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Academica University of Applied Sciences

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How can instructional Coaching help teachers avoid lethal mutations of research?

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This webinar with professor Haili Hughes, explores how instructional coaching centered on teacher decision making can strengthen practice and prevent “lethal…

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Naming Racism Without Shaming or Blaming

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Naming Racism Without Shaming or Blaming

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From Bright Morning

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Raisa Romer (AAICIS Virtual Conference 2026)

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Nikki Hume from AAICIS Virtual Conference

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Bright Morning- PD Book- Facilitation Padlet

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Bright Morning- PD Book- Facilitation Padlet

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Instructional Coaching Group

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Inspire Citizens Padlet- Empathy to Impact

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Inspire Citizens Padlet- Empathy to Impact

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As defined by Dr. Kristin Neff, self-compassion is comprised of three elements: mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness.

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Joellen & Kim (Sept. 16th)

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Amy Garrett

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AGarrett -  Coach - Collaborative Action Plan - TEMPLATE NEW

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Cary Hart

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Created for educators in multiple roles, Action Guides are intended to support educators in understanding and fulfilling their responsibilities in putting Standards for Professional Learning into motion in their contexts.

Each Action Guide outlines high-level responsibilities and includes a tool to help educators identify the first steps they can take to implement standards.
Action Guides for those in coach, system/central office, principal, and external partner roles also include Innovation Configuration maps, which describe in detail specific behaviors educators undertake in fulfilling their responsibilities related to standards.

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Created for educators in multiple roles, Action Guides are intended to support educators in understanding and fulfilling their responsibilities in putting Standards for Professional Learning into motion in their contexts. Each Action Guide outlines high-level responsibilities and includes a tool to help educators identify the first steps they can take to implement standards.

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Number Talks (extract from online course) - YouCubed

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This teaches the pedagogical strategy called 'Number Talks' with some interesting different methods shared by Stanford students. The full online course is available at: Stanford Online - How to Learn Math for Teachers

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Lesson Study - Professionally Speaking - March 2010

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This is an area of education where the practice that happens in schools is far from the research evidence that exists. International analysts conclude that the most successful countries are those that group by ability the latest and the least. Mixed achievement teaching is associated with higher overall achievement for students of all levels and when schools move from tracking to giving all students high-level math classes, achievement increases significantly (see Evidence - Research Papers). But teaching children in mixed achievement groups requires a different form of teaching than the more typical lecture and short question repetition that prevails in US math classrooms. If schools and classrooms de-track without adjusting their teaching, high results are unlikely to be the outcome. Over the years I have been fortunate to work with many incredible teachers, committed to equity, who teach mixed achievement groups. On this page are two papers detailing the successful use of mixed achievement grouping, one in a high school setting (How a detracked mathematics approach ..) and one describing what happened when a district took away advanced classes in middle schools (Raising Expectations and Achievement). Our Group Work page also details ways to teach students heterogeneously. My book: Mathematical Mindsets details ways to teach mixed achievement groups successfully. Other cases of successful mixed achieving grouping include our summer camp teaching, which is shown under Evidence - Our Teaching Approach.

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This is an area of education where the practice that happens in schools is far from the research evidence that exists. International analysts conclude that the most successful countries are those that group by ability the latest and the least.

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This article is a follow up to a previous article about examples of "differentiation" in textbooks. We're going to look at some bad patterns or (to use a more precise term) " anti-patterns."

Examples of Anti-Patterns

An anti-pattern is something people perceive as a positive solution to a problem, yet it has a major flaw, plus a much better solution already exists. So, to have an anti-pattern we need:

a popular solution

which has negative consequences

despite a better solution already existing

Crash diets are perfect examples of anti-patterns: they pop up all the time and gain popularity even though they are inherently harmful and we already have a well-known, real solution: eat balanced meals and exercise regularly.

Taking away recess for overactive behavior is an anti-pattern: it's a common "solution" in classrooms despite negative consequences (we're removing the child's chance to get energy out) plus many real solutions already exist (sit on a balance ball, take movement breaks, etc.).

Anti-Patterns in Differentiation

I've noted several common differentiation anti-patterns for gifted students in textbooks and classrooms. I'll call these:

1. Read a book.

2. Help another student.

3. Do more problems.

4. Discuss in a group.

5. Use more colors.

Read A Book

One of my 6th graders was new to our gifted program. When I met her dad, he mentioned: "She doesn't read as many books at school now." Sorta worried, I asked what he meant. "In the old school, she'd read by herself all the time. Now she actually has work to do!"

Ah! This student had been subjected to the "Read A Book" anti-pattern from Kindergarten through 5th grade! In this anti-pattern, when a student finishes work quickly, the teacher tells them to go read a book! There is no instruction, no challenging questions, no opportunity to discuss with the teacher, and (frankly) no learning - other than what the child teaches themselves.

Now, there's nothing wrong with reading a book, but reading by yourself is not differentiated instruction. You can read a book by yourself in bed at home, floating in a pool, or laying in a park. We should expect more from school than recreational reading.

Rather than independently reading until the period ends, students should participate in a task or lesson purposefully structured; one with a clear learning goal that makes sense for that student.

Help Another Student

Oh boy. First, many gifted students struggle mightily when asked to explain their thinking. Their thought process is non-linear with all kinds of intuitive, unexpected jumps in logic. Most people do not think like them (that's why they're in a gifted program!). Thus most people do not understand their thinking - and they're unlikely to be good at teaching.

Gifted students are not classroom tutors. They probably aren't good at it nor do they want to do it.

There's a reason athletic superstars rarely become great coaches - and superstar coaches were rarely the best athletes. A kid who finishes quickly often "gets it" in the same way that Michael Jordan "gets" basketball. Neither are necessarily going to be good at teaching it. Nor should they need to be! You do not need to be able to teach something in order to understand it. Teaching is a skill unto itself.

Secondly (and gosh this should be obvious), teaching students is the teacher's job, not the students'. If you took an evening cooking class and ended up teaching the other students, you'd probably ask for your money back. Each student deserves a task or lesson that is meaningfully challenging to them.

Caveat: yes, some kids really like helping other students. Of course, if they love to teach, come up with a way to empower them. But don't confuse this with differentiated instruction. The vast majority of the day, these kids should be learning at a level that is appropriate to them, not tutoring their peers.

Do More Problems

Lisa Van Gemert calls this " more-firentiation" rather than differentiation. It happens when a student finishes quicker than expected and, as a punishment "differentiation," gets more of the same: another worksheet to complete, another book to read, more problems to finish.

"Challenge Workbooks" are an especially nasty hive for this anti-pattern. Since these workbooks are labeled "Challenge" or "Enrichment," one might (naturally) assume that they're filled with challenging and enriching work. They are not. They're more worksheets.

Sure, there might be a slight twist or it might "look cute" (finish the worksheet and you uncover the secret word :barf:), but the actual thinking and content are exactly the same as the original worksheet - the student just has to do more!

Kids who already get it should do less, not more. Move them onto something new faster, not slower.

Discuss In A Group

I see this one a lot in Language Arts teaching manuals under the "Advanced Learner" section. While the rest of the class works on one task, the advanced students get into a group and have an unsupervised discussion.

