The #educoach hashtag is used by instructional coaches around the world. We chat each Wednesday at 8pm CST on Twitter and use the hashtag throughout the week to share resources, ask questions and collaborate with instructional coaches.
Good evening #educoach. I'm Kathy - co-founder of #educocah. I'm a coaching trainer and virtual coach for coaches EduCoach Instructional Coach Blogging Tribe I'm sitting back tonight. @lsmith0917 and @IAteacherNan will moderate. Success - learning from @SweeneyDiane today.
My success this week was seeing the teachers I work with take risks-trying new strategies, videoing their lessons, looking at data in a different way...these risks are making a big difference for their students! #educoach
Cory Texan #educoach in Ohio! My #eduwin this week- connecting with a few of my @Region12 and @r12digin friends this week and talking about how their video- enhanced coaching services are going!
Hi, everyone! I'm Lauren, Instructional Coach, Indiana and one of our co-moderators for tonight's chat. My #eduwin is collaborating with some fabulous teams today! Looking forward to tonight's chat! #educoach
Good evening, #educoach. Fran Rogers, Middle Level Academic Specialist, from SC checking in. My #eduwin was today’s very productive coaching conversation regarding lesson modifications to meet the needs of all learners.
A1: I have the honor of supporting a variety of teams: all academic PLCs (ELA, Math, Science, SS, & related arts), leadership teams, administrative teams, grade level teams, departmental teams, and IC cohorts. #educoach
Hey everyone! I’m Soney from Frisco, Texas. I’m just trolling as I’ve applied for an instructional coach spot for next year! Glad to learn from y’all! #educoach
A1: I support our grade level teams in planning--being a part of these team meetings has been crucial in providing helpful insights into their strengths and the obstacles they face. #educoach
A1-I have the pleasure to support our awesome instructional coaching team. We meet regularly as a team and I also meet with the individual coaches. #educoach
A1: I support grade level teams and am lucky to be a part of leadership team. We recently created strategy groups based on interest and need which were fun to support! #educoach
I work w sped and gen ed inclusion Ts- either co-teach partners or grade level teams depending on the campus. I ❤️ it bc I have a passion for collaboration & it’s impact in meeting the needs of all Ss & it’s a little like couples counseling (my original career path) #educoach
A2 I think the best way coaches can involved with teams is by truly being a part of them-being willing to do the work with them builds strong relationships and trust #educoach
I work w sped and gen ed inclusion Ts- either co-teach partners or grade level teams depending on the campus. I ❤️ it bc I have a passion for collaboration & it’s impact in meeting the needs of all Ss & it’s a little like couples counseling (my original career path) #educoach
A2 I think the best way coaches can be involved with teams is by truly being a part of them-being willing to do the work with them builds strong relationships and trust #educoach
A2: Benefit of working at 1 elem school: weekly instructional planning by grade level (most consistent way to support) & grade level & interest group plcs. These create opportunities for coaching #educoach
A2: While there are many ways to engage with teams, the two most powerful methods I’ve experienced are team-based coaching cycles and embedded, just-in-time support during content-based collaborative plannings. #educoach
A2 I think the best way coaches can be involved with teams is by truly being a part of them-being willing to do the work with them builds strong relationships and trust #educoach
A3. The difference between 1:1 dialogue and facilitation of group dialogue. Reading dynamics and good interpersonal skill is needed to navigate both #educoach
A3: with a team you have to learn and navigate the dynamics...with individuals you can get to know the person. I love coaching both, but I honestly think teams are more challenging. Individuals may act differently outside of the team. #educoach
A3: Neither is easy but working with a team requires knowing ALL Ts, their strengths, personalities and comfort levels with lots of aspects of education! #educoach
A3: developing and coaching teams is truly an art! It involves similarities with coaching a single T such as building trust and having good communication but with teams you must consider managing conflict and protocols, etc. in order for them to be successful #educoach
A3 Coaching individual teachers and teams each come with their own set of challenges...but finding balance and common ground in team planning has been an area I'm learning and working on this year. #educoach
A3 Coaching a team allows for more of a collaborative culture to be nurtured through group think in planning and problem solving and peer observation and feedback. #educoach
A3: teams are like families: what “role” has each person taken on. Introverts, extroverts? You need to be a chameleon and adapt to these very different humans.#educoach
A3: teams have variety of personalities, needs, and priorities. Coaching a team still requires individual relationships to be successful, to navigate #educoach
I think purpose can be a big difference as well. The end goals can look very different for what we’d expect from a group vs. individuals. Group coaching is probably going to be more often planning/reflection while individual could be more co-teaching, modeling, etc. #educoach
I definitely see this in coaching co-teachers and it sometimes requires I circle back 1 on 1 to get more honest conversation in the beginning #educoach
