Coaching in
Early
Intervention:
What It Is &
What It Isn’t
Muff Perry
ITC Harrisonburg Rockingham
Jessica Norton
First Words, Inc.
Molly Zarski
Albemarle Therapy Center
Stacie Jackson
ITC Staunton-Waynesboro
Coaching in Virginia
Objectives
You will:
 Develop foundational knowledge about
the coaching interaction style
 Identify the 5 different characteristics of
coaching
 Practice asking reflective questions
 Determine next steps for self-learning
What is coaching?
“Coaching is not telling people what to do; it’s giving
them a chance to examine what they are doing in light
of their intentions.”
(Flaherty, 1999)
“Coaching is developing people on purpose. Coaching
involves (the other person) in the process of planning,
creating, and problem solving.”
(Doyle 1991)
“Coaching is individualized and based on the theory that
each person has a unique knowledge base, and learning
preference and styles, therefore, participants, progress at
their own pace.”
(Wild, Shambaugh, Isberg & Kaul, 1999)
Coaching
An adult learning strategy in which the
coach promotes the learner’s (coachee’s)
ability to reflect on his or her own actions as
a means to determine the effectiveness of
an action or practice and develop a plan
for refinement and use of the action in
immediate and future situations.
In other words…
Coaching is a relationship-based process
that is used to improve existing skills,
develop new skills, and build the
competence and confidence of the family
to achieve desired or intended outcomes.
6 Principles of Adult Learning
Styles
 Voluntary
participation
 Reciprocal respect
 Collaborative exchange
 Praxis
 Critical Reflection
 Self Direction
What is the purpose of
coaching in Early Intervention?



Improve existing knowledge and practices within
each family
Help the family develop new skills
Promote continuous self-assessment and learning
on the part of the family.
COMPETENCE & CONFIDENCE
What it is? What it is not?
Coaching is….





Interaction style
Reflective
Parent empowerment
Involve family & provider
Confidence &
Competence
Coaching is not.…





Delivery method
Provider hands-off
Directive
Starting over
“Let me solve this
problem for you”
Natural Learning Environments
The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations
303:12(4)(b)(2) defines natural environments
as "settings that are natural or normal for the
child's same age peers who have no
disabilities.”
In summary….
Seven Key Principles
Coaching Characteristics:
What does a session look like?
 Joint
Planning
 Observation
 Action/practice
 Reflection
 Feedback
Joint Planning
 Agreement
between coachee & coach
 Encourages active participation
 Occurs for all coaching sessions
Joint Planning
Beginning of the Conversation
 Beginning
is the
end…
 Revisitation of the
plan
 Predictable
process/Focus
 Specific rather than
general
Joint Planning:
Conclusion of the Conversation
 End
is the beginning…
 Developed throughout the coaching
session or the end of the visit
 Reviewing actions, observations, and
topics discussed
 Summarize from both Coach and
Coachee
Joint Plan: Now what??
What does coach do when…
 the coachee leaves out critical
strategy when summarizing?
 the coachee’s plan does not align
with what coach thought was going to
happen?
 “I always forget what we are working on”
 “I don’t know”
 “I don’t have time”
Joint Plan
Coaching
NOT Coaxing
Joint Plan: When you return
 Was
the joint plan effective? Why or why
not?
 How do you know?
 What happens next?
REFLECTION not PERFECTION
Observation
Observing the real life activity of a family’s
daily routine provides the opportunity to assess
the action or practices with the goal of
developing new skills, strategies and ideas.


Observation of the Coachee by the Coach
Observation of the Coach by
the Coachee (coach models)
Modeling
 Planned
observation by the coachee of
the coach or if a situation presents itself
during the session to modify an activity
 Intentional
7
not Hopeful
steps of Modeling
Modeling
1. Explain what coach/coachee is doing, asking permission
2. Planned observation – give the parent a job to do
3. Coach models – this can be as hands on as it needs to be
4. Coach/Coachee discuss what worked and what didn’t
5. Invite parent to try strategy
6. Reflection – When, Where, How, What Worked, What didn’t
7. Joint Plan
Action
 Practice
of the agreed upon activity by
the coach and coachee