Group discussions are very difficult to manage - even for adults. How do you share your idea safely? How do you criticize appropriately? How do you stay engaged? How do you balance the workload across the group? The idea that we can toss kids into a group and expect them to automatically work at a high level is a true anti-pattern.

If we're going to do group work, a teacher needs to be present to raise the thinking, to ask interesting questions, to handle the group dynamics. Groups need structure and planning. They are not a shortcut to higher-levels of thinking.

Use More Colors

Alternate title: do it again, but neater.

When a student finishes quickly, one anti-pattern is to note that it is sloppy and ask them to re-do it. Or to go back and add more colors. Or to do it again, but this time in ink. There's an emphasis on surface-level decoration.

More colors are not differentiation. I once heard a teacher say that there was differentiation in her assignment because the student made her graphic organizer "look like a tree." Nope.
We have to distinguish decoration from differentiation.
Anti-Patterns Seem Right

Anti-patterns are insidious because they "seem right" on the surface due to their popularity. Asking kids to read a book when they're finished is so pervasive that it seems natural. But is it the best use of that child's limited time with a teacher?

For me, a great test is: does this challenge the student to the point that they need a little help. This means we're finally entering that child's zone of proximal development (ZPD), and a lot of gifted students rarely get to spend time there.

None of these anti-patterns push students into their ZPD.

To truly differentiate, we have four levers: increase thinking skills, adjust the level of content, provide sufficiently interesting resources, and design an appropriate product that shows off students' learning.
Update! I added another anti-pattern: choice

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This article is a follow up to a previous article about examples of "differentiation" in textbooks. We're going to look at some bad patterns or (to use a more precise term) " anti-patterns." An anti-pattern is something people perceive as a positive solution to a problem, yet it has a major flaw, plus a much better solution already exists.

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Creating a Low Threshold High Ceiling Classroom

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This article explores the key features of a Low Threshold High Ceiling classroom.

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Resources for Gifted Educators from Gifted Guru

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Looking for great resources for gifted educators? I've gathered my favorites here in a fairly short, easily-digestible list.

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ECIS Middle Leader Café (UDL site & sources) Beth Stark

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ECIS Middle Leader Café (UDL site & sources) Beth Stark

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Connect with the ECIS Inclusive Education SIG to learn more about their goal and the professional learning opportunities they offer. Visitors to their page can access a wide variety of resources they have thoughtfully curated for families, school leaders, and educators to support learners with apparent and non-apparent disabilities, health conditions, and learning differences, including ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Autism. The ECIS Inclusive Education SIG shares guides, screeners and programs to develop executive function, utilize trauma-informed practices, integrate social-emotional skills and foster more inclusive school cultures.

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Note-taking Guide (GDoc)_Middle Leader Café, May 16th: Designing to the Edges

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Coaching Question & Sentence Stem Database | Notion

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A database of questions and sentence stems for coaching conversations.

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Kim's Coaching Cheet Sheet & Favorite Coaching Questions

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Designing & Supporting Great Instructional Coaching Programs 

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Designing & Supporting Great Instructional Coaching Programs 

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Radical Learners- Instructional Coaching Group (Knight)

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Designing & Supporting Instructional Coaching Programs

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Designing & Supporting Instructional Coaching Programs

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In our work with schools and districts across the country, we find there is a strong expectation that collaborative teams will improve student learning. Many districts also expect instructional coaches to be a part of these teams, although there is much confusion about what roles they should play within a team.

We hear questions like: I wonder why my principal asks me to attend team meetings? What do I bring to this team? If I am not the facilitator, what should I be doing? Do teachers wonder why I am here? Do they see me as an evaluator or an outsider? Are they looking at me as someone who adds extra work or slows the team down? What exactly is my role?

Approaching collaborative work from a perspective of collective efficacy can help address these questions and clarify the coach's role in teams. Collective efficacy is defined as a team's belief in its capability to successfully accomplish specific goals and joint work (Bandura, 1997; Kreitner & Kinicki, 2007).

John Hattie, who regularly compares the effects of multiple educational policies and practices with a rigorous statistical method, ranks collective efficacy as a top factor in positively influencing student achievement (Hattie, 2015).

Developing collective efficacy takes concerted attention and leadership. Coaches are well-positioned to provide such leadership because of their skill sets and their responsibility to support teachers' success. Furthermore, a frame of collective efficacy can focus coaches' work with collaborative teams and provide entry points for action.

A COACHING FRAMEWORK FOR BUILDING COLLECTIVE EFFICACY

To guide coaches in building collective efficacy, we find very useful the work of Michael Fullan, who has identified five conditions that must be developed to foster collective efficacy (Fullan, personal communication, November 25, 2016; Hirsh, 2016):

The team must create a culture based on trust.

The team must commit to transparency in practice and results.

The team must create a climate of nonjudgmentalism.

The team must be specific in terms of the practices it will employ and actually employ them.

The team must be clear on the specific evidence it will collect to document growth, and it must collect and use the evidence to improve professional practices.

Coaches can encourage and support all of these components of collective efficacy. How they do so will depend on their roles, in the school as a whole and in the team specifically, as well as on the team's and the school's needs. Coaches play many different roles.

There are times that an instructional coach must be the expert and operate in the role of consultant. Other times, an instructional coach works side by side with a team of teachers collaboratively. Often, a coach provides the team opportunities for reflective thinking, which can most deeply support the development of the team's efficacy.

Each role is instrumental to building the elements of collective efficacy. Being specific about which role is needed and when can help coaches choose specific strategies.

In the sections that follow, we share examples of professional learning approaches that can be effective within each of the different roles. Adapting from the work of Lipton and Wellman (2001), we use the language of consultant, collaborator, and coach of reflective thinking to describe how an instructional coach might interact with collaborative teams focused on improving the five conditions for collective efficacy.
5 CONDITIONS FOR COLLECTIVE EFFICACY
1. The team must create a culture based on trust.
"The truth is that trust rules. Trust rules your personal credibility. Trust rules your ability to get things done. Trust rules your team's cohesiveness. Trust rules your organization's innovativeness and performance. Trust rules just about everything you do" (Kouzes & Posner, 2010).

Collective efficacy starts with trust. Coaches must be intentional about building and maintaining trust so that a safe learning space can exist. No substantive conversations about teaching and learning can occur without trust.

The work of Bryk and Schneider reveals the importance of developing relational trust in schools. Their studies show that when trust is absent, schools have a 1-in-7 chance of making gains with student learning (Bryk & Schneider, 2002). Trust must therefore be part of the initial and ongoing work coaches do in teams. Fortunately, there are many ways they can build trust, including those listed in the table at left.

2. The team must commit to transparency in practice and results.
"What do schools look like when all the adults in the school community care about the success of all the other adults?" (Rutherford et al., 2011, p. vi)
It is important for teams to openly examine their current practices in relation to student results and commit to being vulnerable for the sake of their own and their students' learning. But some teams are not used to publicly sharing student data and discussing its relationship to their professional practices.
Once trust is in place, this kind of transparency is essential for practices to change and learning to improve. By using the professional learning approaches outlined in the table on p. 58, coaches can help make openness the norm and team members feel safe to share their work.

