How can you coach teachers to grow professionally?

Love the article's focus on instructional coaching! In my experience, not all teachers are coachable, but many are. The secret sauce? Passion. Teachers who are passionate about their students and subjects often need just a nudge to see the bigger picture. Tap into that passion, and you've got the foundation for a transformative coaching relationship.

Teachers need learning too. They need to continually upgrade subject expertise, teaching competence, adopt engaging learning techniques and mainly understand today's students learning styles and preferences. Teachers need continual coaching in teaching styles, rapport building, emotional competence to handle student psyche, time management, communication skills and self-management. A good teacher will also grow professionally by learning from students

In my educational leadership experience, I practiced instructional coaching through engaging teachers in plans. We worked on scope and sequence together for all grades so everyone fills what is missing. They had the ownership of their curricula and we created plans to follow up on this. In another example as Project Director to Teaching Women Enhanced English, teachers had roles in the curriculum design, survey of adult learners needs, adding audio visuals, training other teachers. Some if them were trained on mentorship and they were able to assist others. Good results are always announced which motivated teachers. Teachers were highlighted on social media with a short bio and special qualifications. It is about believing in your team!

I think the most important element is to establish a trusting relationship. As a coach you may have tremendous insight, but no one likes a colleague coming into the room to tell you what you are doing wrong and how they know it all. I go in with an attitude of what might I learn from this teacher? I don’t start in with how can i fix this teacher. Unless the teacher asks for help, I would leave with positive comments until the teacher knows I’m in equal ground. Once that is established, I might ask the teacher to come with me as we visit other exemplary classrooms. Then the two of us could focus on one thing we might do like that teacher. Coaching is not a pep talk and a quick fix. I truly think all teachers want to be good teachers.

Teachers need tools and skills to take ownership of their narratives and the stories they’re telling themselves. Schools are the most complex, emotive, inter-generational spaces and teachers are not given enough time and scope to reflect on their current practices and mindsets. Psychologists have mandatory supervision sessions to debrief their case load. Teachers are holding just as much but they don’t have the same channels to process what they’re holding - children, parents, colleagues & management. Increased levels of self-awareness are needed across society, starting with educators - because of their massive responsibility of role modeling to future generations.

When establishing a mentorship relationship with an educator it's important to first align on a common goal - a drive that motivates both parties. This way the relationship takes a collaborative tone instead of a teaching one. Another thing that can help is to listen carefully and note previous knowledge. This can help later down the line when new topics can start from a point of familiarity and maintain the collaborative relationship of learning.

A trusting and respectful relationship is the result of the coaching process as much as it is a condition of it. One nurtures (or undermines) the other constantly. Therefore: - lay the grounds for trust and respect but never take them for granted. They are being tested during the whole process. - the counterpart is that there is room for errors (up to a point of course) and time to repair them : nothing is definitive. - I don’t see this kind of coaching as a linear process, a preparation / execution / review straight line. I see it more as an incremental loop. The more you trust me, the better I can coach you, the more you can trust me. Or the contrary…

Over the past decade of being an instructional coach, I've learned the importance of presenting yourself as a thought partner and collaborator, not an evaluator. Sometimes, teachers resist coaching because they see it as criticism or punishment for not doing something well. If they reject coaching, it most likely comes from a negative experience with a former coach or how their school leader approaches the process. I like to use our first conversation to learn more about the teachers' interests, goals, and allow them to share what they envision for our work together. I intentionally share how I currently have a coach for several areas of my life to show my belief in the process and desire to learn continuously.

As Freire says, don't trust the learners like empty bank accounts. A good coaching relationship is one in which the coach treats the coachee with respect and value their current experiences instead of taking a 'master' expert role

One thing that I always find useful to remember is that people relate. Once you establish a relationship, and a positive strong one at that, everything becomes easier. Giving and receiving feedback is more meaningful and impactful. Instructing and learning becomes natural and intuitive. Understand the relationship first.

Differentiated and personalised professional development is indispensable in today's diverse educational settings. By offering a spectrum of formats—be it workshops, webinars, or coaching sessions—you cater to different learning styles and professional aspirations. This not only empowers staff to select what suits them but also fosters ownership of their learning journey. The inclusion of varied topics ensures a comprehensive skill set, ranging from subject-matter expertise to technological proficiency and leadership abilities. Enabling staff to formulate their own learning plans or join professional communities adds another layer of individualisation, enriching both their experience and their contributions to the educational institution.

One technique we discussed in our teacher education course was to record the teacher's lesson and pinpoint a few moments to watch together. Or, ask the teacher to select a few moments or instances that they would like to watch with you. Let the coachee/teacher set the coaching goals and preach where needed.

Let the teachers identify their visions and goals (short term and long term). Assist them on how to achieve them step by step and let them discover their professional value Work the journey with them by fostering a relationship

Setting goals is important and can be achieved by feedback and self reflection. School vision and mission should be integrated in the action plan and strategies of teaching.

To really make coaching successful, strong commitment from both the coach and teacher should be established as the progress is going to be monitored for a a time (depending on the points for improvement). More importantly, the cycle must include feedback (evaluation) to check the effectivity of coaching.

