#coachbetter Introduction to Season 6: Why Should Instructional Coaching Be a Full Time Position?
Release Date: 08/27/2024
The Importance of Intentional Conversations with Michele Mattoon
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This #coacbetter episode is about the importance of intentional and structured conversations. This is a highlight from one of Kim's favorite episodes from a previous season, featuring Michele Mattoon, Executive Director of the National School Reform Faculty. Recently as part of one of Leaders Speaker Series we had Jennifer Abrams share with our community about Stretching Your Learning Edges (), and as she said on the podcast, Jennifer highlighted how as educators we are not trained in having conversations with other adults. Having intentional and structured conversations, , can really help...
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Case Study: Navigating a New Coaching Role & School Culture with Jen Kagohara
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This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of Kim's amazing clients, Jen Kagohara, ES Tech & Design Coach, Taipei American School, Taiwan. Jen is a graduate of The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program and when we recorded this episode she had just finished the program. These case study episodes are designed to share the story of a coach, and the development of their coaching program and practice in their unique setting. We're so excited to share this episode with Jen with you because Jen has had many experiences that are shared by lots...
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Introducing the 5 Domains of a Coaching Mindset
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In this #coachbetter episode, Kim introduces the domains of a coaching mindset. Did you know that the number one indicator of student success is collective efficacy? (Donohoo, 2017). Research shows that when we believe in one another, student learning improves. How we can improve our collective efficacy through the lens of coaching – without hiring an instructional coach or a formal coaching program? Because we all want to improve student learning. And we all can benefit from coaching. But not every school has the capacity or finances to build an instructional coaching...
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Bringing a Coaching Perspective to Co-Teaching with Lindsay Manzella and John Stephany
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This #coachbetter episode is a case study conversation with two amazing educators: EAL (English as an Additional Language) Teacher Lindsay Manzella and INS Teacher John Stephany. Lindsay and John worked together at NIST (Thailand) at the time of recording, where they developed a unique model for co-teaching and coaching to support all learners in John’s classroom, where Lindsay was supporting EAL students. Both Lindsay and John have had training in coaching so they have come to the co-teaching experience with a foundational understanding of how coaching works. In this episode they talk...
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Collecting Data Around Coaching with Anne Marie Chow
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This #coachbetter episode is a highlight from one of Kim's favorite episodes from a previous season, featuring Anne Marie Chow, who at the time was Middle School Vice Principal and English teacher at United World College Southeast Asia, East Campus in Singapore. We're excited to be sharing this highlight today, because not only is Anne Marie amazing () but if you’ve been watching or listening to #coachbetter this season, you know we’re talking a lot about measuring your impact (see links to previous episode below). Because instructional coaching is a non-teaching position, it’s so...
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Case Study: Building a Coaching Culture BEFORE Starting a Coaching Program with Melissa Carr
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This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of Kim's amazing clients, Melissa Car, Grade 1 classroom teacher at St. Mary’s International School in Japan. Melissa is a graduate of The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program and when we recorded this episode she had just finished the program. In this conversation we talk about How Melissa started her journey to instructional coaching Why she thinks coaching is right for her school, right now How her school leaders made the decision to implement a coaching program The vision for the coaching...
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Redirecting a Coaching Conversation with Diana Beabout
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In this #coachbetter episode, Diana is going to share 5 tips to redirect a coaching conversation. Sometimes our coaching conversations take an unexpected turn. This can be really challenging because we know that it’s important for our coaching partners to take the lead in directing the conversation. But what happens when… it seems like your coaching partner is straying away from the goals you set at the beginning of the cycle or your work together? Or when you notice something during a classroom visit that you are hoping will attract the attention of your coaching partner, but it...
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Valuing Adult Learning with Sara Brodhead and Jim Laney
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In this #coachbetter episode, Kim talks with Jim Laney, Head of School & Sara Brodhead, Director of Teaching and Learning at in Taiwan. Sarah has now moved on to Hong Kong International Sschool, and Jim, who’s still HoS at Kaohsiung, is a repeat guest on the show - where we talk about how instructional coaching supports at all levels. Kim has been working with KAS for the last two years to support their brand new middle leadership team in developing their instructional leadership capacity and applying a coaching mindset to their work. In that time, KAS has also hired two new...
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A Successful Coaching Culture with Ji Han
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In this #coachbetter episode we’re talking about what coaching looks like in schools where it’s been implemented well. This is a highlight from one of our favorite episodes from a previous season, featuring Ji Han, Associate Director of School Evaluation and Support at the Council of International Schools (CIS). Ji has such a wide experience with coaching in so many schools, hearing her description of what coaching looks like when it’s working well can provide a powerful vision for school leaders, or coaches advocating for instructional coaching. We're sharing this specific...
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Case Study: Building a Coaching Culture as a Classroom Teacher with Lana Yashchyna
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This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of Kim's amazing clients, Lana Yashchyna, 4th grade classroom teacher at the American International School in Kuwait. Lana is a graduate of and when they recorded this episode she had just finished the program. These case study episodes are designed to share the story of a coach, and the development of their coaching program and practice in their unique setting. In this conversation Kim and Lana talk about ... Why coaching was so impactful for her as a classroom teacher How she decided to make the...
info_outlineIn our first #coachbetter Season 6 episode, Kim unpacks a big concept that has come up a lot in conversations recently: why instructional coaching is (or should be) a full time role in schools.
In our recent AAICIS (Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools) landscape study of international schools we found that many of the schools that don’t have coaching programs cite the fact that other educators are fulfilling the role of coach, most likely people with coordinator roles, or middle level leaders.
This finding aligns with what clients in The Coach often say about the challenge of advocating for a full time instructional coaching position - and what we hear from school leaders when they’re considering hiring coaches.
This episode can help you articulate why instructional coaching is a specific skill, and how important it is that there is time specifically devoted for coaching work (not just an add-on to an already full job description).
Find the show notes for this episode here.
References in this episode
Coaching Matters (1st edition) by Joellen Killion, Cindy Harrison, Chris Bryan, and Heather Clifton [2nd edition here]
"Fostering a Culture of Growth and Belonging: The Multi-Faceted Impact of Instructional Coaching in International Schools" by Kim Cofino in Handbook of Research on Critical Issues and Global Trends in International Education
"Five Reasons Instructional Coaching in International Schools Is So Complex" by Kim Cofino in The International Educator (TIE)
What Makes Coaching Work? with Joellen Killion [Ep 146]
Creating a Positive School Culture Through Coaching with Kaitlyn Pettinga [Ep 215]
The Importance of Defining the Purpose of Coaching with Ji Han [Ep 220]
Building a Culture of Coaching with Carla Marschall [Ep 223]
Making Instructional Coaching Sustainable with Ellen and Bruce Eisenberg [Ep 230]
A Leadership Perspective: Making Coaching Successful with LaTyia Rolle [Ep 242]