3. The team must create a climate of nonjudgmentalism.
"By transparency I mean openness about results. I also mean openness about what practices are most strongly connected to successful outcomes" (Fullan, 2008, p. 99).

Judgmental behaviors shut down team learning. When individuals operate from a place of fear, assumption, and generalization, understanding of other perspectives is limited. Meetings can become a place to vent or blame, which makes team members hesitant to share openly and in the spirit of learning.

The goal becomes self-preservation rather than what it should be: to create a safe learning environment for adults to take risks and experiment with a focus on their own and students' learning.

Coaches can play an important role in establishing a nonjudgmental climate among teams by using the professional learning approaches in the table above right.

4. The team must be specific in terms of the practices it will employ and actually employ them.
"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing" (Covey, 2005, p. 160).

Ensure that the team stays focused on the school and district initiatives around learning and results. Although this may sound like common sense, it is often challenging for teams because of the many responsibilities and roles educators play.

Coaches can help team work stay focused by using a cycle of continuous improvement that begins with identifying what students and adults need to learn, clarifying what student and adult success looks like, determining multiple instructional pathways, and committing to bring student work back to the team for analysis and determination of next steps. Using this process includes the professional learning approaches outlined in the table on p. 59.

5. The team must be clear about the specific evidence it will collect to document growth, and it must collect and use the evidence to improve professional practices.

"The more you teach without finding out who understands the concepts and who doesn't, the greater the likelihood that only already-proficient students will succeed" (Wiggins, 2006).

Collaborative teams should use student data to celebrate success, acknowledge gaps in learning, and respond to learner needs. Committing to a close examination of teaching practices and the impact of those practices on student learning is an indicator that the team is embracing collective efficacy because it is taking responsibility for student learning. Team members are aligning what they need to learn and do as educators to meet the needs of their students. They are recognizing that as a team, they have a greater opportunity to impact student learning than they would have as individuals.

COACHES AS CATALYSTS OF CHANGE

Coaches can use the collective efficacy framework described here to ensure teams are focused on developing the five conditions needed for developing collective efficacy. They can use it to diagnose a team's needs and decide which type of coaching support to provide.

By focusing on teams, coaches are more likely to be catalysts for change at the school level. Too often, the work of coaches is focused only on building individual capacity. This can result in improved teaching and learning in individual classrooms but not in the school as a whole. Schools that develop collective efficacy are schools where all teachers and students can thrive and reach their potential.

Authors

Chris Bryan and Brenda Kaylor

Chris Bryan (bryan.chris48@gmail.com) is a Learning Forward senior consultant. Brenda Kaylor (Brenda@justaskpublications.com) is a senior consultant with Just ASK Publications and Professional Development.

References

Bandura A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Available at https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Pajares/effbook11.html.

Bryk, A.S. & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

Covey, S. (2005). The 7 habits of highly effective people. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Fullan, M. (2008). The six secrets of change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hall, G. & Hord, S. (2001). Implementing change: Patterns, principles and potholes. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Hattie, J. (2015). Hattie ranking: 195 influences and effect sizes related to student achievement. Available at https://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effect-sizes-learning-achievement.

Hirsh, S. (2016). Michael Fullan affirms the power of collective efficacy [Web log post]. Available at https://bit.ly/2OnWMZe.

Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2010). The truth about leadership: The no-fads, heart-of-the-matter facts you need to know. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Kreitner R. & Kinicki A. (2007). Organizational behavior (7th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill/Irwin.

Lipton, L. & Wellman, B. (2001). Mentoring matters: A practical guide to learning-focused relationships. Sherman, CT: MiraVia.

Rutherford, P., Kaylor, B., Clayton, H., McVicker, J., Oliver, B., Stephens-Carter, S., & West, T. (2011). Creating a culture for learning. Alexandria, VA: Just ASK Publications.

Wiggins, G. (2006, April 3). Healthier testing made easy: The idea of authentic assessment. Edutopia. Available at www.edutopia.org/authentic-assessment-grant-wiggins.

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A coaching framework can guide the way for coaches to strengthen teams.

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From ASW Research

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for sharing Coaching questions and responses

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FIS Strategic Direction 2023-2024 - Culture of Coaching

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FIS will demonstrate a commitment to building a dynamic culture of coaching and collaboration that enriches learning for students, faculty and staff through meaningful feedback and engagement with experienced mentors.

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Video

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Chadwick

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CKaardal EDU615 Coaching Model Comparison

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Check out this design designed by Cindy Kaardal.

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HKIS Coaching Purpose Statement: The purpose of our coaching team is to support the growth and learning of educators and students in an environment of trust, collaboration and innovation.

*Foster a culture of learning within the school community as a response to educator, team, and school goals.

*Support educators in advocating for their own learning and engagement in professional inquiry.

*Provide opportunities for personalized professional learning.

*Have a shared reciprocity to nurture the learning partnership with educators.

*Focus on planning, feedback, assessment, and/or instructional practice to increase student learning and engagement.

*Are always in a partnership role.

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Instructional Coaching: Leadership Styles & Practices

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Instructional Coaching: Leadership Styles & Practices

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Yes, those are two drastically different kinds of management. But here's the thing: Leadership style isn't always so straightforward.

There are numerous styles of leadership that aren't inherently good or bad-they're just different. They all have their benefits and drawbacks, as well as their appropriate uses in certain scenarios.

Read on to find out why understanding your own approach matters, to get a breakdown of eight common leadership styles-along with their pros, cons, identifying characteristics-and to learn how you can change your leadership style.

What Is Leadership...Really?

Complete this sentence: "A leader is..."

What's your answer? Someone who's in a formal position of power? Whoever's ranked above you on the org chart? The person with the corner office and the higher salary?

Those might be the traditional perceptions, but it's important to recognize that anybody can be a leader. Yes, that means you, too.

Fundamentally, a leader is somebody who influences or guides other people through their own actions and behaviors. That might mean someone who's the designated head of a department. But make no mistake-having that seniority isn't a prerequisite.

Even if you're not managing a team on a daily basis, you might still have to step into a leadership role from time to time. Maybe you're spearheading an important cross-functional project or you have to host a meeting.

Those are opportunities for you to fulfill a leadership role and be looked to as an example. They're also moments when your own leadership qualities and style will bubble to the surface. So, don't write off these approaches as something that don't apply to you just because you don't have a C-suite role.

Why Is it Important to Understand Your Leadership Style?

Before we jump right into the nitty gritty, there's one critical question that needs to be answered: Why the heck do leadership styles matter?

"Understanding how you lead and want to lead will give you a better sense of control over the size and scope of your reach and impact," explains Joyel Crawford, a Muse career coach and leadership development consultant.

"Bringing awareness allows you to take ownership and responsibility," adds Tara Padua, executive coach, entrepreneur, and startup advisor. "Our leadership style is a whirlpool of our values, our natural strengths and abilities, [and] our beliefs and experiences. Knowing your leadership style can help you align that whirlpool with your vision, goals, and even your organization's mission and vision."

Put simply, to have an impact as a leader, you need to be an effective one. And in order to be effective, you have to understand exactly where you're starting from-as well as where you want to go. Knowing your current approach gives you a baseline that you can use to identify the improvements you need to make.