Many of the teachers I work with in Asia are not professionally trained. They need to learn the basics of classroom management and pedagogy. So, the first thing I do is hold a group meeting to establish a positive and encouraging tone. I state that the goal of the upcoming teaching observations is to identify best practices that can be implemented across classrooms. After the observations, I sometimes meet individually with each teacher. I start the meeting by asking the teacher to share their thoughts about their teaching. They can usually identify many of the issues I observed, which means that I don't have to deliver negative news and we can focus on developing skills.

Clearly communicating the culture of collaborative learning and development in the organization is key. During onboarding, pre-service, and in-service events, school leaders and staff as a whole need to convene and intentionally build together a community of learners, and ensure everyone’s awareness of colleagues (buddy/coach/mentor) to reach out to for any type of coaching, learning solutions, and continuous improvement efforts.

In my career, I have seen many persons in the field of teaching, I want to categorise them in two groups-1 Accidental teachers, 2- Teacher by interest or wish. For category-1, I will say to develop professionalism in them ,that don't compared always your time and your way of learning and living of life with your students and for category-2 I will say don't underestimate the new generation. For both categories, I will say first understand the students and then start your teaching and then take them up to the level of requirement not of the perfection of topics as per you.

I generally do workshops for teachers at the start of the academic year. This helps teachers to improve, work on certain areas and it's a reminder for few teachers. This way I'm not targeting anyone individually and yet achieving what I want. While observation in class teachers reflect and I mentor if required. I also repeat the observation if required to help teachers.

Sharing knowledge on common problems and challenges. Provide and offer a safe environment for teachers to raise concerns and contribute to the learning experience.

when we have the Plays role exercise. that will be a moment to reflect how we are able to sit at other position with the objective of being facilitators by coaching. the art of coaching is all about the Art of asking questions to reflect How, why, what and etc Teacher are kind and kind and caring to teach the young children. Being as an Education Leaders, we observe, we trained and activated their inner wisdom seeds to plant out all the future leaders. that is impactful!

According to the book, The Coaching Habit, “You’re not telling them or guiding them. You’re showing them trust and granting them the autonomy to make the choice for themselves.” Leaders and coaches can do this by asking a lot of questions to allow the educator come to their own answers and conclusions. The leader is not as effective when they provide answers versus having them be intrinsically created and owned by the educator.

Coaching or performance management works best when the goal of the exercise is clear - putting the needs of the students first should underpin everything. Leaders should be aware of the bigger picture and involve a 360 approach to coaching. They should model a commitment to professional growth & improvement. Coaching with clearly defined success criteria and KPIs are key. Certain staff will put blocks in the road whilst others will embrace change if the rationale is clear. Be prepared for - "Why should I do anything different if my results are good?"

When I was in the classroom as a high school art teacher, I chose to keep a notebook in Word with all of my lessons. I would reflect on how the lessons went each year and which formative and summative assessments worked best. I kept notes for improvement for the next year and ideas of how to tweak each project. Some years the reflections yielded great results and others I chose to scrap a lesson entirely. This process also helped me as I met with my department head and administrators for evaluations. I felt I had a clear and tangible way to access my data for reflection.

The more you support their reflexive practices, the more chances you have to have a long term positive effect. It will help them be more resilient in the future too.

Ah it seems like everyone is assuming that they have the answers and the teachers area the ones who need to be coached. This ignores what the individual already brings to the conversation and nothing is better than co-coaching as in learning from each other. WE can be so arrogant in our professional world believing that we are the experts. We need to listen

Feedback is important for teachers to recognise their strengths and work on areas of improvement. The approach should be kind, friendly and positive.

I believe that when we provide actionable feedback as a coach, it is important to be detailed and precise in your observations and recommendations. Instead of vague statements, provide specific examples and strategies that the teacher can implement. Feedback should also be tailored to the individual needs and goals of the teacher.

Get away from the positive vs negative feedback as much as possible. It is about what is helping learners learn (any indications or signs of that?). And what got in the way of the learning. It will help look at the situation without adding unnecessary judgement.

Due to the current teacher shortage, many of our teachers are long-term substitutes who may or may not have prior teaching experience. Therefore, in addition to intensive coaching, many teachers will also need professional development opportunities that include peer observations and training in pedagogy and classroom management.

When leaders embrace coaching for themselves, and communicate their experience, they model its importance and value. Leaders don't have to have all the answers! @Enlightening Leadership

Leaders or mentors should be qualified and experienced enough to be able to give feedback. The feedback should be given in a way that the teacher doesn't feel offended or threatened.

There are many ways to coach teachers so that they can grow professionally. Yet, as educational leaders, we must remember that it is about the teacher, not ourselves. For instance, ask the teacher what areas they glow in and some in which they would want to grow. Also, we should celebrate their successes like we do the students because we, as adult educators, are expected to be lifelong learners. Remember to provide mentorship with a more seasoned educator because this peer one-on-one relationship can provide invaluable professional growth in ways unimagined. Lastly, ensure that the environment's climate and culture support continuous professional development.

Observing expert teachers is valuable, but only if the novice knows what they are looking for. New teachers can focus on one specific goal or skill to improve -- reducing teacher talk, classroom management, scaffolding, etc. -- and the coach can recommend an expert in that skill to observe. The expert should be told in advance of when the observation will take place and what the novice is watching for to ensure that the expert knows what they need to demonstrate. (Leaders could even nominate teachers with specific skills to be added to a directory of experts, listed by skill, who are willing to be observed!) Novice can debrief with coach afterwards, or they can observe together and write notes to one another about what they see.