When we enter a coaching conversation, we need to consider two layers. One is visible: the lesson design, the teacher’s actions, student participation, questions and responses, and evidence of learning. The other is less visible. It includes the teacher’s beliefs and assumptions, confidence and uncertainty, previous experiences, fears and concerns, values and intentions, sense of […]

“Resistance isn’t refusal. It’s a signal of unmet needs.”  Becca Silver, the founder of The Whole Educator and the designer of the Resistance Remedy, shares how to diagnosis common unmet needs. Coaches questioning and listening emerges as key to change and commitment. Visit The Whole Educator website and get in touch with Becca here. Subscribe […]

I recently read Jonathan Haidt’s, “The Happiness Hypothesis” and pondered several times how elements from his work apply to coaching teachers. When might increased teacher happiness lead to increased student learning? What role can coaching play in that connection? Haidt presents a metaphor that can be helpful in a coaching approach: the elephant and the […]

Here is a slide that I frequently display at the start of facilitating a learning opportunity for school leaders, instructional coaches, and teachers. I personalize the statement with a look at myself. “There is no mountaintop in learning mastery as an educator. One needs not worry about reaching mastery prior to retirement. Having passed the […]

Matt Renwick recently posted a blog on MiddleWeb titled, “Observing Instruction with a Curiosity Mindset.” Matt is the author of Lead Like a C.O.A.C.H. and has previously joined me on a podcast. He identifies these keys to leading like a coach: Create confidence through trust. Organize around a priority. Affirm promising practices. Communicate feedback. Help […]

“Super-facilitators are people with a talent for bringing individual group members together, combining each one’s unique strengths to promote optimal team performance.  They integrate diverse expertise, promote equitable contributions, and cultivate trust among teammates, generating collective intelligence—a group’s ability to solve problems together.” That’s the description Jamil Zaki provides in a HBR article titled, “Every […]