Conducting a Coaching Cycle: The Instructional Coaching Series

Are you afraid to work with teachers? Many coaches are. Working with teachers is scary. This is why: 

• You don't know if they like you.
• You think they don't want your help.
• You don't know if you're good enough to model or coteach.
• You don't always have all of the answers.
• You feel like a fraud.

Ring any bells? Those are my deepest, darkest fears. Here's what I say to myself to get over it:

I am not here to be the best or to have all of the answers. I am here to support teachers so that they can provide the best possible instruction to kids. No one person has to be perfect; we're a community of people learning together. We can't learn together if I don't put myself out there. 

Still scared? How about this:
It's your job.

Haha! I know. That maybe didn't help too much. But the point is that the only way teachers are going to grow is if you can swallow your pride (and fear) and get into those classrooms.

Here are a few tips for setting up a coaching cycle with a teacher. You can get more tips in the free download at the bottom of this post!

#1: For your first round of coaching, choose carefully.
Start with the teacher who has some stuff going on but who'd like to try something new. That means DO NOT start with the teacher who doesn't like you (gasp!) or the teacher who has every single amazing thing going on. Start with a good, solid teacher who'd like to learn a new thing or two. It helps if they have a positive influence over their grade level, too!

#2 Invite the teacher to work with you.

There are lots of fun ways to do this such as physical or email invitations, or you could go the tried and true route and just ask them.

Either way, make sure that they know a coaching cycle is...

• flexible based on the needs and goals of the teacher
• focused on learning students should be doing anyway
• usually around 2-4 weeks long
• scheduled at a time that works for teacher and coach
• about learning and growing together
• fun and purposeful

Get 8 beautiful coaching invitations in my new Coaching in Classrooms resource!
Or get a free black and white version as part of my free download right below this post!

#3 Plan together. Plan together. Plan together. 
I can't say that enough times. Plan together for EVERYTHING. I'll have a detailed post about collaborative planning coming out later in this series, but for now, just know that you need to plan for a few things together:

• What kind of service you will provide. Will you model? Will you coteach? Will you observe and provide feedback? 
• The learning target for the lesson: what do students need to know and do in this lesson?
• The lesson. This doesn't have to be really complicated. A simple plan that includes the target, steps in the procedure, and which materials you'll  use should be fine. Embed the vocabulary and the questions in the procedure rather then separating them out. They tend to be forgotten that way.
• The classroom management plan. Here's a possible system you can try out if there's not one in place.
• What each person will do. I recommend using a three-columned planner to show what is happening during the lesson and what each person's responsibilities are during that time. This is especially important during coteaching.
• This editable and printable planner is part of my Coaching in Classrooms resource on TpT!

Need ideas for setting up coteaching roles? Here are a few easy ways to share responsibility!

  
#4 Build in time to debrief.
Meet with the teacher after a lesson to reflect on a few things. Have a plan for debriefing.

• The effectiveness of the plan on student learning
• What the next steps should be
• What kind of support should be provided

#5 Work through the cycle together.
If you need to make changes, do it! Don't stick to modeling for the duration of the cycle, and don't stick to 50/50 coteaching, either. Change the type and level of support to respond to the needs of the teacher and students.

Get the Coaching Cycle Checklist in The Instructional Coach's Book of Plans & Lists!

Next week, I'm going to share all about how to plan collaboratively. Be sure to check back and read that post, because it's a BIG one!

Other posts in the Summer Coaching Series: 

July 13: How to introduce yourself as an instructional coach
July 20: Conducting a coaching cycle
July 27: Planning collaboratively with teachers
August 3: Preparing to Model and Coteach
August 10: Working with teachers (who aren't excited to have you around)

On top of these posts that are FULL of actionable ideas for your coaching work, I'm having a BIG coaching giveaway!

One lucky duck will win the Instructional Coaching Kit, an over $170 value!

