How well do you need to know a teacher to coach them well? I found myself pondering that question after reading Randi Brown’s Edutopia article on supporting teacher growth through trusting relationships. Brown describes two threads that exist in a coaching conversation. One is visible—the lesson plan, instructional strategies, student engagement, assessment results, and the […]

As I look back over last year’s writing, podcast conversations, and coaching work, I’m struck by how often I’ve returned to the theme of listening as a core disposition of effective coaching and leadership.  I find that growth, trust, and collaboration emerge not from the brilliance of what we say, but from the quality of […]

In coaching—whether you’re supporting a teacher, leading a professional learning team, or working with a school leader—listening is foundational. And yet, in the name of productivity, efficiency, or simply staying on schedule, we can too easily slip into haste. “We nod instead of reflect. We respond instead of inquire. We react instead of understand.” A […]

What skills do coaches practice to communicate being fully present in coaching conversations? How do those conversations support a growth-oriented environment where teachers feel valued, heard, and empowered to take ownership of their professional learning? Consider your use of questions and paraphrases in coaching. Find “The Leader’s Guide to Coaching in Schools: Creating Conditions for […]

Christine Miles, the author of, “What’s it Costing You to Not Listen,” shares insights on how as coaches and school leaders we need to move beyond active listening. Listening to understand is critical in building relationships and trust with those we coach. Christine identifies how our listening and questions assist a coachee in telling their […]

Thinking Partner is a term that I have been using in describing the conversations that I work to have emerge with coachees, especially in post observation conversations. Reading Dr. Kristine Needham’s post, 3 Ways to More “Aha” Moments in Coaching, I found several connections to the concept of thinking partner. Needham describes these coaching conferences […]