1
Essential Questions:
What is effective instructional coaching?
How can I alter my approach/work with my
administration/teachers to maximize my
effectiveness as an instructional coach?
How can the coaching cycle benefit
instruction?
Once there was a peddler who
sold caps.
But he was not like an ordinary
peddler,
carrying his wares on his back.
He carried them on top of his
head
First he had on his own
checkered cap,
then a bunch of gray caps,
then a bunch of blue caps,
and, on the very top,
a bunch of red caps.
-SLOBODKINA (1940, n.p.)
Whole Faculty Professional Development
Small Group Professional Development
Planning
Modeling Lessons
Coaching
Place these roles on a
Coach-Teacher Conferences
continuum from 1 to 12.
Student Assessment
1 represents the least
Data Reporting
support.
Data Analysis
Meetings
Knowledge Building
Managing Materials
Develop future leaders by supporting teachers
in the areas of:
Curriculum
Assessment
Instruction
Fostering an environment of collaboration,
reflection
◦ Professional Growth
◦
◦
◦
◦
“You can teach a person
nothing. You can only
help him discover it
within himself.”
Attributed to Galileo
An effective Instructional
Coach differentiates
professional learning
opportunities by thinking of
coaching as a continuum.
CONTINUUM OF COACHING
Interactive coaching
Intra-active coaching
Increased external scaffolding
Decreased external scaffolding
Subject-centered pedagogy
Solution-seeking andragogy
Transformation may occur when teachers or his or her coaches are provided opportunities to
observe, co-teach, confer, study, research, and reflect on practices based on behavioral evidence.
Note: The term observation lesson has been used to
replace demonstration lesson to denote the
opportunity being provided versus a model lesson to
emulate.
adapted from
K. S. Froelich & E. A. Puig, 2010, p. 128
The Literacy Leadership Team:
Sustaining and Expanding Success
CONTINUUM OF COACHING
Interactive coaching
Facilitate a
workshop or
session to
improve
learning and
instruction
Provide an
observation lesson
to improve learning
and instruction
Intraactive coaching
Co-teach with a host
teacher in an
observation classroom
to improve learning
and instruction
Confer,
observe, and
debrief to
improve
learning and
instruction
Facilitate a study
group or literacy
leadership team to
investigate adaptive
challenges to
improve learning and
instruction
Facilitate action
research to seek
resources after
reflection to
improve learning
and instruction
Increased external scaffolding
Decreased external scaffolding
Subject-centered pedagogy
Solution-seeking andragogy
Transformation may occur when teachers or his or her coaches are provided opportunities to
observe, co-teach, confer, study, research, and reflect on practices based on behavioral evidence.
Note: The term observation lesson has been used to
replace demonstration lesson to denote the
opportunity being provided versus a model lesson to
emulate.
adapted from
K. S. Froelich & E. A. Puig, 2010, p. 128
The Literacy Leadership Team:
Sustaining and Expanding Success
Talk to a mentor or a colleague
How will literacy coaching on a continuum
impact responding to intervention for the
literacy leadership team?
Teachers?
Students?
ROLE OF THE COACH:
Coaches primarily for forward shifts of individual student instruction
Focuses on teaching for strategic activity
Collaboratively seeks solutions with mentor teacher on developing student’s
feedback mechanisms grounded in assessments for learning
Facilitates coaching conversations on individual student’s change over time
Co-triangulates data to improve individual instruction
Coaches primarily for forward shifts of small group instruction
Supports assessment, evaluation, and instruction at the small group level
Facilitates coaching conversations on the aesthetics of teaching
Collaboratively seeks solutions with mentor teachers using assessments for
learning
Co-triangulates data to improve small group instruction
Role of the Coach in Lesson Study:
Organizer
Facilitator
Observer
Supporter
Mentor colleague
Discussant
Role of the Coach in a Professional learning Community:
Participant
Colleague
Resource
Guide/Learner
Practitioner and Scholar
When literacy coaching is
approached as a continuum of
professional learning, it
diminishes resistance to
change by providing options.
Pre-conference- Observation-Model-DebriefCo-Teach-Collaborative Teaching-Observation
with feedback-Planning
PreConference/
Planning
Model and
Debrief
Gradual
Release of
Responsibility
Observation
with
feedback
Co-Teach/
Collaborate

Observations

Questions

12:10 T: That’s what good readers
do. They try to connect to things in
their lives.

Teacher roving room.

12:20 Teacher reviewed rules for
sitting in front of the easel.