Included in this kit (some of these are affiliate links: 

• My favorite Eccolo notebook (Bendable)
• My favorite Blue Sky calendar (Week-at-a-glance)
• The best erasable pens out there
• Flair pens
• A pencil pouch
• Magnetic bookmarks (lemons!)
• A paper tray
• Post-it flags, binder clips, washi tape, and cute paperclips
• Thank you cards
• The Instructional Coaching Resource Bundle (sent via email)
• The Coaching in Classrooms resource (sent via email)

And four people will win the Digital Coaching Giveaway: the Instructional Coaching Resource Bundle and my all-new Coaching in Classrooms resource! Over $75.00 worth of products!

To enter this contest, follow the rafflecopter directions below to enter. Plus, you can add one new entry with each blog post that comes out in the Summer Coaching Series!

If you're really serious about winning, you can share a takeaway (bonus points) every single day between now and August 17, when the giveaway closes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Get the coaching menu, a coaching invitation and thank you note, and tips & forms to help you start working with teachers by filling in your email address below!

• Tips for getting started
• Coaching services menu
• Classroom sweep form
• Coaching invitations (black and white)
• Using the gradual release model to coach teachers
• Coaching plan
• Observation guide
• Debriefing sentence starters
• Thank you notes

You can get them all by entering your email address below!
  Pin It

How to introduce yourself as an instructional coach: The instructional coaching series

When I first started coaching, I just...started. I was introduced during a faculty meeting, I gave a professional development day on shared reading, and I set up my room. When I met teachers, I said, "Hi! I'm excited to be here! Thanks!"

They had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

Previously, they hadn't really had an "instructional coach". They had someone who filled my position, but this person was used as more of an administrative type person, so the teachers didn't have experience with coaching.

My principal asked me to start visiting classrooms so I could get to know the school and faculty, so I did.

Teachers asked what they were doing wrong.

I started planning with grade levels during PLC.

Teachers wanted me to make their copies.

I looked over data to figure out which students needed intervention.

Teachers said I should pull small groups and do it myself.

Basically, without a good introduction to my role as an instructional coach, there was a lot of misunderstanding as to why I was even on that campus. 

And it made doing my job very difficult.

If I could go back and have a redo (don't we all want at least a couple of redos?), this is what I'd do instead: I'd explicitly introduce myself and my role to the faculty as a whole. Then I'd reiterate it in grade levels. Then, when I was approaching individuals for coaching work, I'd share it again.

Here are three different ideas for introducing yourself and your role as an instructional coach! The best part? These ideas will work even if you've already been working with a school. You can re-introduce yourself and your role to start the year heading in a different direction!

Choose a method that suits your personality and your approach. You want people to know who you are and what you're about right away!

ONE BIG IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure you and your principal are on the same page when it comes to your coaching roles and responsibilities. It's important to have a conversation before you introduce your role to your teachers. Need a checklist to be prepared for this conversation? Check out the Roles and Responsibilities checklist from The Coach's Book of Plans and Lists.

#1 Coaching Roles Presentation

For this idea, you'll need to "borrow" a few minutes during a faculty meeting to share about your role as a coach. 

Prepare a PowerPoint or a Keynote presentation that includes an introduction to you as a person, as well as your instructional background. 

Include the kinds of support you can provide to teachers, such as what a coaching cycle can look like and what you can do to help them work towards their goals. 

Explicitly introduce which content areas, grade levels, or subjects you're going to work with, if you are limited in any way.

Need a ready-to-go (but editable) presentation? Get it in my Coaching in Classrooms resource. 

#2 Coffee with the Coach

If you're unable to secure time with the faculty, you can host a little before or after school event (or you can park yourself in one spot and make yourself available all day for people to come by). I recommend hosting this event in your own room, if you have space, so people can start to become comfortable with visiting your space in a nonthreatening way.

Send out little invitations that include the day, time, and location of "Coffee with the Coach". 

Prepare a nice coffee bar, and make sure that this bonus is noted on your invitation. (In other words, a doughnut or breakfast burrito never hurt anybody.) You want people to show up on their own accord, so you have to provide that nice incentive.

