Coaching advanced teachers

This time I’m sharing a guest post I wrote recently addressing questions asked by instructional coaches about how to approach coaching ‘advanced’ teachers. Instructional coaches are experienced teachers in their own right who have changed focus to facilitate the professional development of other teachers, coaching them 1:1 or in groups as well as in the classroom. Being faced with coaching very experienced teachers can be daunting, especially when an instructional coach is new to the coaching role.

Many readers may not be active coaches in this particular context, but the issues raised concerning confidence in our coaching role and skills are relevant to any coach in any coaching situation. Therefore I hope what follows is useful for you too!

The guest post first appeared on 9 October 2018 on The LaunchPad – the official blog of TeachBoost (a US organisation providing a customisable instructional leadership platform).* You can see the original publication here.

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Image courtesy Schoolbinder, Inc

Do your confidence levels plummet when you’re faced with coaching a truly awe-inspiring “advanced” teacher? Does it make you begin to question what added value you as an instructional coach can bring? Uncomfortable as it may feel, working with senior, expert, veteran, or more knowledgeable teachers is a great starting point for assessing and reassessing why we’re doing what we’re doing. When we’ve thought it through, we might be equipped to approach coaching advanced teachers in a more constructive, creative way.

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Should we take notes in coaching sessions?

This time I’m sharing a guest post I wrote recently addressing questions asked by instructional coaches about whether to take notes in coaching sessions. Instructional coaches work with teachers in schools, coaching 1:1 or in groups as well as in the classroom. Whether to take notes or not therefore needs careful thought, with decisions varying according to circumstance.

Most coaches aren’t active in this particular context, but the issues raised need to be considered by any coach in any coaching situation. Therefore I hope what follows is useful for you too!

The guest post first appeared on 27 March 2018 under the title ‘Should Coaches Take Notes During Visits?’ on The LaunchPad – the official blog of TeachBoost (a US organisation providing a customisable instructional leadership platform).* You can see the original publication here.

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Image courtesy Schoolbinder, Inc

Coaching is an intriguing occupation. There’s usually not a straightforward answer to any question, however simple it may seem. For example, taking notes in coaching sessions—some people say you should; some people say you shouldn’t; while others say maybe you should, maybe you shouldn’t, depending on the context.