person. Move beyond the basic facts that you might already know and find out what is important to them, what their values and beliefs are, and what motivates them. You don’t have to be their best friend, but you do want to try to find common ground or that one thing you can connect on that goes beyond the content.

You became an instructional coach for a reason. Share your story and your goals with those you coach. Let them know you care about them and want to help them grow as educators. This will help create a mutual understanding from the onset. Teachers might have different views as to what a coach is and what a coach does. Sharing your story will help clear up any misconceptions and will help shape a trusting relationship.

Listen Patiently

As a coach, you might feel pressure to have the right answers all the time. It’s okay, and, in fact, really important to just listen to the teachers you coach and not immediately offer solutions. It is important to listen fully and completely understand the context of what is being said. If an idea pops into your head, write it down and don’t interrupt.

Problem Solve Together

It’s vital that you work together with teachers to problem solve. Instead of always providing the answers, try asking questions to help teachers solve their own challenges. Ask questions such as, “What have you tried?” or “What do you think?” Problem solving together will help create that true partnership. Remember that it is not your job to be the know-it-all. It is your job to help the teacher develop his/her own problem-solving strategies.

Get Feedback

One of main jobs that you have as an instructional coach is to give feedback. However, it is just as important that you receive feedback from the teachers you are working with. Create a survey or be open during your coaching conversations about receiving feedback. Ask those you coach how the relationship is going and how you can support them better. This type of two-way feedback is essential to building trust. In addition, you are modeling the openness you are hoping to see in your teachers.

Provide Praise

When giving feedback, make sure you mention some of the strengths you are observing. Sometimes, we cannot see our own good qualities and are focused on the things we do wrong. It helps to build your relationship if you can identify some good things you are seeing.

Keep Working on Building Relationships

Know that building relationships takes time, so it might not happen right away. Relationship building works both ways. Both you and the person you coach must be invested in developing the relationship and this might take some time. Continue to find ways to keep working on the relationship if it doesn’t happen right away.

Use these tips to help you establish a solid relationship with those you coach. In addition, if you have some tips that have worked for you, please share them with us in the comments below.

November 18, 2019 1 comment

Three Questions for Instructional Coaching

by Lori Gracey October 1, 2019

written by Lori Gracey

Working with educators to improve teaching and learning is an amazing job. It’s full of promise and friendship and possibilities. But it can also be tiring and frustrating. After all, everyone wants to improve, but we want the other person to do so first!

So what’s the best way to begin an instructional coaching session? I like to use three simple questions to start, really just to check in with the person I am working with. These questions set the tone for our discussion and allay any fears the other person may have about me and my purpose in being there. The questions are purposefully vague and open ended so that I can see the teacher’s current mindset. And I tend to use the same questions each time I meet with the person so that they always know what to expect. At the heart of this activity, the questions establish that I want to learn more about what’s important to them and really want to be of help. Here are my three questions for starting an instructional coaching conversation.

The First Question

After greeting each other, the first question I like to ask my colleague is “What are you working on?” This is a safe question both to ask and to answer. But it provides me with a glimpse into the teacher’s mind. Typically, the other person will answer about the work that is top of mind to them right now. This could be a particular lesson or a problem with a student. It lets me immediately focus in on what is important to them at this moment and gives me an opportunity to see if I can help with the current work. If I can help them to complete their task, either with a technology tool or instructional strategy or even just by lending a hand, then they have more time and the mental space to think about improvement.

The Second Question

The second question dives a little deeper into the teacher’s frame of mind. “What are you worried about right now?” Some days, this question will elicit the response “Nothing’s worrying me right now,” which is fine and allows us to move on to the third question. But often, this will empower the teacher to tell me what may be keeping her from being able to effectively use technology or to try a new technique. It may provide her a chance to unburden herself about an issue with a colleague or an administrator or a lack of a necessary supply or a parent who is driving her crazy.

At this point, I just need to be a willing set of ears to listen. And for those of us who have to work hard at the skill of listening, here’s something to remember: Sometimes the other person just needs to talk and know that someone is listening. They don’t always expect a solution to the problem. So listen carefully (look them in the eyes; don’t be distracted; show empathy) and don’t interrupt. Let them get the problem off their chest. Then, gently see if they would like to work with you to find a solution. It may have been enough just to air the problem and they can now move on. If you hear the same worry each time you visit with your colleague, then you really need to take action with them about it. Something that is worrying to them over time will prevent them from being able to take on any new challenges or tasks.