T: Mrs. Porche has given us this
huge umbrella. So we need to write
her a thank you note. When we
write a letter to someone, what do
we need to do first?

S: Date

T: Write September.

12:21 T: Are you talking about
indenting?

T: Take a few minutes to think.

T: Repeats message students have
given.

T: Say it with me so I don’t forget it.

T: Let’s clap “donation”.

T: Used white board, “nation”,
definition

T: Read back what we have.










Why?
Book boxes on tables,
workboard visible.
Purpose?
Focus? What do you want
the kids to think about
while writing?
TPR?
Note: Response letter from
Ms. Vickey’s class to
observe workstations.
So the kids understand
that’s something they can
do to remember a
message.
Why?
Teaching by analogy.
How is rereading going to
help the students in their
writing?
 Differentiation
 Workshops
 Observation
 Co-teaching
 Confer,
is key
Lesson
Observe, Debrief
 Study Group
 Action Research

Describe the students’ behavior when . . .

After this lesson, can you describe how the
outcomes matched your goals?

How did you recognize the need to switch
approaches?

How did you figure that out?

What challenges did you encounter in the lesson?

How are you planning to go about this…

Where are you going with this …
•
•
•
•
80% of the workweek: Engage in a dialogue
between teachers, administrators, students
and observations
10% of the workweek: Plan and prepare for
training sessions
5% of the workweek: Provide observation
lessons
5% of the workweek: Engage in professional
book study


How do we ensure the coach’s time is used
for maximum benefit?
What do you believe are the most important
ways coaches spend their time?









Tell me about your purpose in/when …
Tell me about your lesson/focus of…
Describe the students’ behavior when . . .
After this lesson, can you describe how the
outcomes matched your goals?
Were there any shifts in your instruction?
How did you figure that out?
What challenges did you encounter in the
lesson?
How are you planning to go about this…
What are you planning for with the next
lesson…

Scenario 1:
Coaching the Resistant Teacher:
 Instructional Coach: You are conferencing with your
teacher and presenting data.
 Teacher: “These kids can’t…” “You know these kids
are… (on free and reduced lunch, don’t care, don’t
want to learn.)”
 If you were asked to address the above situation
how might you respond?
Scenario 2:
•
•
•
•
Selective Implementation
Instructional Coach: You’re frustrated. The teacher you have
been working with for a couple of weeks hasn’t even taken the
core curriculum materials out of the boxes. Furthermore, you
thought that you both were working toward a clear focused
coaching goal, but how can you do that when every time you
turn your back he/she is doing the exact same thing that you
both agreed not to do anymore?
Teacher: “I tried to use the core curriculum, but the kids did not
like it.”
“I know that we agreed to do that, but our kids need more
vocabulary work.”
How might you respond to a situation like this?

An effective principal/coach relationship can be
achieved by having the coach and principal:
 Collaborate
 Create an action plan
 Develop or participate in the Reading Leadership
Team
 Review and discussing the coach’s log and calendar
 Attend common planning to know what are the
look-fors when he/she conducts their
walkthroughs
 Communicate and share ideas with the leadership
team






Support and protect the role of the coach
Share a common vision for the coach’s role
with the whole faculty
Protect the coach’s time
Guard some time for professional
development for the coach and by the coach
Revise and guide the coaches through the
discussion of their weekly logs
Create tier action plans to guide coaches and
administrators work



How do we ensure the coach’s time is used
for maximum benefit?
What do you believe are the most important
ways coaches spend their time?
How will the coach’s time be documented?

What can be done at your site to promote a
culture of coaching?



What is effective coaching?
How can I alter my approach to maximize
my effectiveness as an instructional coach?
How can the coaching cycle benefit
instruction?
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Fisher, D. (2007) Improving adolescent literacy: Content area
strategies at work. Digital writing, digital teaching:
Integrating new literacy's into the teaching of writing.
Available online: http://hickstro.org/2007/03/10/dougfishers-improving-adolescent-literacy-strategies-at-work/
Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2008). Better Learning Through
Structured Teaching. Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development (ASCD), pgs. 4,10-12,18-19
Fisher & Frey (2008). Fisher&Frey resources. Retrieved February
10, 2010, from www.fisherandfrey.com
(U.S. Department of Education (2008). Direct, Explicit
Comprehension Strategy Instruction. Available online:
http://www.adlit.org/article/27740

Puig, E.A. & Froelich, K.S. (2011), 2nd ed. The literacy coach:
Guiding Coaches in the right direction. Allyn & Bacon/
Pearson