The document summarizes key aspects of using a coaching approach to school leadership from the book "The Coach Approach to School Leadership". It recommends that principals spend less time in their office and more time visiting classrooms as informal coaches. When visiting classrooms, principals should provide observatory feedback to teachers and schedule regular visits throughout the year. Developing trust and choosing teachers seeking guidance are also important aspects of the coaching approach to school leadership.
The document summarizes key aspects of using a coaching approach to school leadership from the book "The Coach Approach to School Leadership". It recommends that principals spend less time in their office and more time visiting classrooms as informal coaches. When visiting classrooms, principals should provide observatory feedback to teachers and schedule regular visits throughout the year. Developing trust and choosing teachers seeking guidance are also important aspects of the coaching approach to school leadership.
The document summarizes key aspects of using a coaching approach to school leadership from the book "The Coach Approach to School Leadership". It recommends that principals spend less time in their office and more time visiting classrooms as informal coaches. When visiting classrooms, principals should provide observatory feedback to teachers and schedule regular visits throughout the year. Developing trust and choosing teachers seeking guidance are also important aspects of the coaching approach to school leadership.
The document summarizes key aspects of using a coaching approach to school leadership from the book "The Coach Approach to School Leadership". It recommends that principals spend less time in their office and more time visiting classrooms as informal coaches. When visiting classrooms, principals should provide observatory feedback to teachers and schedule regular visits throughout the year. Developing trust and choosing teachers seeking guidance are also important aspects of the coaching approach to school leadership.
Perhaps many of us already have a The book The Coach Approach to School preconceived notion of what school Leadership, 2017 proposes a coach leadership is like and how a school approach to handling certain leader, i.e. a principal contemporary school or school director, leadership should act and what responsibilities. they should do. Readers need not worry These notions may that this approach is have been carried recommended as a one down from size fits all solution to generations past, or fulfill all principal duties. from professional The authors of this book habits that are instead use the symbol modeled early on in of wearing the "coach's one own career. hat" in order to highlight The truth is however, that this role is an that the duties and approach to be worn demands of school leadership have when helping "Lead Teachers to Higher changed over the years, normally so Levels of Effectiveness". with any change in historical It can be purchased timelines, and the behaviors Am azon associated with them have changed as well. ASCD Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca "Webelieve principalscan be morethan managers andjudges, more than professionals responsiblefor maintaining disciplineand evaluating teachers. Principalscan become lead learners, supporting teachersto bemoreeffectiveboth asindividual professionalswithin their classroomsand asmembersof a team of educators functioning collaboratively for the benefit of students" (p. 26)
Wear ing a Coach's Hat "The coach observes the players take on new skills or hone existing ones and offers feedback that is both positive and focused on growth" (p. 28)
- Spend less time in your office and more time in
teachers' classrooms
- Notify teachers that you will visit classrooms as
an informal and non-judgmental coach
- Schedule regular classroom visits with teachers
throughout the school year
- Make a clear separation between classroom visits that are for official evaluative purposes, and ones that are for coaching (if applicable)
- Make sure to follow up on the classroom observations by providing
observatory feedback (one on one meeting, written note, email etc.)
- Ch oose t each er s w h o ar e look in g f or w ar d t o you r visit as w ell as
t each er s w h o exper ien ce in cr eased in st an ces of disciplin e issu es, as you r f ir st pr ior it ies
6 PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES TO INFLUENCE GROWTH WITH TEACHERS Equ alit y Build your relationship with teachers as a learner who has gained expertise and would like to share it for purposes of professional growth
Coaching Mindset Ch oice to Build your partnership by giving teachers Foster Partnership some choice in professional development topics. learning goals, and innovative H Be Humble practices
Voice A Be Active Build your partnership by asking teachers questions that start with "what" or "how"
T Be Trusting Ref lect ion " Relat ion sh ips Build your partnership by listening to ar e t h e h ear t of t h e teachers' concerns and by asking them sch ool - an d t h ose questions that hopefully lead to moments bet w een a pr in cipal coach of realization an d h is or h er t each er s ar e am on g t h e m ost dyn am ic an d n u an ced as w ell as M odel pot en t ially t h e m ost r ew ar din g" (p. 50) Build your partnership by modeling the coaching process by being coached yourself Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca Get set, get ready, give feedback Feedback is n ot Advice: " Th is is h ow you sh ou ld do it ..." Pr aise: " You ar e ph en om en al..." Evalu at ive: " I ch eck ed of f t h is evalu at ion sh eet ..."