A4: I have found 3 things that help-1)identify the influencer bc they can make the tide turn, 2) knowing how to manage the conversation so that everyone can be heard, 3)honesty-no rhetoric, just real talk #educoach
Analyzing data to establish the need to start and diving deeper into what is currently in place to address those needs and what isn’t that needs to be #educoach
A5 Team Norms need to be collaborative and thoughtful. I like to start with what has NOT worked well in past...new norms should address he speed bumps to progress. #educoach
Our team of instructional coaches is doing a book study on Collective Efficacy by Jenni Donohoo. We are building our IC collective efficacy as we consider our schools, too. #educoach
I think sometimes the goals for teams are set FOR them by admin, etc which can affect the dynamic. I try to focus the coaching on ONE step whether with teams or individuals. With teams, we find a common ground and set A goal from there #educoach
A4- Everyone needs to be fully present, open to ideas & each other, curious, respectful, ability to laugh, including at ourselves! And snacks! #educoach
Start with the goal. This is what we want to do, so let’s share some ideas to ensure this happens...can be an open share out, consensus map, etc. Then we revisit those each time we meet #educoach
A5: we choose areas of concern: time, conflict, responsibities, communication, and roles...we also have one for fun😊 that’s where the snacks, laughter come in #educoach
Fully present -- yes! It can be hard to get everyone's attention. Laughing -- one of our grade level teams starts off sharing something humorous each mtg. #educoach
A5: I’ll be honest...I have never done an official team norm setting. They have been developed more implicitly. If an issue arises, I try to stop and just address that “something just got weird” or “it feels like something shifted”#educoach
A5: our biggest norm is focusing on S learning and the 4 essential questions: what do we expect them to learn, how will we know they have learned? How will we respond when they learn? How will we respond when they don’t learn? #plc#educoach
A5: our biggest norm is focusing on S learning and the 4 essential questions: what do we expect them to learn, how will we know they have learned? How will we respond when they learn? How will we respond when they don’t learn? #plc#educoach
A6: I think it is important to partner with the team leader or entire team and find out their specific needs and goals. The you can support those teams during collaboration more effectively. #educoach
A5: DuFour has an easy and streamlined norm-creating process. Since PLCs are the expectation, we recommend DuFour’s process. Most people jump the gun and create norms without goals, which can stifle progress. #educoach
A6: I use some of the same strategies as we do with our Ss: turn and talk to your partner. I also strive to mix up partners throughout the meeting and get Ts talking to a variety of colleagues. #educoach
A6: if I see the conversation getting strained, I use more questions. I also learned a strategy from a book called The Like Switch where you direct the conversation by using the term “so, you”...it helps to keep from using “I” and focusing the convo on the other person #educoach
A6: I absolutely love reflective questions that are intentional and directed by data and best practice...when dialogue is purpose driven to get outcomes, it seems to be reflective and results minded #educoach
A6: Role looks different depending on type of collaboration. Most important is listening, reading the room, & knowing what support/facilitation is needed. Gotta have toolbox handy. Never know@what you need! #educoach
A7: I think this goes back to how coaching teams is an art. You must understand team dynamics. Some teams prefer to be more prepared when they collaborate while others would rather think together. Knowing the teams can give you insight into what strategies you need. #educoach
A7: there are SO many great Ts out there. They are always teaching me stuff. My most important role as a coach can be as a connector...I get to travel around. I can show them what’s happening in other classes like theirs. #educoach
A7: Aligning those strengths (content, past successes) with individual teacher needs, asking them to act as thought partners on how to best support and push teacher thinking with appropriate questions/scaffolds #educoach
A6: Understanding the group’s dynamic is essential to progress. You have to know when to accelerate and when to press the brakes. A clear agenda, explicit expectations, and “where to next” are also critical. #educoach
A7: we have a district Prof Dev day where all of the teachers run sessions. I was able to talk 15 people who had no intention of signing up to take a risk. Love on them! #educoach
A7: modeling and peer coaching.. love to see a coteaching model while two classes benefit with better instruction.. flextime where we share Ss can be driven by the data to improve and allows time for me as a coach to teach alongside team #educoach
It’s by a former FBI (or CIA) agent...can’t remember. Really interesting and has some interesting things that can translate to coaching. My husband was reading it, and it sounded interesting. #educoach
A7: let team leaders lead. Have teams & Ts focus on areas of importance to them. Ask Ts to share what’s working or not working. Highlight good things on Twitter, newsletters, at mtgs, etc #educoach
Yes, helps us build capacity in each other, celebrate our strengths so we are intentional about reinforcing them and identifying those strengths as resources #educoach
