This week we learned why empathy is important in coaching, ways to seek feedback as a coach, how to build a culture of collaboration through coaching, what it's like to coach from an administrative perspective, and more!

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Seeking Feedback as a Coach

Fiona Hurtado shares the benefits of simply asking teachers for their honest feedback and how she's used these suggestions and insights to shape future coaching strategies.

"As I considered how to seek the feedback I desired, I realized the format had to be simple and broad—allowing teachers to respond in ways that were relevant to them. The result was a form that gave teachers a choice of three access points: questions directly addressing my coaching, questions directly addressing the impact on the teachers' learning, and questions that were open-ended. . . . If we ask teachers directly to describe how coaching is supporting their growth, we can gather concrete data about our impact, and glean tips on how we might enhance our practice."

Building a Culture of Collaboration Through Coaching, Part 1: Knowledge and Skills

In part 1 of this 2-part series, Cailin Minor explains why a culture of collaboration is necessary for achieving school-wide goals and how it’s important to first establish the knowledge and skills of collaboration.

"Watching teams has led me to see that one of the biggest mistakes we make in collaboration is thinking that the work is obvious. We have this false sense of confidence that we all know what strong collaboration looks like, that we know how to do it, and that we are all on the same page. It's a meeting: you show up, you talk, you get stuff done, right? We all know how to talk, we all share ideas, we can make decisions, we can work together. But too often we breeze over the complexity of these interactions and work. Yes, everyone can show up to a meeting and everyone can sit in a room together, but to make these interactions successful, productive, student-focused, inclusive, and impactful is an entirely different story."

Stay tuned next week for part 2 where Cailin gets into the "why" and the "how" of collaboration!

Coaching from an Administrative Perspective

Laural Matthews challenges administrators to get in the classroom to create a culture built on feedback and reflection.

"The easiest way to leverage an instructional conversation is to be present in the classrooms at your school. Make it the norm for you to sit and learn in each of your classroom environments. . . . The instructional conversation with the educator is your time to share what you observed (the facts), to listen, and to ask a good question or two. It is never a leading question that tries to get the educator to where you are in your thinking or where you want them to go in their teaching."

The Coach Is in Your Corner

Sneh Wadhwaney reflects on why everyone needs a coach or mentor and how many people take on the role without even knowing it.

"There is a popular myth out there, about who needs coaching and mentoring. But really, Coaching and Mentoring is for anyone who is keen to and willing to improve and develop. Personally, I feel it is one of the most powerful ways to progress and grow. Having a coach is like engaging in personalised, need based professional development in your own context, as and when you want it!"

Coaching with Empathy

Vicki Collet offers four ways to show empathy and create an interpersonal connection among those we work with.

"Empathy is different from sympathy, which might feel like a pity party. Empathy is willingness to walk alongside someone in their struggles. Empathy establishes an interpersonal connection that makes coaching possible. Expressing empathy helps the teacher begin to think creatively about solutions. Once empathy for emotions is felt, the teacher will be more ready to turn to action. To bring out the best in others, begin with empathy."

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