8 Different Leadership Styles (and Their Pros and Cons)

Here's the good, bad, and the ugly on eight common, "textbook" approaches to leadership.

These styles are based on the findings of several well-known leadership researchers (such as Karl Lewin, Bernard M. Bass, Robert K. Greenleaf, and more). However, be aware that you'll see different experts define these buckets differently.

1. Transactional Leadership

The best way to understand transactional leadership is to think of a typical transaction: I give you this, and you do this in return.

That's really the basis of this leadership style. Transactional leaders dish out instructions to their team members and then use different rewards and penalties to either recognize or punish what they do in response.

Think of a leader offering praise to applaud a job well done or mandating that a group member handles a despised department-wide task because they missed a deadline. Those are examples of rewards and punishments in a work setting.

Needless to say, this approach is highly directive, and is often referred to as a "telling" leadership style.

Pro: Confusion and guesswork are eliminated, because tasks and expectations are clearly mapped out by the leader.

Con: Due to the rigid environment and expectations, creativity and innovation may be stifled.

You Might Be a Transactional Leader If...

You frequently use the threat of having to stay late when you need to motivate your team.

You're constantly brainstorming clever ways to recognize solid work-your team can't wait to see what you come up with after last month's taco party.

2. Transformational Leadership

Again, with this leadership style, it's all in the name: Transformational leaders seek to change (ahem, transform) the businesses or groups in which they lead by inspiring their employees to innovate.

These leaders are all about making improvements and finding better ways to get things done. And as a result, they inspire and empower other people to own their work and chime in with their suggestions or observations about how things could be streamlined or upgraded.

Under transformational leaders, people have tons of autonomy, as well as plenty of breathing room to innovate and think outside the box.

Pro: Leaders are able to establish a high level of trust with employees and rally them around a shared vision or end goal.

Con: In environments where existing processes are valued, this desire to change things up can ruffle some feathers.

You Might Be a Transformational Leader If...

You look at every single existing process with a discerning eye and a strong sense that it could be better.

You're always encouraging others to get outside their comfort zones and push their own limits.

You could burst with pride whenever you see a team member achieve something that was previously thought to be impossible.

3. Servant Leadership

Servant leaders operate with this standard motto: Serve first and lead second.

Rather than thinking about how they can inspire people to follow their lead, they channel the majority of their energy into finding ways that they can help others. They prioritize the needs of other people above their own.

Despite the fact that they're natural leaders, those who follow the servant leadership model don't try to maintain a white-knuckle grasp on their own status or power. Instead, they focus on elevating and developing the people who follow them.

As Simon Sinek eloquently explains in his book, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, "leaders are the ones who are willing to give up something of their own for us. Their time, their energy, their money, maybe even the food off their plate. When it matters, leaders choose to eat last."

Pro: This approach boosts morale and leads to a high level of trust, which results in better employee performance and a more positive company culture overall.

Con: It's challenging. Constantly pushing your own needs and priorities to the backburner isn't something that comes as second nature for most of us.

You Might Be a Servant Leader If...

You're known for asking, "What can I do to help?" at least three times a day.

You place a high priority on removing roadblocks and helping others get things done.

You never think twice about helping out when you're asked-because you know that your own to-do list will still be there when you return.

4. Democratic Leadership

You might also hear this leadership style referred to as "participative leadership." Leaders in this category run groups and projects like...well, a democracy.

Even if these leaders are technically higher on the org chart, they emphasize working together and actively involve their teams in the decision-making process. Democratic leaders value ideas and input from others, and encourage discussion about those contributions.

They aren't handing down orders from on high, and instead take a much more collaborative approach to getting things done.

Pro: Creativity and innovation are encouraged, which also improves job satisfaction among employees and team members.

Con: Constantly trying to achieve consensus among a group can be inefficient and, in some cases, costly.

You Might Be a Democratic Leader If...

You think the best meetings are the ones where everyone has an equal chance to weigh in.

You can't remember the last time you made an important decision without getting input from at least one other person.

5. Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership exists on the opposite side of the spectrum from democratic leadership.

You can think of this as a "my way or the highway" approach.

Autocratic leaders view themselves as having absolute power and make decisions on behalf of their subordinates. They dictate not only what needs to be done, but also how those tasks should be accomplished.

Pro: Decisions are often made quickly and strategically, and teams are kept on track as a result.

Con: Employees can feel ignored, restricted, and-in the absolute worst of cases-even abused.

You Might Be an Autocratic Leader If...

You think group discussions and brainstorming only slow things down, and it's better if you make important decisions alone.

You dislike it when employees question your decisions-when you've said something, that's final.

6. Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leadership goes "by the book," so to speak. With this leadership style, there's a prescribed set of boxes to check in order to be a true leader.

For example, bureaucratic leaders have hierarchical authority -meaning their power comes from a formal position or title, rather than unique traits or characteristics that they possess.

They also have a set list of responsibilities, as well as clearly-defined rules and systems for how they'll manage others and make decisions. They just need to follow that roadmap that's laid out for them.

Pro: There's plenty of stability. Since this is a systematized approach to leadership, things remain constant even through personnel changes and other shifts that threaten to rock the boat.

Con: It's tempting to fall into the "we've always done it this way" trap. This approach can be inflexible and neglect to leave room for creativity or ideas from employees.

You Might Be a Bureaucratic Leader If...

You frequently find yourself asking how your predecessor handled certain scenarios-you want to make sure that you're following the accepted procedure.

You always request confirmation that you're doing things right whenever you're tasked with something new.

7. Laissez-Faire Leadership

Do you remember the term "laissez-faire" from your high school French or history class? If not, let's refresh your memory.

This is a French term that translates to "leave it be," which pretty accurately summarizes this hands-off leadership approach. It's the exact opposite of micromanagement.

Laissez-faire leaders provide the necessary tools and resources. But then they step back and let their team members make decisions, solve problems, and get their work accomplished-without having to worry about the leader obsessively supervising their every move.

Pro: This level of trust and independence is empowering for teams that are creative and self-motivated.

Con: Chaos and confusion can quickly ensue-especially if a team isn't organized or self-directed.
You Might Be a Laissez-Faire Leader If...

You hardly do any of the talking in project status update meetings. Instead, your team members are the ones filling you in on where things are.

You're really only involved in most tasks and projects at two key points: the beginning and the end.

8. Charismatic Leadership

You know what it means to have a lot of charisma, and that's exactly what these leaders possess.

Charismatic leaders have magnetic personalities, as well as a lot of conviction to achieve their objectives.

Rather than encouraging behaviors through strict instructions, these leaders use eloquent communication and persuasion to unite a team around a cause. They're able to clearly lay out their vision and get others excited about that same goal.

Pro: Charismatic leaders are very inspirational and effective at getting an entire group invested in a shared objective.

Con: Due to their intense focus, it's easy for these leaders to develop "tunnel vision" and lose sight of other important issues or tasks that crop up.

You Might Be a Charismatic Leader If...

You're known for giving amazing "rally the troops" types of presentations.

You're usually the one elected to give toasts and speeches at various company events.

