Last week I shared the instructional coaching data tracker I use to help organize and reflect on my work in coaching cycles throughout the year. In the post I mentioned that I use a variety of other coaching tools to document and organize work with individual teachers. Here are a two of my most important.
Coaching Kick-Off Meeting
At the start of instructional coaching cycles, two of the most important things we can do as coaches is to establish a respectful and trusting rapport with our coachee and also show that we honor them as an adult learner. You can work to implement these two practices in part by setting up a Kick Off coaching meeting. The first purpose of this time is to get to know your coachee as a teacher and learner. The second purpose is to work together to identify a goal for your coaching cycle. In having this kick off coaching conversation, you are establishing yourself as a “thinking partner” who is there to learn along with them. Additionally, you are setting routines and norms for your work together and clarifying logistics, which I have found helps in preventing potential misunderstandings down the road. Creating an agenda for this meeting helps to ensure that your time is purposeful and action-oriented.
Download your FREE Coaching Kick-Off Printable Here
Coaching Work Plan Tool
This is a great tool to help you craft a plan for your coaching goals, how you plan to arrive at these goals, and the results of your work. After the Kick-Off meeting, I set-up a Goal Setting meeting with teachers and use this tool to guide our conversation. I’ll revisit it throughout the coaching cycle to ensure that our work is staying on track. In the final coaching wrap-up meeting I have with teachers, we review and document the results of our work using this tool.
Instructional Coaching Observation and Debrief Tool
This instructional coaching observation form is my go-to tool for all of my coaching observations and debrief conversations. I record our coaching cycle goal at the top to ensure alignment between learning targets and look-fors in the lesson. The listed debrief questions always serve as anchors for post observation conversations. As far as instructional next steps, one thing I have learned is fewer is better! Ensure that the teacher you are working with has identified and committed to 1-2 instructional next steps they feel will support student progress, but also feel manageable.
Download your FREE Coaching Kick-Off Printable Here
And for the complete
Simplified Coaching Planning Kit …
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View Comments (34)
Great tools! I have a coach interview this week. Any pointers that will help me land the job? I have ten years of classroom teaching experience, four years of college coaching experience, and a specialist degree in Educational Leadership.
Thanks Lisa! Congratulations on your interview. It sounds like you have some great experience and knowledge to contribute to a coaching position. Over the few years I've been coaching, I've come to believe that one of the most important qualities of
an effective coach is the ability to build relational trust with staff. Good luck!
Kristin
I got the job! I am super excited, but know that I will need to hit the ground running. Your website has been my best friend (I started this week. So quick!) Thank you for sharing with us!!!
Woo Hoo! That is awesome! Keep in touch :)
Thanks for sharing these awesome tools!
You're welcome and thanks for the comment!
Kristin
I am interested in visiting your site often. I am new to coaching and I want to make it a successful year for the teachers, students and myself.
This is awesome! I know I'm going to be busy reading all your posts. I love this one and will definitely bookmark it-your visuals and handouts are awesome (I'm a sucker for cool fonts too). Loving the instructional observation toolkit! I agree with you that relationships are HUGE for successful coaching; if a teacher has no relationship with you, or worse, a poor relationship with you, they won't be willing to work with you or accept your feedback.
Ms. Houser, I just stumbled on this very helpful website. I'm in a M.Ed. program in a coaching/mentoring class right now. Our final assignment is putting together a coaching plan. I'm overwhelmed, but it looks like you've got some helpful ideas here. Do you have an helpful advice that I might use in putting together the plan?
Hi Richard,
You might find my post on "Creating a Coaching Work Plan" helpful. I put together an infographic based on a chapter in The Art of Coaching. You might also want to check out this book.
Thanks and best of luck,
Kristin
I have been a coach for about 7 years and my job gets tweaked every year! I am looking forward to exploring the tools that you have shared. I have some that we already use, but they are not as professional. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Laura,
Wow!…7 years, that's impressive! Thanks for taking the time to comment…I'm glad the tools have been useful. If there are any other tools you think would be supportive to your work that I can "professionalize" a bit, please let me know!
Thanks, Kristin :)
Kristin,
I love your blog, your tips and tools are very helpful. I am a first year coach with a lot of PD and classroom experience. Since my principal hired me as an "extra" this year we have been kind-of winging my schedule and role. As we look forward to next school year we'd like to tighten up my schedule and responsibilities. Can you give me an idea of how you are accountable to your principal without sacrifying trust with the teachers. Do you meet with your principal weekly? Do you "hand in" a form? Are teachers required to work with you?
Thanks!
Cari
Hi Cari,
Such a good question!! So good in fact that I think it's worthy of a blog post :)…stayed tuned for a post in response to your question next Monday.
Kristin
Thank you so much! I love notesplus. I want to sync the files with google docs. I can see a couple places that will sync to Dropbox. Is there an easy way to move them directly to google docs?
Hi Ms. Houser,
I recently began a position working as an ESL Literacy coach and in my research I discovered your website. I am looking forward to incorporating your tools into my coaching sessions! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Kimberly! Thanks so much for your comment. Hope your year is going well!