Feedback is Goal Set t in g St at e you r ow n goals: " Bef or e you begin t h in k in g abou t set t in g you r pr of ession al goals f or t h is year , h er e ar e m y m in e an d t h e r eason s w h y " . Assist edu cat or s in f in din g t h eir goals: " In or der f or u s t o w or k t oget h er t ow ar ds you r pr of ession al gr ow t h , w h at ar e you r goals f or t h is academ ic year as a t each er ? "
Con ver sat ion (r ef lect ion s af t er classr oom visit s)
Object ive:" Wh at beh avior s did you n ot ice in class t oday " Ref lect ive: " Wh at w en t w ell f or you as a t each er in class?" In t er pr et ive: " Wh at w ou ld h elp you in t h ese cir cu m st an ces?" Decision al: " Wh at w ill you r epeat in t h e f u t u r e ver su s w h at w ou ld you lik e t o ch an ge in you r classr oom pr act ices?
"Shifting from judgmental to non-judgmental feedback can
be challenging. In all honesty, there are times when we walk into a classroom and feel upset and judgment rising within us. At those times, we must reflect on whether we truly need to address what we are observing with an evaluators hat or whether we can re-frame our immediate reactions as non-judgmental feedback" (p. 102). Leader as Reader Executive Summary PME 813 Summer 2020 - CoachBelle.Ca "Transform Your School Into A Team" (p.138) "Transforming teaching from an individual race into a team sport is arguably the single most important goal for principal-coaches" (p. 138) - Encourage teachers to visit other expert teacher classrooms (in house, local or other) - Organize peer coaching among teachers, by associating either 2 expert teachers, 1 expert with one novice teacher, or one with more experience than another - Allow teachers to organize "instructional rounds" where groups of teachers organize their own classroom visits with one another and work towards a specific goal as a group - Offer "lesson study" to expert teachers where they plan lessons together and then observe them to perfect and tweak them further. This is recommended for teachers who work at a high level of collaboration.
Tim e M an agem en t Tips
- Im plem en t of f ice h ou r s in st ead of h avin g an open door policy - Use a digit al calen dar so t h at it can be easily sh ar ed w it h st af f w h en n ecessar y - Sch edu le classr oom visit s w it h specif ic dat es an d t im es in advan ce, pr ef er ably f or t h e academ ic year - Sch edu le t im e in you r of f ice f or paper w or k an d adm in ist r at ive du t ies, in 15 m in u t e in cr em en t s - Deal w it h t h e con t en t s of you r em ail im m ediat ely an d do n ot allow you r self t o close it f or r eview lat er
Abou t t h e Au t h or s...Of Th e Book The writers are all educational leaders with much expertise in teacher leadership. At the time of printing: - Jessica Johnson is an elementary school principal and district assessment coordinator for Dodgeland School District - Dr. Shira Leibowitx is founding director of Portfolio - Kathy Perret is an educational consultant for Northwest Area Education Agency in Sioux City, Iowa
You can learn more about them and connect h er e
Johnson, J., Leibowitz, S., & Perret, K. (2017). The coach
approach to school leadership: Leading teachers to higher levels of effectiveness. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Abou t t h e Au t h or ...Of Th e Su m m ar y Isabelle Bertolotti is currently an online learning and curriculum development specialist for the Kativik school board. She has close to twenty years of teaching experience at the elementary, high school and adult level. She was previously a curriculum consultant for the province of Quebec to help the nine English school boards implement the Diversified Education Program in the adult sector. One of her favorite hobbies is to write letters, mostly of complaint, and the other is to be a Beachbody coach.
Leading with Administrator Clarity: School-Wide Strategies for Cultivating Communication, Fostering a Responsive Culture, and Inspiring Intentional Leadership
Leading with Administrator Clarity: School-Wide Strategies for Cultivating Communication, Fostering a Responsive Culture, and Inspiring Intentional Leadership