As people arrive, make sure you have written out how you plan to introduce yourself. 

It helps to have your services available in writing, too, such as on a Coaching Menu that you can hand out to people as they arrive. 

You can get a Coaching Menu as part of my Coaching in Classrooms resource, or you can join my email list at the end of this post to get one for free in your inbox.

 

#3 Coaching Newsletter

Again, if you aren't able to get time with your entire faculty, sending out an introductory newsletter will at least get the ball rolling. 

In your newsletter, include a bit about who you are (with points that will help people relate to you such as interest, hobbies, or family life) and your instructional background. Make sure to explain simply the services you plan to provide and the grades/content areas you are able to work with. Make it easy to contact you via a phone number or an email address.

You're unlikely to get many responses to it, but you want to make it immediately clear that you're there to support teachers towards their goals. It's important to be available and reachable!

No matter what method you choose, make sure you do these things:

• Introduce yourself as a human. (begin making connections to people)
• Introduce yourself as an educator (this builds credibility)
• Describe the services you can and will provide 
• Explain how to contact you for these services
• Assure teachers that you are there to work towards their goals of educating their students

The posts for the blog series this summer are: 

July 13: How to introduce yourself as an instructional coach
July 20: Conducting a coaching cycle
July 27: Planning collaboratively with teachers
August 3: Preparing to Model and Coteach
August 10: Working with teachers (who aren't excited to have you around)

On top of these posts that are FULL of actionable ideas for your coaching work, I'm having a BIG coaching giveaway!

One lucky duck will win the Instructional Coaching Kit, an over $170 value!

Included in this kit (some of these are affiliate links: 

• My favorite Eccolo notebook (Bendable)
• My favorite Blue Sky calendar (Week-at-a-glance)
• The best erasable pens out there
• Flair pens
• A pencil pouch
• Magnetic bookmarks (lemons!)
• A paper tray
• Post-it flags, binder clips, washi tape, and cute paperclips
• Thank you cards
• The Instructional Coaching Resource Bundle (sent via email)
• The Coaching in Classrooms resource (sent via email)

And four people will win the Digital Coaching Giveaway: the Instructional Coaching Resource Bundle and my all-new Coaching in Classrooms resource! Over $75.00 worth of products!

To enter this contest, follow the rafflecopter directions below to enter. Plus, you can add one new entry with each blog post that comes out in the Summer Coaching Series!

If you're really serious about winning, you can share a takeaway (bonus points) every single day between now and August 17, when the giveaway closes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

    I've put together a collection of free tools for instructional coaches:

• Tips for getting started
• Coaching services menu
• Classroom sweep form
• Coaching invitations (black and white)
• Using the gradual release model to coach teachers
• Coaching plan
• Observation guide
• Debriefing sentence starters
• Thank you notes

You can get them all by entering your email address below!     Pin It

Instructional Coaching Summer Series & Giveaway

It's time for my favorite annual event at Buzzing with Ms. B. The Summer Coaching Series & Giveaway!

Here's the why: 

When coaches are hired, they are often teachers who have demonstrated a lot of strength in the classroom. But when they're moved to a coaching position, they're often left to figure out how to work with adults on their own.

If you've been coaching for any length of time at all, it's clear: kids and teachers are two very different animals. The way we worked with kids isn't always the way to work with teachers.

The challenge is that there isn't always a lot of support or professional development for coaches.

That's why this Summer Coaching Series is all about how to support teachers in order to support students.

You'll walk away with specific ideas and steps to take to make your coaching work better and help you coach with confidence!

And here's the what:

The posts for the blog series this summer are: 

July 13: How to introduce yourself as an instructional coach
July 20: Conducting a coaching cycle
July 27: Planning collaboratively with teachers
August 3: Preparing to Model and Coteach
August 10: Working with teachers (who aren't excited to have you around)

On top of these posts that are FULL of actionable ideas for your coaching work, I'm having a BIG coaching giveaway!