How Hard Is it to Change Your Leadership Style?

So you've familiarized yourself with the ins and outs of the above approaches...what if you've realized that you want to make some changes? Perhaps you've pegged yourself as a transactional leader and want to be more transformational, or you think you could incorporate more servant leadership into your existing style.

The good news: You absolutely can change your personal leadership style. "Your leadership style isn't an annual membership," says Crawford. Altering your approach is actually fairly straightforward in concept (although a little more difficult in practice), and you can do it at any time. The key is to swap out ineffective habits for new ones that are more in line with the style you'd like to align with, and "stay committed to practicing your new leadership style and technique."

For example, if you tend to be autocratic and want to incorporate some more democratic practices, try some things that force you to relinquish some power like:

Requesting a second opinion on a decision you're making.

Instituting a weekly brainstorming session with your team.

Asking a colleague to co-lead a project that you otherwise would've handled alone.

If you're struggling to even figure out how you can be more effective or what the best leadership style for you is in the first place, Padua recommends that you start by thinking about a leader or mentor you admired. "What were their qualities?" she asks. "What did they do? What did they say? How did it impact you?"

That exercise can help you identify some traits that you'd like to implement in your own style.

Here's the thing: There's no such thing as a "perfect" leadership style, because leadership isn't one size fits all. All of these approaches come with their benefits and drawbacks, and some of them will be more effective in certain scenarios.

That very idea has paved the way for one final style: situational leadership. It's highly flexible and suggests that leaders should adapt their approach to the specific circumstances they're in.

Regardless of where you think your own current style fits in, there are likely a few changes you can make to be even more effective. Like anything, leadership is a learning process, and it takes a little bit of trial and error to get it right.

"Don't be afraid to make mistakes," concludes Crawford. "That's how we learn. Sometimes you may have to take a few tries at different styles to make things work. Be easy on yourself."

Kat is a Midwest-based freelance writer, covering topics related to careers, productivity, and the freelance life. In addition to The Muse, she's a contributor all over the web and dishes out research-backed advice for places like Atlassian, Trello, Toggl, Wrike, The Everygirl, FlexJobs, and more. She's also an Employment Advisor at a local college, and loves helping students prepare to thrive in careers (and lives!) they love. When she manages to escape from behind her computer screen, she's usually babying her two rescue mutts or continuing her search for the perfect taco. Say hi on Twitter @kat_boogaard or check out her website.

More from Kat Boogaard

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8 Common Leadership Styles (and How to Find Yours)

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Yes, those are two drastically different kinds of management. But here's the thing: Leadership style isn't always so straightforward. There are numerous styles of leadership that aren't inherently good or bad-they're just different. They all have their benefits and drawbacks, as well as their appropriate uses in certain scenarios.

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Article * 9 min read

Understanding Where Power Comes From in the Workplace

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Think of a leader you've known who relied on their ability to discipline or reward people to get things done. Then, remind yourself of a leader who was a renowned expert in their field, or who you really admired for their integrity.

How did it feel to work for these leaders, and which one got the best from you? The way a leader behaves toward you and how effectively you work as a result can both depend on the source of their power. And their power need not come from their official status or title.

Social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven studied this phenomenon more than half a century ago. Despite its age, their research can still help us to understand why some leaders influence us, how prepared we are to accept their power, and - if you are a leader - how you can develop new power bases to get the best from your people.

Not all forms of power have a positive influence.

1. Legitimate - This comes from the belief that a person has the formal right to make demands, and to expect others to be compliant and obedient.

2. Reward - This results from one person's ability to compensate another for compliance.

3. Expert - This is based on a person's high levels of skill and knowledge.

1. Referent - This is the result of a person's perceived attractiveness, worthiness and right to others' respect.

2. Coercive - This comes from the belief that a person can punish others for noncompliance.

The exceptions to this are praise and thanks . We love to receive them and, best of all, they're free to give!

What's more, you can expand your , and reputation for into other subjects and issues. This is a good way to build and maintain expert power, and to improve your leadership skills.

In 1959, social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven identified five bases of power:

1. Legitimate.

2. Reward.

3. Expert.

4. Referent.

5. Coercive.

And, six years later, added an extra power base:

Anyone is capable of holding power and influencing others: you don't need to have an important job title or a big office. But if you recognize the different forms of power, you can avoid being influenced by those who use the less positive ones - and you can focus on developing expert and referent power for yourself. This will help you to become an influential and effective leader.

[1] French, J.R.P. and Raven, B. (1959). 'The Bases of Social Power.' In 'Studies in Social Power, Cartwright, D.,' pp.150-167. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research. Available online here . [Accessed March 26, 2020.]

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French and Raven's Five Forms of Power - Understanding Where Power Comes From in the Workplace

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Article * 9 min read By the Mind Tools Content Team Think of a leader you've known who relied on their ability to discipline or reward people to get things done. Then, remind yourself of a leader who was a renowned expert in their field, or who you really admired for their integrity.

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Written by: Diane Sweeney and Leanna Harris, authors of Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (Corwin, 2016)

Coaches often wonder how to measure their impact. We all know that we can't base our success off of whether or not teachers sign up for coaching cycles, smile at us, or talk to us in the teacher's lounge. We need to know more. And if we take intentional steps to evaluate our work, we will come to understand how our coaching is impacting teacher and student learning.

The Results-Based Coaching Tool

The Results-Based Coaching Tool provides a record of what occurred across a coaching cycle. It begins with a goal for student learning and ends with a close look at how well the students performed in relation to the goal. In between is where we capture the instructional practices we focused on, the coaching practices that were used, and information related to teacher growth.

The Results-Based Coaching Tool is a 'guide on the side' for coaches who are interested in ensuring that their work is making the desired impact. Some use it in partnership with teachers, others use it privately, the key is we are tracking our impact every step of the way.

To help you get started, we provide a link for a Template for the Results-Based Coaching Tool. If you'd like more resources, please read 9 in Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (Corwin, 2016).

Pre and Post Assess to Identify Growth Across a Coaching Cycle

If coaches want to know their impact, then they need to collect pre and post assessment data during the coaching cycle. Doing so requires clearly defined learning targets against which we continually assess and adjust teaching. This starts with pre assessing students to collect baseline data at the beginning of the coaching cycle. Then at the end of the cycle, we post assess students in order to measure student growth and understand the impact of the coaching work.

The assessments we use have several qualities in order to be both manageable and meaningful for teachers and coaches. They are efficient, provide descriptive insight into student thinking and understanding, and are aligned with the coaching cycle goal and learning targets. When we post assess to see whether or not students have met the goal, it is important to make sure we are assessing the same things as we did on the pre assessment. The following figure provides examples of how a pre assessment can be modified to also serve as a post assessment. Keeping them as similar as possible will give the most accurate measurement of student growth.

Examples of Pre and Post Assessments

Read a passage, annotate text, and answer questions with evidence from the text.

Use a slightly different passage from the same text. Keep everything else the same.

Complete a multi-step math problem with multiple opportunities to show work. Explain thinking in writing.

Use the same problem, just switch the numbers.

Write to a prompt that is open-ended enough for some amount of student choice.

Keep the prompt the same, instructing students to choose something different to write about.

