This week we covered the value of affirmation and praise in coaching, why principal and coach partnerships set organizations up for success, how administrators can often be better leaders by thinking like a coach, and more. Enjoy!

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Guiding Instructional Coaching With a Principal Partnership

Steve Barkley provides example questions for creating and checking-in on partnership agreements for principals and coaches.

"The partnership of the coach and principal is crucial to a program's effectiveness. Instructional Coaches' time should be focused on increasing student success. The partnership should reach an agreement on how the coach will invest time in order to gain the desired student outcomes. While this agreement is not a full description of a coach's responsibility, it should serve as a prioritizing process for scheduling a coaching calendar."

Raw Materials for Greatness

Vicki Collet emphasizes the value of affirmation and praise as part of your coaching toolset.

"When you have a chance to talk with teachers after observing instruction, be sure to notice things that went well. Some of these were probably preplanned, but other successes became apparent during the unfolding of the lesson. Highlighting what went well can move it from good to great! . . . The debrief conversation provides a space to unpack experience and think about both the observable and the inner work of teaching."

Daily Tasks to Coach With Confidence

Kathy Perret provides three tasks to kickstart your morning and boost your confidence before a day of coaching.

"Confidence is a funny thing. It comes and goes for many of us. Some days we can be on the top of our game and other days we question every little thing we do. . . . If you are an instructional coach, or educator for that matter, you get the paddling! You have so many tasks to do to keep you a float. If you experience lack of confidence in an area, it starts to weigh you down – slowing your momentum."

Coaching for Results

Miguel Guhlin overviews Dianne Sweeney's student-centered coaching model and thinks about where technology interventions may fit in.

"A key point that Diane Sweeney makes is that being student-centered provides a powerful lever that allows every conversation to focus attention on student learning. This is different from other coaching models. . . . Other models may focus on teaching practice or relationship building, which may be beneficial, but do not bring the high impact on student learning. They tend to focus on the coach moving teachers."

Can Administrators Be Coaches?

Matthew Kelly shares how administrators can be better leaders often by thinking more like a coach.

"Developing a Coaching Way of Being involves an awareness of how you present yourself to others. . . . As a principal, positioning yourself as a partner establishes trust and creates a back-and-forth dialogical interaction where you are not the most important decision maker in the conversation. Instead of dictating what a teacher did right and wrong and what they need to do, the conversation becomes a discussion between professionals that honors the discretion of the teacher."

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