One lucky duck will win the Instructional Coaching Kit, an over $170 value!

Included in this kit (some of these are affiliate links: 

• My favorite Eccolo notebook (Bendable)
• My favorite Blue Sky calendar (Week-at-a-glance)
• The best erasable pens out there
• Flair pens
• A pencil pouch
• Magnetic bookmarks (lemons!)
• A paper tray
• Post-it flags, binder clips, washi tape, and cute paperclips
• Thank you cards
• The Instructional Coaching Resource Bundle (sent via email)
• The Coaching in Classrooms resource (sent via email)

And four people will win the Digital Coaching Giveaway: the Instructional Coaching Resource Bundle and my all-new Coaching in Classrooms resource! Over $75.00 worth of products!

To enter this contest, follow the rafflecopter directions below to enter. Plus, you can add one new entry with each blog post that comes out in the Summer Coaching Series!

If you're really serious about winning, you can share a takeaway (bonus points) every single day between now and August 17, when the giveaway closes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

   
Pin It

Six Tips for Coaching Reader's Workshop

As coaches, we coach a variety of contents and strategies. We help teachers grow in whatever area they are focused on and using the approach that works best for students.

However, in many schools, there are a collection of approaches that the school is working towards. In this case, the coach is called on to coach teachers within those frameworks. This is the case if your school uses a framework such as Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop, or Math Workshop.

Each of these frameworks  will look different from classroom to classroom, but the basic components will be the same. In Reader's Workshop, those components are the minilesson, independent reading, guided reading, reading conferences, and a closing share.

I am sharing even more ideas (and a really big free download) for coaching Reader's Workshop during my virtual session at the Simply Coaching Summit all about this topic, and so I thought I'd share some of the tips from that FREE conference (that you can still register for!) here on the blog!

Here are six tips to help you get started in coaching Reader's Workshop!

#1 Start out by building a common language.  

Without a common language, planning together and communicating can be really challenging. For example, the word "read" is used to mean many things. Some teachers use it to mean students are decoding accurately, but not comprehending. Others use it to mean that students read and comprehend - real reading. 

If everyone has a different idea what you're saying when you say, "minilesson", "inference", and "word study", it is nearly impossible to plan together effectively. Spending time on building a common language is a valuable way to grow a team.

Ways to do this may include modeling lessons for each component, creating a video bank of modeled lessons so teachers can watch them when they have time, doing language-building activities during PD where teachers match Reader's Workshop vocabulary words with their definitions before and after the session, and doing a book study on this framework.

#2 Collect everyone’s schedule.  

This is not a “gotcha”. This is to help you in scheduling visits to classrooms, opportunities for teachers to learn from each other, and to see where teachers are planning to spend their time during Reader’s Workshop. If something isn’t included in a teacher’s plan for the day, it’s definitely not on their radar. This will tell you what teachers value in reading instruction.

Once you have everyone's schedule, organize it into a spreadsheet. I broke mine down into fifteen minute increments. Then I made a column for each grade level and wrote in what they were doing during each time frame. It made it much easier for me to figure out when a good time to visit might be, and when to plan time to collaborate with teachers!

#3 Make sure teachers have what they need. 

Do a sweep of the school to ensure that teachers have classroom libraries, a space for guided reading, and the instructional tools and materials they need. This could be easels, chart paper, binders, baskets to organize books, book bins or bags, etc. It’s not that tools will do the job of implementing Reader’s Workshop, but if you can make a teacher’s life easier and better, and improve the student's learning experience by getting them what they need, why not? 

You may not be able to get everybody everything they'd like, but you may have some input when the principal is making purchases for the campus.

#4 Make sure that training includes a focus on the standards. 

Teachers need to know their standards, and so do you. Make sure that that you are really well versed in the standards for each grade and what they look like. Planning should start with what students need to learn how to do. If it doesn’t, it’s just fluff.

#5 Create a culture of collaboration. 

