Overview
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Estimated Time to Complete: 2 hours
This module explores coaching as a method to increase the collective capacity of faculty and staff to better meet the needs of all learners. Several models of coaching are used in Ohio schools. The various coaching model are highlighted, with an emphasis on the skills that cut across the identified coaching approaches. The following topics are discussed in module text, linked resources, and embedded videos:
- Research evidence relating to coaching
- Coaching as a part of a larger professional development framework
- Coaching models currently in use
- Coaching macro and micro practices
- Coaching skills across all models
- Coaching and the Ohio Improvement Process
- Educators’ perspectives on coaching
The content of this module is designed for leaders, regardless of position, who are facilitating school improvement efforts in school buildings, school districts and on a regional level.
The Coaching module aligns with Ohio’s Leadership Framework in the following areas:
- Area 1 Data and Decision-Making Process
- Area 2 Focused Goal Setting Process
- Area 3 Instruction and Learning Process
- Area 5 Resource Management Process
Module Content
You can download a document that includes all content from the module, with the exception of videos. This resource can support your learning while completing the module or be saved for future reference.
Additional Documents
Leadership Coaching: Enhancing a Principal's Instructional Leadership Skills - Note-taking Organizer
Discussion Questions
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Have you ever been a coachee (i.e., the recipient of coaching? If so, what did you think about the experience? What benefits did it provide? What were the downsides?
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What relationship-building skills do you already have that would help you function effectively as a coach (that is, if you chose to take on such a role)? What relationship-building skills might you want to acquire or develop further to help you function effectively as a coach?
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How does “active listening” differ from ordinary listening? What steps might you take to improve your use of active listening?
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Coaching works best when it’s part of a comprehensive PD program. What other components in addition to coaching are needed in order to make a PD program comprehensive?
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What organizational norms and structures are in place in your school and/or district to support on-going use of instructional coaching? What organizational norms and structures in your school and/or district might get in the way of an effort to establish or expand the use of instructional coaching? How might educational leaders modify organizational norms and structures to increase the probability that instructional coaching will function effectively to augment traditional professional development in your school and/or district?
Activities
Introductory Activities
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Use the link to retrieve the coaching practice rubric. Rate yourself on each of the practices. Based on your rubric ratings, what are your coaching strengths and weaknesses right now? What coaching practices would you like to improve? What approach(es) could you use to strengthen those practices?
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Coaches who have been teachers, principals, or State System of Support (i.e., SST or ESC) consultants tend to have a lot of experience with sharing information and less experience with eliciting reflection through questioning. Too much reliance on the sharing of information, however, can undermine a coaching relationship. Develop a protocol for coaches to use to monitor their own performance during coaching sessions as a way to help them stay in the “coaching lane” and steer clear of the “teacher/consultant lane.”
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Think about a new initiative that your school or district has adopted. Using the Stages of Concern list on page 2 of the module, rate your own stage of concern with respect to this new initiative. Jot down a few actions that a coach might take to address your concerns and thereby enable you to move along the continuum from exploration (i.e., the earliest implementation stage) to full implementation (i.e., the final implementation stage).
Advanced Activities
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Coaches can improve their practice by making improvements in response to feedback from coachees. Develop a form that coachees can complete after a coaching session to provide feedback to their coaches. Use the coaching practice rubric as a guide. Provide optional items on the form that customize it for use with (a) instructional coaches, (b) leadership coaches, and (c) team coaches.
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Read the document, “Peer Coaching that Works: The Power of Feedback and Reflection in Teacher Triad Teams” by Jarvis and colleagues (2017). Summarize the six components of peer coaching in teacher triad teams. Discuss these components with your TBT and/or BLT colleagues as a basis for determining whether peer coaching would be workable at your school (or in your district). What steps would your school or district need to take in order to get a peer-coaching program underway?
You can earn credit and contact hours for modules, webinars, and podcasts completed on the OLAC site.
For more information, visit the Credit Corner. If you’re seeking credit for the Gifted Education Professional Development Course or the Culturally Responsive Practices Program courses, you can find that information on the course overview pages.