What Can Coaching Do for a School?

There’s generally an agreement that educators need more knowledge, skills, practice, and support after they enter the profession. Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Outliers: The Story of Success (2008), calculates that it takes ten thousand hours of deliberate practice — practice that promotes continuous improvement — to master a complex skill. This translates into about seven years for those working in schools. The majority of teachers and principals want professional development; they want to improve their craft, be more effective, implement new skills, and see students learn more.

What is the coaching cycle?

A 1-3 week period of time in which a teacher works with a coach to improve some aspect of instruction.

What are the steps in the cycle?

1. A pre-video meet so that the coach and teacher can get to know one another better as professional and so that the coach can define his or her role.
2. A videotaping session. Usually 1-2 sessions of 10 – 15 minutes.  The teacher can direct the coach what to record during the lesson.
3. Teacher receives the video and watches it, taking notes.  You may wish to consult Self-Guided Module to Analyze own Video of Instruction.
4. A second meeting between coach and teacher. This time the teacher shares their observations of the video and the coach helps the teacher target a potential area for growth.
5. The teacher implements (possibly with the presence of the coach) a strategy to address target area.
6. Teacher and coach meet a third time to assess the progress towards a goal.
7. The teacher evaluates the coaching cycle process: Post Cycle Survey

What is the role of the coach?

The coach is a collaborator to help the teacher  look at his or her practice and use reflection to help the teacher identify areas for growth. A coach  is not there to tell the teacher what to do but to help guide the teacher through the process of gathering data, identifying opportunities for growth, and brainstorming specific strategies to try.

FAQs

• Why should I do take part in this project?  Self-reflection is a proven key component of improvement.
• Who will see my video?  Only you
• Will my coach tell others about my teaching? No. The work between the coach and teacher is founded on trust. The coach
• Will the coach tell me what to do? No. It’s up to you to decide how to improve or what to improve. The coach acts as a guide and resource provider but does not express opinions about strengths or weaknesses.

Jim Knight Focus on Teaching Video Observation Resources