 One non-threatening way to start this is to ask people to bring something they’d like to share for your next PLC. Each person brings one student or classroom artifact that they have created throughout their unit of study. 

At the beginning of your next PLC meeting, ask each person to share their artifact and explain their process a little so everyone can learn from each other. 

Perhaps teachers can bring a reader's notebook response or entry. They can take a picture of an anchor chart they built with their students during a lesson, or share a mentor text that works really well with a particular skill.

Over time, this can grow, but it starts with making collaboration a standard “way of being”.

#6 Create a mentor text library.  

Organize books by reading strategy or skill. Label them. Host them in your coaching room. Over time, you can make sure teachers have a great collection of books, too. Read about how we put together grade level mentor text baskets for our teachers!

   

 

See you there!

    Pin It

Four things instructional coaches need to do this summer

I get a lot of questions from peole who have just been hired as instructional coaches. The number one question is: What can I do to be ready?

If your brain is racing, trying to figure to what you need to do to be ready for next year, you are not alone.

Coaches everywhere (especially new coaches, or coaches who know big changes are coming) are trying to figure out how to be prepared for next year.

Here are four easy things you can do to be ready!

1. Make some decisions.

It's impossible to "focus" on everything. I know teachers who continuously stress themselves out by saying things like, "We're targeting all of these skills", and the list is 10 skills long. You can't "target" ten skills. You can really only "target" a couple of things at a time (ok, technically one thing, but I'm being flexible with this metaphor). 

If you're going to be effective, you really need to take a step back and reflect on how things went this year. Then you need to make some decisions about where you are going to invest your energy next year. It helps to do this over the summer so you have a month or two to let it sort of "percolate" in the back of your mind. What could this look like?

• Maybe this year you're going to make sure you spend more time in teachers' classrooms because you got pulled from this a lot last year.
• Maybe you're going to make a point to learn about data so you can support your teachers in understanding student strengths and areas to grow.
• Maybe you're going to dig in to your state standards to support your teachers in planning.

Grab this free download to reflect on your coaching year and think about what's next!

Once you've decided what you want to do differently next year, you'll know what your focus for learning will be on this summer. This brings me to tip #2...

2. Read a book.

While I completely recommend reading books for personal enjoyment (teachers and coaches have to be readers, too!), I'm referring to reading a book about coaching. Bonus points if it supports your plans for next year!

Here are a few I recommend. These are affiliate links, but they're all books I have read and learned from.


Coaching Conversations by Linda Gross Cheliotes and Marceta Fleming Reilly This book focuses on being a committed listener, speaking powerfully, and providing reflective feedback. Perfect for the coaching cycle!

 

The Art of Coaching by Elena Aguilar When you're working with a teacher, there are so many social and emotional issues that we take for granted in addition to the academic issues we tend to focus on. This book brings them to light and gives you some insight in addressing them.

The Art of Coaching Teams by Elena Aguilar

Coaching PLCs or grade levels can be very challenging. This book gives you a lot to think about when it comes to working with teams effectively.

  Student-Centered Coaching: the Moves by Diane Sweeney This book is full of actionable items that you can actually implement quickly. I really recommend it, especially for new coaches!

   And now for a shameless plug: The Start-Up Guide to Instructional Coaching by me.  

3. Do some PD.

Sometimes coaches get lots of PD in their content areas, but not in the actual work of coaching.
Getting professional development specifically designed for coaches is so important, and it can be motivating, too!

Sometimes, coaching PD can be hard to find.

Fortunately, here's a free one you can sign up for! It's four days of virtual PD especially for coaches! There are sessions about topics coaches need: data, culture, questioning, communicating effectively, and more. 

Just check it out to read through all of the session titles and see the big names in coaching, too! Diane Sweeney & Angela Watson were a couple who really stuck out to me.

