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One-on-One

Just as one-on-one conferring in the classroom impacts student learning, individual coaching has the potential to significantly grow a teacher’s practice. With a foundation of trust and solid communication skills, coaches and teachers collaborate to improve curriculum and instruction. Not that it’s easy. It’s not. Teaching is personal; it’s who we are. Here you’ll find support from experienced coaches who have been there and attend to teachers’ learning styles, teaching styles, communication preferences and more on the imperfect journey of working intimately with adult learners.

Latest Content
Connecting the Dots

Heather Fisher realized the possibility of connections while volunteering in the T-ball dugout. This transformed the direction of her coaching conversations as she used questioning and wait time to help teachers make powerful connections between content areas.

Let Poetry Be the Leader

Joanne Emery lets poetry be her guide when writing reflective notes to teachers after spending time in their classrooms. This creative kind of feedback softens hearts and opens doors for conversations.

The Power of Using a Viewing Lens

Lisa Mazinas offers a variety of “viewing lenses” for coaches to use when working alongside teachers. She shares practical advice as well as a variety of possibilities to help instructional coaches tailor their feedback in specific and useful ways.

Using a Checklist for Powerful Post-Conferences

Lisa Mazinas gives a structure for post-conference conversations. These talking points are the perfect place to begin.

Capturing Classroom Currents

David Pittman shares how to capture the current of energy from teacher to student and student to teacher in this guide to make the classroom currents visible to teachers.

Yes, and . . . A Collaborative Philosophy

David Pittman explains the improv roots of the phrase “Yes, and . . .” and applies it to a coaching conversation that will lift professional conversations to a new level.

Coaching Minute: Creating Conversations to Anchor Professional Relationships

Instructional coach Jen Court takes advantage of the early days of a school year to be present with classroom teachers and create conversations that begin to anchor meaningful professional relationships.

Coaching Toward Independence: Using an Instructional Framework to Guide a Principal-Teacher Conversation

Matt Renwick shares how leaders can use an instructional framework to bridge discussions that will honor teachers’ professional learning journeys.

Changing Positions? How to Rethink Your Community (Download)

Cathy Mere offers practical steps to finding a new community when you switch positions. Download a copy of a guided reflection to intentionally seek a new community.

Using Photographs for Coaching Conversations

Jen Court shares ways in which she uses photos to support conversations to help teachers achieve their instructional goals.

Coaching Minute: The Power of a Stopwatch

Ruth Ayres shares how timing parts of an observation gives unique and meaningful data for reflective conversations.

What Does Your Feedback Say About Your Coaching Relationships?

David Pittman guides literacy leaders to consider the kinds of feedback they offer and what it reveals about their professional relationships.

Crafting Coaching Conversations 

Jen Court strategizes how to craft coaching conversations that will be meaningful and action oriented. She shares questions instructional coaches can use to mold conversations.

Goals Are Greater than Nice Conversations

Brian Sepe moves instructional leaders to commit to encouraging growth through focused goal-setting rather than having “nice conversations.”

Guided Reading Debrief

Lora Bieghler debriefs with teacher Cheryl Miller after a guided reading lesson.

Affirm, Acknowledge, Ask: A Simple Protocol for Communicating Feedback

Matt Renwick offers an effective protocol for communicating feedback.

Ninja Feedback: Empowering Teachers to Reflect

Instructional coach David Pittman is inspired by the pop culture ninja and considers three types of “ninja feedback” to empower teachers to reflect on their instruction and assessment data.

Coaching Minute: Reminders for Facilitating Coaching Conversation

Instructional coach Brian Sepe offers three reminders for facilitating a coaching conversation.

Trust Your Tools. Trust Your Teachers

Matt Renwick cracks open his process for trusting teachers and encouraging growth through coaching conversations.

Coaching Minute: Language of Reading

In this brief video, Cathy Mere talks with Andrea, a literacy coach and reading specialist, about the importance of common language during debrief sessions when talking about reading.

Followership

An essential role for leaders is raising up more literacy leaders among the talented teachers on staff. Matt Renwick considers how anyone without a title or an obvious source of power can lead, and what that means for nurturing leadership skills.

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