Coaching:
Not Just for Sports
LEADING FOR CHANGE, CREATING GROWTH MINDSET
Maria Andrade Johnson, Michael Pascual, 2015
Our Objectives for Today

To examine the research results on coaching

To understand the nature of peer coaching, a
partnership for teacher leadership and
improving learning

What reactions might be to coaching, from
teachers and others

Critical Elements and Skills

Starting and Potential Results
What the research says:

“It is time for our education workforce to engage in learning
the way other professionals do—continually, collaboratively,
and on the job—to address common problems and crucial
challenges where they work” (DarlingHammond, 2009, p. 2).

Transformational school systems understand that jobembedded teacher growth builds capacity (Amankwatia, 2008; Bebbell and Kay,
2010; Boardman, 2012; Chandrasekhar 2009; Inan and Lowther, 2010; “Walled Lake Consolidated Schools,” 2007; Zucker and
McGhee, 2010; Pogany 2009; Silvernail and Lane 2004; ).

Peer coaching/mentoring within a Concerns Based Model
enables all teachers as learners (Donavan, Hartley, and Struder, 2007; Polly and Hannafin, 2010 )
Professional
Development
Knowledge of
Practices
Skill at
Practices
Transfer to
Practice
Theory
(training explains
what, why, how)
10%
5%
2-3%
Demonstration
(training models
practices)
25-30%
20-25%
2-5%
Practice
(participants
implement during
training)
40-60%
35-50%
5-7%
95%
95%
85+%
Coaching
(participants receive
ongoing jobembedded support)
WHY?
Multiple sources, available on request.
Neuroscience Affirms
Citing Dr. Richard Boyatzis (Kropko, 2010)

Focus on needs, goals, possibilities, desired states or
outcomes of the teacher as learner.

Many other approaches, even well-intended suggestions,
presume weakness, shortcomings, deficits.

Openness to change: increased belief in self-efficacy,
advantage of change, perceived intentions of the coach.

Otherwise, people’s need for autonomy, certainty, respect
will start moving the brain towards a “shut-down” resistive
state.
Peer Coaching
 People
have a need to be self-directed (autonomy), to
serve a greater good (purpose), and to continuously
improve (Pink, 2009)
 Needs
and Concerns are the most powerful motivators,
changing “exercises in compliance” into transformation
 To
address needs and concerns, peer coaches mediate
thinking, between best practices or data, and the person
being coached
 Important
qualities: Developing rapport, building shared
purpose, listening and questioning skills, reflective
What Do You Think?
What do Teachers Think?
Essential Elements of Peer Coaching
 Teachers
have shared responsibility for goal-setting and
coaching process as well as participation options.
 “Critical
friends” or collegial coaching models are
followed
 Roles
of peer coaches, participating teachers, principals,
asst. principals, dept. chairs are clearly articulated and
communicated; coaches do not evaluate, although
evaluators may adopt a coaching style
 Actual
practices (live or in video) and student data is used
What do Peer Coaches Do?

Conduct individual or small group meetings to identify
concerns

Collaboratively discuss and plan with peers ways to
address concerns: lessons, learning activities, classroom
management

Help peers prepare materials and integrate technology

Model practices by agreeing to have peers watch them
teach using the discussed practices

Observe peers teaching with new practices

Provide “critical friends” style sfeedback
Critical Skills for Peer Coaches

Respect: Willing to recognize the dignity of the other, listening
deeply and ethically, interpersonal dialogue that believes they
can positively affect outcomes for student learning

Relational trust: Personal regard for others, acting reciprocally
with mutual support

Competence: Belief that each party has ability to do their part
to achieve growth, in teacher-administrator, teacher-teacher,
teacher-student, teacher-family relationships; realizing that
incompetence erodes trust.

Integrity: Coherence between what you say and do; ethics in
relationships and behavior; keeping commitments.
Expert Insights
LES FOLTOS ON PEER COACHING
Questioning Techniques

Present multiple possibilities
"What are reasons for . . .?" "What strategies are you . . . ?“

“What if” choices—invite partnering in vision
"What might be your thoughts about . . . ?" "What are some of the
possibilities . . .?" "What are your hunches about . . . ?“

Success orientation
"As you examine the data, what are some of the similarities and
differences that are emerging?"
"What might be your indicators that you are successful?"

Open-ended
“What do you think about…?”
Question:
Both internal and external factors
Internal: Goals, values, self-identity



“What might be some goals
you’ve selected for . . .?”
As you are evaluating this
situation, what are some of the
things that make it important to
you?”
“What might be some of the
assumptions you’re applying to . .
.?”
External: Perspectives, options

“As you consider various options,
what possibilities are out there?

“In analyzing this situation, what
are some of the implications?”

“What might be some other
perspectives on this issue?”