Written response to a series of open-ended questions about historical events.

Respond to the same questions in a new way, such as through a Socratic Seminar.

Once we have post assessed the students, we can take a good look at growth. This can be the percentage of students who met the goal, or a more nuanced view of how many were emerging, developing, meeting, or exceeding the goal at the beginning of the coaching cycle compared to at the end. Seeing real evidence of student achievement is a great way to measure the impact of coaching and know that the hard work of teaching and coaching has paid off.

Understand How the Teacher Grew

While the primary goal of student-centered coaching is to increase student achievement, we also work with teachers to refine their day-to-day instructional practice. If a coach and teacher work together throughout a coaching cycle, and the students demonstrate a lot of growth by the end, surely that is cause for celebration. Hopefully the students have learned new skills and understandings that they will carry forward in their learning and be able to apply in new situations. Yet consider how much bigger an impact the coaching will have if the teacher has acquired new learning as well. The benefit will be not only to this one group of students for this one unit of study, but for all of her students throughout her teaching career. Now that is a big impact!

So how do we assess teacher growth as a part of measuring the impact of coaching? We know that our job is to stay as far away from evaluation as possible. We also know that reflection on experience is a powerful way to enhance and solidify learning. Therefore at the end of a cycle, it is important to create opportunities for teachers to reflect on the coaching experience. There are many informal opportunities to encourage teacher reflection throughout the coaching cycle by asking questions such as, 'How do you think the lesson went?' 'How did students respond compared to when you taught this in the past?' and 'What could we have done differently to help more students meet the target?' When measuring the impact of coaching, we want to explicitly make time for reflection through asking a series of exit interview questions that we can document as evidence of teacher growth. Though some coaches feel that conducting such an interview seems awkwardly formal, we believe that intentionally doing so creates both a space for reflection and an opportunity to capture evidence that comes directly from teachers themselves instead from us as their coaches. Below are a few examples of exit interview questions aimed at promoting teacher reflection.

Exit Interview Questions for Teacher Reflection

How do you feel you benefited from the coaching cycle?

What changes, if any, have you made to your instructional practice as a result of our work together?

What does the data reveal about how the students performed in relation to the learning targets?

What about the way we taught the unit do you believe contributed to this result?

What, if anything, do you feel we could have done differently with regard to instruction?

How has your thinking grown or changed from this process?

Based on the work in our coaching cycle, what are the implications for your work going forward?

Plan for Students Who Didn't Meet the Goal

The last fifteen years have seen a switch in education from 'covering' curriculum to teaching in a way that enables and expects all students to meet the standards. The notion of 'assess and move on, regardless of whether or not students got it' is thankfully becoming a thing of the past. This shift has implications for coaches just as it does for the teachers with whom they work. With a clear goal for student learning and carefully planned instruction based on ongoing formative assessment, students are given the support and tools they need to achieve the desired learning outcome. But sometimes despite our best efforts, there are a few kids who don't get there.

Measuring the impact of coaching through post assessment enables the coach and teacher to identify those students (hopefully very few) who did not meet the goal, and then plan for ongoing support even after the coaching cycle is over. Sometimes the school may have a system for intervention in place, or it may be a matter of the teacher and coach creating a plan for how the teacher will use small group or one-on-one instructional time to give the extra help needed. Even though the coaching cycle is over and the class is going to move on to something new, it is important to identify and plan follow up for those students who still need a bit more instruction before they can meet the goal. We are also careful to set up systems to continue monitoring these students through formative assessments...this way we make sure that they are moving towards mastery of the standards well past the end of the coaching cycle.

In Closing

Measuring the impact of coaching provides us with multiple pieces of evidence to weigh and balance in determining what is and isn't working so we can continually improve our coaching practice. It allows us to know that our collaboration with teachers has made a difference for them and for their students. Measuring the impact of coaching creates a space for reflection and for closure of the coaching cycle, and perhaps best of all provides us with lots of great new learning to celebrate.

© Diane Sweeney Consulting, all rights reserved.

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Measuring the Impact of Coaching Cycles - Diane Sweeney

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Written by: Diane Sweeney and Leanna Harris, authors of Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (Corwin, 2016) Coaches often wonder how to measure their impact. We all know that we can't base our success off of whether or not teachers sign up for coaching cycles, smile at us, or talk to us in the teacher's lounge.

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Our digital learning coaching is based on cycles where a coach works with a group of individual teachers or a team. Each week, the coach meets at least twice with the teachers: once to plan/reflect, once to observe/collaborate in the classroom. During the first few meetings they move through Stage 1 and Stage 2 . The coach and teachers select a focus, take a snapshot measurement of student learning, investigate pedagogic strategies, and select tools.

The majority of the eight weeks consists of Stage 3 . During this stage the coach and teachers plan mini-goals to further their focus, implement them, and reflect on their success. This is a form of "rapid-prototyping" that allows the coach and teachers to quickly evaluate and improve their strategies.

During the final week they focus on Stage 4 . Teachers take a new snapshot measurement of student learning, reflect on the coaching experience, and consider future directions. At times, this can lead into a new coaching cycle with the same teachers. Other times, the teachers may choose to consolidate and refine independently.

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The research center started ten years ago with the motto: Becoming the professionals we already are. We intentionally de-emphasized bringing in (and paying!) outsiders. Instead we created some easy structures for teachers to share their own professionalism with each other-and by doing so, further developing themselves as professional educators. We introduced informal talks, self-organizing study groups, and a somewhat more formal process to request financial support for selected year-long projects.

We call teachers who are working on year-long projects funded by the research center 'resident scholars.' The project is their own-we just require that they work collaboratively, present their project to those who would like to hear about it, and write or present about it outside the school, if the possibility arises. More than one of our resident scholars has told me that the program inspires them, lifts them up, and helps them view themselves as professionals. Plus, they are building impressive résumés.

We complement our resident scholar program with visiting scholars-folks we invite to work with us on projects that they (and we) are interested in. We have the advantage of being a boarding school, which allows us to house our guests-from grad student to full professor-so they can stay with us for several days or even several weeks. Before the research center began, we paid outsiders for a couple of hours of professional development. Now we don't pay outsiders at all and they work with us for several days. Our teachers forge personal and professional relationships with them, as do the visiting scholars with us.

We often say that good professional development is ongoing, collaborative, autonomous, and in situ. Our program is all of these things.

Sound too good to be true? It is pretty nice professional development, that is for sure. And to top it off, relying on the professionals who are already hired at the school-our faculty-means the program is also inexpensive.

Want to extend your professional development (PD) by creating a similar model? Start with these steps:

1. Find a bit of money. It always helps. Identify some outside PD you are paying for and stop. In our first year, we found 10,000 Swiss francs, approximately 10,000 U.S. dollars, and paid 20 faculty members 500 each to do our in-house PD.

2. Start small. Choose one program that most of your faculty can get behind. We built our own: a 12-hour program over 6 weeks that focused on observing, being observed, and observing oneself (by recording), with discussion in self-organized small groups.

3. Make it optional. Don't require all faculty to be involved. Make the program open for those who want to be involved. Work with those teachers who want the type of PD you are offering. It's more rewarding and more likely to make a difference.