During the coaching session
Between the coaching sessions
 Occurs
within real life situations (natural
learning opportunities)
Reflection
“Looking back with the goal of
looking forward”
(Daniels, 2002; Rush & Sheldon, 2011)
Reflection
Coach’s purpose:
“to build the capacity of the coachee in a
way that will promote ongoing selfassessment, planning, and acquisition of
knowledge or skills by teaching the
coachee to be aware of, continually
examine, and refine his or her current
knowledge and behavior”
(Gallacher, 1996; Gilkerson, 2004; Rush & Sheldon, 2011)
Reflection
What the coach does:
 use reflective questions to help the
coachee analyze the current situation
 encourage the coachee to generate
alternatives and actions so that his or her
knowledge and skills are continually
improving (building competence)
 assist the coachee in achieving the
desired outcome (building confidence)
Reflection
What the coachee does:
 determine what worked or did not
work
 consider why it did or did not work
during the observation and/or
action
 generate ideas for what to do next
Reflection
 Reflection
ON action
 Reflection
IN action
 Reflection
FOR action
Reflective Questioning
Strive to:
 Ask
open-ended questions
 Choose naturally-occurring questions which
are in response to questions or comments
made by the coachee
 Avoid leading questions that direct the
coachee toward a particular answer or idea
 Be open to the coachee’s ideas
Reflective Questioning
TYPES of reflective questions:
 Awareness
 Analysis*
 Alternatives
 Action*
Awareness Questions
 Promote
the coachee’s understanding of
what he or she already knows or is
already doing
 May be used to clarify the situation or
issue for both the coach and coachee so
that everyone is on the same page
 Typically who, what, when, where, what
have you tried?,
Analysis Questions



Support the coachee in comparing the
current state to the desired future state
Answers are usually not readily apparent to
the coach or coachee so they typically lead
the coachee to examining his or her thoughts,
feelings, actions, intentions, and knowledge
Typically ask how or why (“how does what just
happened compare to what you would like
to happen?”)
Alternatives Questions
 Give
the coachee the opportunity to
consider a variety of possible options so
that he or she can choose how to obtain
the desired outcome
 Allow for brainstorming and opportunities
to share or explore knowledge and ideas
(“what are all the possible ideas to
consider?”)
Action Questions
 Help
to develop the joint plan so that
both the coach and coachee know what
they are going to do as a result of the
conversation
 Confirm exactly what will be done next,
including specific steps for
implementation and possibly even a
back-up plan (“who is going to do what
before the next time we meet?” “what
will we focus on during our next visit?”)
Reflective Questioning
CONTENT of reflective questions:
 Knowledge
 Practice
 Outcomes
 Evaluation
and understanding
Reflective Questioning
Let’s practice!!!
“Friend” Scenario
 Coach
– Friend 1
 Coachee – Friend 2 – returning to work
 Observer
A friend comes to you and is going back to
work. She is trying to figure out child care –
family day home or center based.
Non-Sleeping Toddlers
 Coach
– EI provider
 Coachee – Mom
 Observer
“Remember last time we talked, I
mentioned I could not get Timmy and Philip
to sleep. I video’d what happens at nap
time. What do I do about this?”
Unhappy Wake-Up
 Coach
– EI Provider w/ family for 2 months
 Coachee – Grandma
 Observer
Joey is 25 month old and recently
diagnosed with Autism. Grandma explains
that Joey always wakes up screaming and
she is not able to console him. She wants
your help!
Reflection
“Just tell me what I need to do.”
“She’s not going to do that.”
“Fine.”
What do we coaches do now???
Feedback
(
Feedback
Coach’s purpose:
“to affirm the coachee’s reflections or
actions or to add information to deepen the
coachee’s understanding of the topic being
discussed in order to jointly develop new
ideas and actions”
(Rush & Sheldon, 2011)
Feedback
What the coach does:
 use noncommittal acknowledgement,
when appropriate, to affirm what the
coachee says or does
 provide positive feedback, when
necessary
 share information to build on the
coachee’s knowledge and skills
Feedback
TYPES of feedback:
 Informative*
 Affirmative*
 Evaluative
 Directive
Informative Feedback
 This
shares knowledge and information
with the coachee that is directly related
to an observation, action, reflection, or
direct question from the coachee
 It could provide research-based practices
related to the situation or ideas resulting
from the coach’s expertise and
experience
 The timing and delivery is important
Affirmative Feedback
 This
results from active listening and
provides noncommittal
acknowledgement to let the coachee
know that he or she has been heard and
understood
 This could neutrally share the coach’s
perceptions or observations of others
 It does NOT agree, disagree, or make any
type of judgment
Evaluative Feedback
 This
provides a judgment of what has
been observed or reported
 It’s
not wrong and shouldn’t be withheld
and many coachees appreciate hearing
the coach’s assessment; HOWEVER, when
evaluative feedback is overused, it
becomes meaningless
Directive Feedback
 This
involves telling the coachee what to do
 It is generally inconsistent with coaching
practices because it does not build the
coachee’s capacity
 Should be used only when a clear and
present danger exists and there is no time to
engage the coachee in a coaching
conversation
 It is different than direct instruction
How Do We Build a
Community of Practice?
 Mentoring
 Read
coaching handbook
 Start or join a community meeting
 Brown Bag lunches
 Try a joint plan
 Book Study
 Other?