Annie Murphy Paul, in the article Four Ways to Give Good Feedback, states: “When effectively administered, feedback is a powerful way to build knowledge and skills, increase skills, increase motivation, and develop reflective habits of mind in students and employees. Too often, however, the feedback we give (and get) is ineffectual or even counterproductive.” She provides […]

Communication Skills for Coaches Our choice of words can have a surprising effect during a coaching conversation. Words that are used commonly in everyday situations can convey unintentional meanings in the context of the delicately balanced dynamics of coaching conversations. This need for careful choice of words can be illustrated with the use of the phrase, […]

As I read a recent newspaper report, I was tugged to examine again how school leaders, school board members, teachers, and instructional coaches themselves define the role of coaches. The reporter was exploring, “What are instructional coaches and how do they help teachers?” This examination of instructional coaching was occurring because the school board was […]

During a podcast with Jim Knight  and another with Joellen Killion and Cindy Harrison, the topic of how instructional coaches spend their time arose. So, it was interesting to find this article by Britnie Delinger Kane and Brooks Rosenquist, Making the Most of Instructional Coaches, in Kappan April (2018) [pages 21-25]. Kane and Rosenquist conducted a study […]

The alignment of an instructional coach’s and principal’s messages to staff is important in maintaining teacher actions what will drive increased student learning. Both principal and coach must make constant decisions and responses to staff during busy school days throughout the year. Rich conversations assist principal and coach in knowing their thinking is based on […]

On Monday September 25 at 10am EST, I will be holding a free webinar on principal /coach partnerships built to maximize student success. (Information and Registration here) This blog outlines some of the key elements that will be explored. I will present my thinking in three sections: Focus and Goals, Expectations, and Long Term Desired […]