4. Collect feedback. Ask all participants about their experience. Ask how to make the experience better. Listen and act on what they say.

5. Grow slowly. At the end of a good first year, some faculty will ask "What's next?" Be ready with a plan. Better yet, include participants in creating a plan for year 2.

6. Share. Work out a manner through which participants (those who want to-true volunteers) can share their personal stories with the entire faculty. Reflection is good PD. And sharing is good marketing.

You may find it hard to resist the temptation to pay for outside professional development that everyone can do and that fits neatly into a pre-scheduled in-service day. If you find you cannot entirely remove that practice from your school's mindset, then simply reduce how much you are relying on outside help.

Turn to your teachers instead. Turn to each other. Provide just enough structure so everyone can grow and share the expertise they already largely have.

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Supporting In-House Professional Development for Teachers

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Learn how, with school support, in-house professional development for teachers can create a culture of educational innovation by creating a learning structure.

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Variable adaptive topology

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Variable adaptive topology

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— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 8, 2024

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Variable adaptive topology

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Coaching Project Process Diagram (Greg Stewart)

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Coaching Project Process Diagram (Greg Stewart)

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Coaching Conversation template (Kira Fladager)

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Coaching Conversation template (Kira Fladager)

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Coaching Cycle Planner & Notes (Sara Rainey)

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Coaching Cycle Planner & Notes (Sara Rainey)

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Communication Skills for Coaches

Our choice of words can have a surprising effect during a coaching conversation. Words that are used commonly in everyday situations can convey unintentional meanings in the context of the delicately balanced dynamics of coaching conversations. This need for careful choice of words can be illustrated with the use of the phrase, "How can I help?" in situations when help has not actually been requested by the teacher. That question can infer that the coach is at a level superior to that of the teacher, thus creating a barrier between the two participants. Similarly, the words problem and struggle also carry negative connotations when commenting upon classroom observations and may introduce an evaluative element to the conversation.

In other instances, the words but, however, and yet are sometimes used to connect a positive observation with a supplementary comment that identifies and recommends remediation of an observed behavior. For example, the coach may compliment the teacher on very clear visual displays and accompanying verbal explanations and add, "but, many students were not engaged." In this case, the positive comment is neutralized or even negated by the second statement. In order to preserve the intended effects of the two comments, they need to be unlinked by inserting a simple pause in the conversation. For example, look for the teacher to respond to the first statement before proceeding.

Closed vs. Open Ended Questions

Closed-ended questions may create a defensive response from the teacher. Questions such as "Have you thought about?" or "Have you tried?" may either cause the teacher to feel compelled to confess a failure or an unsuccessful attempt, or to defend themselves with a reply that seeks to justify why a strategy was not tried. Open-ended questions such as, "How do you think students would respond to small group work for this task?" show respect for the views of the teacher. Find a podcast on coaches' words here.

Indirect vs. Direct Communication

Indirect communication can cause misunderstandings, frustration, and potentially conflict in coach-teacher relationships. Straightforward communication builds trust and understanding and creates conditions that are conducive for open discussion, objective analysis, and creative problem solving. Coaches promote open conversations in order to discover the true interests, priorities, and challenges faced by teachers. Robinson, Segal, and Segal (2015) recommend the following actions that are likely to promote open conversations:

Concentrate on both spoken words and nonverbal messages;

Avoid distractions such as phones, doodling, or window staring;

Refrain from interrupting or redirecting;

Allow the speaker's words to flow and pause;

Defer judgment, especially criticism;

Maintain an attentive posture; and

Offer occasional smiles and confirmations such as OK or I see.

Remember to Listen

The art of listening is a substantial and sometimes understated component of conversations and communication. Instructional coaches rely on deep and extended interactions in order to receive and convey messages about classroom performance. On his website, Stephen Covey describes seven habits of highly effective people. Covey's fifth habit is summarized as "first seek to understand and then be understood." Covey asserts that "communication is the most important skill in life." Most people are inclined to speak and promote their point of view before truly listening to the other person. Meaning is missed when a listener ignores the other person's message, pretends to listen, or only hears the parts they want to hear. Covey maintains that "most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand." Surely, a prime reason for a teacher to meet with a coach is to be heard and understood. Careful listening is a precious skill to employ in such circumstances.

Conclusion

Effective instructional coaches employ active listening, powerful questioning, and direct communication ( Utah Office of Child Care, 2014). An active listening strategy requires complete focus on communication from the adult learner. Attention to tone and body language helps convey the intent of the message. The paraphrasing and restatement of teachers' spoken words help clarify the message. Continued dialogue is encouraged when teachers' expressions of feelings and opinions are accepted without judgment. Powerful questioning emphasizes "open-ended questions that provide information and stimulate thinking in support of goals." The coach's objectives are to ask questions that identify the teacher's perspective and nurture reflection and clarity. Direct communication "uses language that has a positive impact on the adult learner." Coaches use direct communication in order to explain coaching objectives, give feedback, and recommend changes. Coaches reframe ideas to help teachers reexamine thoughts and consider alternative perspectives.

Because communication skills play such an important role in a coach's effectiveness, it's a great area for continued study and coaching. Coaches should be coached on their communication skills. Consider recording a coaching conference and then analyzing it with your coaching colleagues. You can find a 10 hour facilitated, online module Instructional Coaching - Essential Communication Skills.

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Effective Communication Techniques in Instructional Coaching | Barkley

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Our choice of words can have a surprising effect during a coaching conversation. Words that are used commonly in everyday situations can convey unintentional meanings in the context of the delicately balanced dynamics of coaching conversations. This need for careful choice of words can be illustrated with the use of the phrase, "How can I help?"

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Great Questions for Instructional Coaches

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In this post, Jim Knight explores helpful questions coaches can use in each stage of the Impact Cycle.

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Thoughtful writing authored and shared by members of of the Thinking Collaborative community to support others on the journey.

"The marvelous thing about a good question is that it shapes our identity as much by the asking as it does by the answering." - David Whyte

In your Adaptive Schools Foundation Seminar and/or your Cognitive Coaching Foundation Seminar®, you learned that questions can transform thinking. The skillfulness with which you pose questions can be the key to inviting more complex thinking.

The fifth element of an invitational question is that it is open-ended. By beginning the question with an interrogative, rather than a verb, the question indicates that a response will go beyond a "yes/no" answer.

How you might respond to the following questions?

Have you thought about regrouping the students?

Did you include standards in your lesson?

Will you bring this up at the next meeting?

The dilemma with these questions is two-fold. One, they offer a suggestion, e.g., regroup the students, include standards, bring this idea to the meeting. Once heard, it is difficult to think above and beyond the implied suggestion. And two, the thinker can only offer a yes or no in response. Over time, these types of questions can cause a dependency.

Instead, begin a question with "what" or "how" and you will likely invite more complex thinking.

Consider these revisions:

What might provide the best learning environment for the students?

What criteria did you use to as you planned your lesson?

How might the group benefit from your experience?

This week, jot down the questions you use and analyze your success at asking open-ended questions. Plan questions in advance of your next meeting or coaching conversation so that you might feel fully prepared to invite thinking.

