Why is coaching new teachers so hard?
On this coaching call, I’m joined by Nikki
Drury. She's a literacy instructional coach in a Texas grade 3-5 school.
Nikki has many coaching responsibilities but
spends much of her time developing new teachers. Some teachers she coaches have
limited classroom experience, while others have several years at different
campuses.
Nikki and I talk about some of the challenges
she faces coaching new teachers. We discuss how to find the balance between
showing and doing for teachers.
Tips for Coaching New Teachers
Nikki’s school has many campus-aligned
literacy strategies and programs in place. It can be overwhelming for new
teachers to learn so many things all at once.
While discussing this on the call, one tip I
suggest is making a video for each strategy. The videos can feature her or any
other willing teachers modeling the lessons in action.
This will create a video library that teachers
can watch on-demand. Teachers can get extra support when they want, but it
won’t add to their already heavy workload.
Developing Teachers' Thinking
On this episode of The Coaching Podcast, Nikki
and I discuss how to develop the thinking skills of teachers. This is critical
for lasting change and improving teachers’ practice.
When I model a mini-lesson or any other type
of lesson, I want teachers to see the thought process that goes into it.
During the planning, I explain how I'm pulling
from the standards and figuring out what to focus on. Once the lesson plan is
complete, I model it in the classroom. Then I debrief with the teachers and ask
questions that guide them to think about what they saw in the lesson.
This technique is super impactful for
teachers. It can be a valuable way to spend time with new teachers.
If you give it a try, let me know how it goes
in the comments below or tag me on Instagram.
More Ideas for Coaching New Teachers
The ideas above are a small sample of what we
discuss on the coaching call. This episode has many tips and topics, including
tiering support, classroom management during guided reading, and encouraging
teacher visitations. If you’re a literacy coach, you’ll find lots of valuable
tips to help you coach with confidence.
Ready to listen? You can listen below with the media player, or search for Buzzing with MS. B: The Coaching Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!
Check me out at buzzingwithmsb.com and on Instagram @buzzingwithmsb.
Podcast produced by Fernie Ceniceros of Crowd & Town Creative
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