“What might be some of the
alternatives you’ve generated?”
THE COACHING CONVERSATION
What Coaches Do:





Clarify goals
Specify success indicators and
a plan for collecting evidence
Anticipate approaches,
strategies, decisions
Establish personal learning
focus and processes for selfassessment
Reflect on the coaching
process and explore
refinements
How Coaches Do It:

Pause to allow time to think.

Paraphrase from time to time;
summarize your partner’s thoughts

Pose questions to specify thinking;
for example, “Specifically, what
might you mean when you say . . .
?”

Pay close attention to your
partner; attend with your mind
and your body
Obstacles to Coaching
Why Not Coaching?
Why Aren't We All Doing It?
How do I start?

Infrastructure: Scheduling and Budget

Training Time

Coaches Time

Common Planning Periods


Coach Compensation: PD budgets, Title I and III monies,
Comp Time, Grants, Creativity
Communicate vision and roles (if high school, it is
sometimes useful to begin with one department or group
of teachers, then scale up)
Context
An integrative Systems Solution
 Based findings of previous research, pilot uses a
Concerns Based Model, aligned with SAMR and
Teacher Career Cycle (Hall, George, & Rutherford,
1998; McIntosh, et.al., 2004; Puentadura,1998).
 Allows adaptive feedback and re-framing, doubleloop learning.
 Moves into transformative contexts and innovative
practices, triple-loop learning (Eilertsen & London,
2005).
 Helps community move forward and build trust.
Substitution
Teacher Career
Cycles
Augmentation
STAGES OF
CONCERN
LEVELS
0-1
Distinguished
7
Expert
6
Expert
5
Professional
4
Professional
3
Apprentice
2
Apprentice
1
Novice
0
2
3
4a
OF
Modification
Redefinition
5
6
USE
4b
Agreement on Goals

Administer Concerns Based Adoption Survey (there are
several published); tailor to your teaching audience

Classify your teachers by Concern Level

Communicate vision of critical growth goals—explain
there are many aspects to teacher and learning
effectiveness

Ask for a clear list of no more than 10 to be developed
collaboratively, either within a school or department;
reserve the right to add 2-3 must-haves that are
administratively decided (Marzano, Danielson, etc., have
good instruments)
Next Steps
 Identify
potential coach candidates; invite to
information session
 Explain
coaching and how it works, why it works
 Get
commitment from those interested in
coaching
 2-day
 Each
training for coaches
coach invites potential “coachee”(no more
than 3) to a “come and see” session
Launch and Evaluate
 Coaches
set up first meet with coachee and plan
lesson
 Coach
models lesson; coachee observes
 Coach
and coachee discuss observation
 Coachee
 Feeback
steps”
schedules observation or videos lesson
conversation, with reflection and “next
 Implement
 Scale
“next steps,” observe, feedback, etc.
up for broader implementation
Short-Term Goal (8 mos):
• 90% of teachers move one level, Stage of Concern
• 60% of teachers move one level, Levels of Use
Substitution
Teacher Career
Cycles
Augmentation
STAGES OF
CONCERN
Modification
Redefinition
5
6
LEVELS OF USE
0-1
2
3
4a
4b
Distinguished
7
Expert
6
JV
Expert
5
LM
Professional
4
Professional
3
Apprentice
2
Apprentice
1
Novice
0
JW
MB
PW, PB
BC
SS
MP
AN, RL
SW
Stages of Concern: 10/12 teachers; 83.33%/90%: long-term resistor
Levels of Use: 7/12 teachers; 58.33%/60%--two teachers already at high level
and were mentors
Growth in 4Cs Skills
Post: Do creative work in the way I respond to my learning
Pre: Do creative work in the way I respond to my learning
Post: Figure out different approaches to problems and explain them
Pre: Figure out different approaches to problems and explain them
Post: Have learned how to make presentations to help others…
Pre: Have learned how to make presentations to help others…
Post: Work with other students to explore learning
Pre: Work with other students to explore learning
Post: Learn how to apply learning to my life
Pre: Learn how to apply learning to my life
Post: Ask questions of my learning and of others
Pre: Ask questions of my learning and of others
Post: Think deeply and critically about my learning
Pre: Think deeply and critically about my learning
0
100
200
300
Number of Respondents
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Somewhat agree
Agree
Strongly agree
400
Student Short-Term Goal (9 mos.):
10% increase in Student Learning/4Cs
• 9.49% in critical thinking
▪
10.33% in inquiry skills
• 9.3% in applied thinking
▪
.035% collaboration
• 7.3% in presentation skills
▪
23% problem solving
• 9.8% in creativity
If You Would Like More Info:
#MDSAJohnson
mariadsa.johnson51@gmail.com
www.ed-gecation.com
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