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Thoughtful writing authored and shared by members of of the Thinking Collaborative community to support others on the journey. "The marvelous thing about a good question is that it shapes our identity as much by the asking as it does by the answering."

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Allison Peterson, IC at Westminster Academy and founder of the #NewtoCoaching Community, shows how to use Michael Bungay Stainer's 7 Essential Questions to guide your coaching conversations.

W

hether you're a new instructional coach or a seasoned pro, new coaching conversations are always difficult to start! Almost immediately, someone will tell you to "do coaching cycles," but they probably don't spend much time training you in what coaching cycles are, what to achieve during them, or how to enroll teachers.

If you find yourself saying, "That sounds like my situation, Allison!" then you're not alone. Let me help you work your way towards an intentional coaching cycle by using the seven "Essential Coaching Questions" from Michael Bungay Stainer's book, The Coaching Habit.

When a teacher comes to you with a problem, it's normal to immediately give them a solution. However, we should replace this urge with a questioning strategy. There are two really good reasons for doing this:

1. The teacher gains more ownership of the solution since she thought of it herself

2. Your idea, although probably a great one, would likely not have been the right solution for her. No two brains are alike and just because it makes sense to you, doesn't mean it makes sense to her!

So instead of providing a solution or telling them what you've done as a teacher in your own classroom, try asking one of the following questions and let them do the thinking.

1) What's on your mind?

This question has a unique way of cutting through small talk, and helps to narrow the conversation to what's actually important.

If you're trying to work towards a coaching cycle with a teacher, but you haven't been able to break through the chit-chat about her kids, for instance, ask her, "So what's been on your mind about your class lately?" See if that breaks the ice enough for you to begin a coaching conversation!

2) And what else?

This question is meant for expansion, getting the teacher talking even more so that she shares more of his thoughts and ideas. Michael Bungay Stanier claims this is the "best coaching question in the world" because it also has the power to make you more curious and less quick to rush into giving advice or providing solutions.

Asking, "And what else have you been thinking about your students?" invites the teacher to share more of his concerns and worries with you. Once that happens, you actually have something to coach her on. It may still be too early for a coaching cycle, but now you're getting somewhere with a teacher who has potentially only been making small talk with you up until now.

Let's pretend for a moment that the teacher told you all about a student she's concerned about. She is behind and hasn't been able to catch up and the teacher doesn't know how to help her. Now we're getting to the good stuff, so let's ask...

3) What's the real challenge here for you?

Now that you have a starting point-a student who is behind-Michael Bungay Stanier would recommend that you go ahead and ask, "What's the real challenge here for you?" and wait a full seven seconds. You can do it: you're a good teacher and you used to do it with students all the time!

After the brief pause that will feel like agony, the teacher will surely answer the question with a response that may sound something like: "Well, I just don't know how to get them to turn in their work!"

4) What do you want?

This is your first breakthrough with the teacher, so now try asking, "What do you want?" This usually enters the conversation naturally because the teacher probably already told you what she's tried so far to solve this problem- e.g., she's called the students' parents or talked to them one-on-one.

You may be tempted to give advice here and tell the teacher what she needs to do with this student. BUT WAIT! Instead of jumping in with your solution, ask the teacher, "What do you want to do next with this student?" Or perhaps, "What do you want the next step to be with this student?" The teacher's answer may surprise you, and it may not be the thing you were going to tell her to do.

The teacher will come up with a solution that makes sense to her and makes sense in the sequence of interactions and support that she had already been following with this student. And she suggested it!

Now, even if the teacher's solution is far from what you would recommend she do, stick with it and let her own her solution to the problem. If it seems like the wrong direction, don't panic-you will have time to coach her again later.

5) How can I help?

Of course you want to offer help, but again it needs to be help that is relevant and appropriate for the situation. And if you start guessing at what that would be, you are taking shots in the dark. So let the teacher decide in the light where they can see the whole picture.

When you say "How can I help you?" you're doing two important things:

1. Letting the teacher invite you into the situation as a partner (ding ding ding! One step closer to a coaching cycle!)

2. Communicating to the teacher that you are available and willing to help-he hadn't considered you as a resource previously, so now you've made progress!

Based on the answer, you can find a time to follow up and support her specifically on this student issue. You can schedule a time to meet and work with her on a new strategy or visit her classroom to give feedback. There are all sorts of directions you can take from here because you've just opened the door to coaching with this teacher. All you have to do is step inside!

Now the last two questions are super handy, so keep them in your back pocket for future conversations with that teacher.

6) What are you saying no to?

This question is all about clearing space for new things by removing old things. You can use this question with a teacher who is trying a new strategy but feels overwhelmed by maintaining her old systems while she adds this new layer.

When you sense that happening with a teacher, you can ask her, "If you are saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?" The question may surprise her and give her the permission she needs to let something old go to make way for the new idea or strategy in her classroom. You can also ask her a variation of this question which is, "What can you remove so you can make room for this?"

Pro tip: Teachers need permission to let something go-something that they've been holding on to because they think they are "supposed to" do it-especially during this intense COVID-19 teaching world. You can use this question to help teachers release old burdens and make their load a little lighter.

7) What's most useful to you?

And finally, I saved the best question for last. This question will transform your coaching, so start using it regularly and watch the fireworks start! By asking the question, "What's most useful to you?," you drive reflection and intentional learning with the teacher. It also provides a learning opportunity for both of you.

After asking this question at the end of a PLC, PD, or meeting, the teacher will be able to reflect on her learning and grasp something specific that was useful to her that he can take back to her classroom. As the coach, you also get the chance to learn a little more about this teacher and how he thinks. And when you have a better grasp of how each teacher thinks and processes information, you can support them better!

This question is also a bridging question-it can help you bridge from one coaching conversation to the next. If you collect the answer to this one question in a Google form, for instance, you now have a list of how and who to follow up with to have a coaching conversation.

Did you see how easy that was? By asking Michael Bungay Stanier's 7 Essential Coaching Questions, you can turn every conversation into a coaching conversation! In fact, using these questions in your next coaching conversation can open the doors to another meeting next week, and another meeting the week after that. Wait, did you just start a coaching cycle? I think you did!

🎉 Bonus: I recently did a Facebook Live recap of these 7 Essential Coaching Questions that you can watch to learn more. Plus, I also created a 16 page Guide to the 7 Essential Coaching Questions for New Coaches, that you can use to learn how and when to use these coaching questions with teachers.

Allison Petersen is the founder of the #NewtoCoaching Community where new instructional coaches can learn, connect, and be encouraged as they transition from the classroom to instructional coaching. In addition to training and supporting new coaches, Allison helps independent schools launch instructional coaching programs.

She has been a K-12 instructional coach for seven years and is currently launching a coaching program at an independent school in South Florida.

Be sure to follow Allison on Twitter @alcp !

Illustration by Icons 8.

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7 Essential Questions to Kick-start Your Instructional Coaching

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Allison Peterson, IC at Westminster Academy and founder of the #NewtoCoaching Community, shows how to use Michael Bungay Stainer's 7 Essential Questions to guide your coaching conversations.

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FunRetrospectives | Have fun, learn from the past and prepare for the future!

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Have fun, learn from the past and prepare for the future!