Here's my link for the free registration: Free registration to Simply Coaching Summit

And here's my affiliate link for a six-month pass: Six Month Pass to Simply Coaching Summit

4. Rest.

As a coach, your whole purpose is to help everyone else. That's literally why you have a job. You go to work to help teachers and kids. It's a mentally and emotionally exhausting job. (Sometimes it's physically exhausting, too!)

This summer, take some time to just be yourself. Do things you like to do. Don't think about work for a while. Here are a few ideas, if you're stumped.

• Go to the bathroom whenever you want, for as long as you want
• Read a book you want to read
• Have drinks with friend
• Bake a treat 
• Stare into the abyss
• Eat a dinner you cooked
• Go to Target and buy something fun
• Get a pedicure
• Sit on the porch and drink wine or tea or something tasty
• Watch something pointless on TV
• Take a walk
• Ride a bike 
• Spend time in your garden or yard
• Go for a swim
• Really, do anything that is not work. And do a lot of it. You'll need your mental energy when school starts again.

  Pin It

Helping teachers reflect on their practice

Helping teachers reflect on their practice can be challenging. As a coach, you're walking a fine line.

Your relationship with the teacher is delicate. Teachers who feel attacked will not want your support, whether attacking was your intention or not. Teachers who don't feel challenged will not benefit from your support, however helpful you might be.

The end of the school year is a good time to reflect on teaching practices, but we should really do this throughout the year, as an ongoing practice. After a lesson, day, or unit are good times to stop and think: is this working?

But we've got to start somewhere! In order to encourage reflection, one thing you can do is to meet with teachers at the end of the school year to help them think back to their year and make some plans for the next year.

As you're helping teachers think about the effectiveness of their teaching, here are a few questions you can ask and things you can do to facilitate the conversation and take it into action!

Questions to Ask:

About a specific lesson or unit

• How do you feel about this lesson/unit?
• What do you think went well?
• How did you expect things to go differently?
• Where did students struggle?
• What seemed to work well to help them be successful?
• How can you use those elements in other lessons?

About student progress

• Did students make progress?
• Did students make the progress you hoped they would make?
• How do you know? What information are you using to decide this? (Data/observations/etc)
• Why do you think that was the outcome? 

About student learning

• What learning gaps do you see across your class?
• What did you do to address these gaps?
• Was it effective? How do you know?
• What could you try next time to address this issue?
• How could you address the same issue in a different way?

About strategies and methods

• What did you try this year that worked well for you?
• What did you try this year that didn't work out well?
• What have you learned that you'd like to try? What support/resources would you need to do that?

About what matters most

• What were the best moments you spent with your students? What made them the best? How can you integrate those ideas into your teaching more often? 
• If your child had been a student in a classroom exactly like yours, how would you have perceived the teacher and classroom? The climate? The dynamics? The opportunities to learn?  
• What do you believe about teaching? How does that show up in your teaching? What could you do differently to better reflect those practices?
• What do you want to learn more about? Where do you want to grow? How can I help you do that?
• If you could change any one thing about the way you taught this year, what would it be?
• If you had total control and choice in what you taught next year, what would your classroom look like? What elements of that can you integrate into your teaching next year? 

Things to Do:

• Use a focused observation guide to help you record specific kinds of notes about a lesson the teacher is teaching. You can focus on student engagement, questioning, time management, or any other facet of teaching and learning to help teachers gather information. Need guides? Get them in the Instructional Coaching MegaPack! 
• Offer to record the teacher teaching a lesson. They can watch it with you or on their own.
• Help the teacher create and provide students with a survey. Ask them about their experience. Don't shy away from asking the tough questions: What didn't you like about class? What was challenging for you? What should I change?
• Help teachers make a plan using the Better than Goal Setting free resource I shared on this post!
• Offer a menu of support to show teachers how you can help them grow. Ideas might be book recommendations, sharing videos, book studies, modeled lessons, or coaching cycles. 

Looking for tools to help you organize yourself and support your coaching work? I've put together a free resource from the Instructional Coaching MegaPack to help you out! Just enter your email address below to get the free resource!


  Pin It