Other Pages: Types of Coaching / Nine roles of coaches

Becoming an Effective Coach

 

SummaryCoachingRoles.doc

 

Table of Contents

Becoming an Effective Coach Characteristics of Effective Coaches Professional Development support for coaches should: Two Paths Types of Follow Up Support Coaching vs. Evaluation Conversation Tools For Facilitating Coaching

 

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This page contains a brief overview from the Front Range BOCES Workshop, "Becoming an Effective Instructional Coach"

 

Characteristics of Effective Coaches

Effective coaches perceive themselves as responsible for change and growth at their school. In order to achieve that work, there are six broad categories of characteristics that effective coaches utilize. These characteristics are listed below.

 

1. Beliefs
   1. Is willing to learn
   2. Has a passion for ongoing development and learning
   3. Holds the attitude that everyone is important
   4. Believes in the capacity of others to grow and develop
   5. Does not assume to have "THE Answer"
   6. Is committed to continuous improvement
   7. Embodies moral purpose
2. Teaching Expertise
   1. Is skilled in instructional planning
   2. Has strong classroom organization and management
   3. Has fluency with multiple methods of delivering instruction
   4. Uses multiple methods for student assessment
   5. Demonstrates success in their work as classroom teachers
   6. Articulates their practice
   7. Reflects on their own practice
3. Coaching Skills
   1. Understands and applies knowledge about adult development
   2. Listens skillfully
   3. Communicates effectively
   4. Uses effective questioning skills
   5. Understands and employs a specific reflection process
   6. Diagnoses the needs of teachers
   7. Aligns support to the identified needs of teachers
4. Relationship Skills
   1. Desires to be a part of a team
   2. Works effectively with teachers and principals
   3. Builds trusting relationships
   4. Is respected by peers
   5. Has patience for the learning process
5. Content Expertise
   1. Possesses and applies appropriate, in-depth content knowledge
   2. Uses extensive research and theory to support instructional decisions
6. Leadership Skills
   1. Understands and applies the knowledge about change
   2. Communicates the vision of the school
   3. Aligns work with school goals
   4. Uses data to drive decisions
   5. Engages others in developing plans for improvement
   6. Maintains a productive culture

 

 

 

Professional Development support for coaches should:

 

• Ensure that principals understand the "big picture" of the reform and the reason that underly the changes.
• Develop a strong, focused coherent orientation for new coaches.
• Develop a differentiated professional development for experiences coaches.
• Ensure that coaches are knowledgeable about the learning needs of special populations of people.
• Ensure that coaches hear the same message that teachers do.
• Enable some coaches to become "coach leaders."

Neufeld and Roper, Education Matters, Inc.

Annenberg Institute for School Reform, June 2003

 

 

Two Paths

 

Types of Follow Up Support

 

Killion, J. What Works 1999, 2002

 

Coaching vs. Evaluation

It is essential that in all our interactions with teachers, everyone involved has a clear understanding that coaches are non-evaluative. The distinctions can often be subtle, and it is always wise to be explicit about this arrangement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COACHING	EVALUATION
Performed by:   Colleague/peer	Performed by:   Supervisor/administrator
Formative: (ongoing)   A continuous cycle of activity	Summative: (annual deadlines)   A final evaluation form is filed
Purpose:   To develop teachers' capacity to continually improve instruction	Purpose:   To judge teachers' current level of performance
Criteria for Observation:   Teacher determines criteria	Criteria for Observation:   District evaluation policies determine criteria for observation
Data:   Data is collected to inform the teacher/coach dialogue, and is provided to the teacher	Data:   Data is collected and used as documentation for personnel evaluation purposes
Role and focus of Observer:   Directed by the teacher	Role and focus of Observer:   Directed by evaluation system policy and procedure
Judgement of Performance:   Teacher evaluates her/his own performance	Judgement of Performance:   Supervisor evaulates performance

 

Conversation Tools For Facilitating Coaching

Conversation is a natural form of human interaction. However, when the conversation is part of a coaching session, it is helpful to have some tools and techniques available to increase the effectiveness of your interactions. Three watchwords to have in mind are

Pause, Paraphrase, and Probe.

Pause - Try not to compete for airtime with your client. Pauses are especially effective after questions, after responses, or before the next question.

Paraphrase - Three different types of paraphrasing can help to move the conversation to deeper levels. Use ''acknowledging/clarifying'' to restate the thoughts of the other person and move the conversation to a deeper level. ''Summarizing/organizing'' is powerful strategy that can bring a wide ranging discussion into focus. "Shifting focus" is a valuable tool to have when the teacher is stuck on a single point of view.

Probe This simply means asking thoughtful questions that lead a teacher to examine more aspects of their situation.

 

Lipton, Laura, Bruce Wellman, and Carlett Humbard, Mentoring Matters: A practical Guide to Learning-focused Relationships. Sherman CT: Mira Via, 2001

 

Other Pages: Types of Coaching / Nine roles of coaches