The Third Question

Depending on the answers I receive to the first two of these instructional coaching questions, I may not make it to the third. And that’s okay.

The third question is designed to move the teacher from any problems that are currently going on to how we can solve those problems together. “How can I help?” Once you ask this question, it’s important to sit quietly and allow the teacher time to process. Don’t jump in too quickly with your ideas about how to help; let them tell you what they need most. Again, we in education love to help other people with their problems. But it’s critical that we really hear from them what they need first. Then develop a plan based around the solution.

Final Thoughts on Instructional Coaching

Notice two more important points: I didn’t come into the discussion with a plan already made about how the teacher needed to improve; I came with an open mind and a desire to truly help her. And also please note that these questions are not about technology or integration or great teaching. While that is my ultimate goal, that is not the starting line.

Instructional coaching is all about the conversations you have on a regular basis with your colleague. It’s not a twice a year or when I can stop by kind of activity. It relies on the relationship that you develop with them over time, even if it’s while discussing how irritating it is that the copy machine regularly breaks down on Monday morning or the fact that the PTA fund drive is taking up way too much of their time this year. It is in the trivia of life that moments can be built, and moments turn into deep relationships over time.

You can read more about instructional coaching in these other TCEA blogs on the topic.

October 1, 2019 0 comment

Leadership Professional Learning

Things I Wish I’d Known as an Instructional Coach

by Diana Benner September 3, 2019

written by Diana Benner

Instructional coaching is an incredibly rewarding career, and each day can be filled with both excitement and challenges. When I think back to the time when I was an instructional technology coach, however, there are many things I wish I’d known then that would have made me better at helping educators improve professionally. Here are ten that I want to share with you.

1. Build relationships first.

Make sure teachers know that you are there to help them and not to “add to their plates.” Be open and honest, and let them know you are genuinely there to support them. Many times, team teaching helps to build those relationships and helps you get a foot in the door.

2. Define your role and goals.

Explain to teachers what your role is. The more teachers understand how you will be working together with them, the better. In addition, come up with a plan of action that will help guide your coaching.

3. Listen and don’t do all the talking.

Listen to your teachers and be attentive. Pay attention to what matters to them. Talk less during your coaching session and trust that your teachers will get what they need from the conversation by talking their way through it. You are there to facilitate their learning.

4. Be organized and budget your time.

Get a system in place where you can be organized. Think about scheduling. Whether you use Google Calendar or online tools like You Can Book Me, it is important to have online calendaring in place. In addition, think about how you will get information out to your teachers.

5. Set boundaries.

As a coach, your instinct is to help everyone. You will want to please everyone. Sometimes you must learn to say “no” in order to not overextend yourself. You might even have to find creative ways to say, “That’s not my job.” Plus, we have to be honest and admit that there are some teachers that may not be ready for our help.

6. Use data when providing feedback.

Using data is a way to be objective when providing feedback. Have something to base your coaching on that will give you focus and make feedback more objective and meaningful to the teacher. Regardless of the tool, using data will hep provide concrete evidence of progress.

7. Share successes.

It is very important to build on the positive. This will encourage teachers. Notice what is going well, share it, and then build on it.

8. You don’t have to know everything.

As a coach, you must come to terms that you don’t have to know everything and, in fact, can’t possibly know everything. It is okay to learn from the teachers you coach. Every day can be a learning experience. Let teachers know up front that you don’t have all the answers, but that you will do your best to find out.

9. Be patient.

Know that it might take some time for some teachers to warm up to you. You must be patient because it won’t happen overnight. Try to get at least one teacher from each grade level or subject area to work with in the beginning. Then, give it time to grow as those teachers will then share with their peers.

10. Connect with other coaches.

Network with other coaches to get support along the way. Being able to share and bounce ideas off each other, share materials, or just help work through an issue can be so beneficial.

Please share what you wish you had known as an instructional coach in the comments below.

September 3, 2019 3 comments

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