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.
Hi, #educoach! Lauren, K-5 Instructional Coach, Indiana. Looking forward to joining @KathyPerret for tonight's chat. My #eduwin is a coaching conversation with a colleague that left both us charged with strong work ahead!
Hello all, I'm Katrina, math facilitator/coach from Charlotte, NC. After a coaching session last week, a teacher allowed for more student ownership this week by having her Ss sign up for small groups. #educoach#eduwin
If I look to the positive - this week I kept people safe and off snowy roads. Was disappoint to have to postpone our time with @SweeneyDiane Spring can't come fast enough! #educoach
Good evening! I’m Mindy, an elementary principal from Georgia. An #eduwin from today was opening our staff meeting having everyone share stories about their favorite teachers. A great reminder of their impact on us and our impact on our students. #educoach
A1: I was a high school math teacher, and initially I only coached math content. With VT moving to proficiency based, there was a need to work across content areas. Now, I feel comfortable tacking anything with deference to my partner teachers. #educoach
A1 I do love coaching in the area of literacy and now days I spend most of my time coaching coaches in the area of coaching. :) #educoach I love paying it forward!
A2 All of my teaching experience was at the elementary level. I'm comfortable with all subject areas. I guess I'd have to say stepping out of my comfort zone would be the high school subjects. #educoach
A2: honestly I find it easier to coach well in areas that are not my specialty because I’m less tempted to try to jump in with an « awesome » idea out of turn. I come by my curiosity more easily. #educoach
Q2: Some of the concepts in upper grades math can push me outside of my comfort zone, but I’ve learned that in order to support in any area, I must first be a student. Not afraid to learn how to do it to support others through it! #educoach
A3: Sometimes we forget that teaching is full of transferable skills. We get caught in our silos and so do the teachers we work with. We have to map out the value in partnering. #educoach
A4: One benefit is that you get to learn about a new area of content. I recently started supporting K-1 math teachers and I have learned so much more about early math development over the last few months as I have tried to support them. I love learning new things. #educoach
True. But there is nothing wrong with saying, "I'm not sure, but I will do some research and get back to you." I have said this a lot lately as I'm learning new areas. #educoach
A4 A benefit is being able to look at the content with a fresh pair of eyes for the teacher. The lesson/unit has to come alive enough so that even I, a novice, in the area can grasp the concepts. #educoach
I've been surprised by how much I didn't know about the foundations of math that I have learned this year. But I have enjoyed the learning experience. #educoach
A5 Often I'll suggest we pair two things. Such as a student engagement area and the content. We then compare the two sets of data to determine next steps. #educoach
A5: Coaching has to be about the feedback and support with a focus on practice . When you focus more on practice as opposed to content, I think you can make coaching meaningful no matter what your content background may be. #educoach
A5: I’m a k-12 coach, and I will say that this is much easierwith elementary teachers. They seem to see the connections across content areas more readily. With high school, I need to work harder to get in the door. We don’t have the budget for coaches in each subject.#educoach
A1: Even though my job is directly related to tech integration, I am most comfortable coaching teachers on non-tech things like student collaboration, questioning, formative assessment, and classroom management skills. #educoach
Yes. Once I’ve got a relationship, I’ve had luck offering data collection just asking, what do you wish you could get a better picture of in your classroom? If you could be a fly on the wall with your students, what would you want to see? Then I offer to be the fly. #educoach
A2: I am least comfortable with coaching my administrators on tech integration skills. This semester I am going to push them to attend #EdCampInnovateNTX and then a boot camp this summer to try and help them model tech integration for Ts. #educoach
A6: sooooo late to the party, but I saw Q6 and it made me smile! Good instruction is good instruction, coaches support teachers in building capacity to teach kids how to acquire knowledge... Content is icing on the cake! @DanielPink "think strengths not weaknesses" #educoach
A6: Asking lots of questions and starting with observations/data help give me a frame of reference and helps us reflect on the challenges together. #educoach
A5: I have worked with 20 teachers this year - only 1 was a science teacher (like me). Focus on kids! We have them in common! OR focus on state-mandated teacher accountability #educoach
Thanks for letting me jump in and reflect on ways I can coach in my role as principal. I have the utmost respect for instructional coaches and value the integral role they play in our growth as educators. #educoach
A7: Usually, I’m game to try anything, but if I feel uncomfortable or if my partner wants more of an expert model, I would arrange for us to visit to another T or learn together another way. #educoach
A8 Coaching team can set up the group to learn from each other. The coach can help facilitate the content and learning objectives. Ask questions. Stay curious. #educoach
A3: Since my Coaching For Results training from @results_coachin I've realized that it's not about knowing the answers but helping Ts find the answer inside of themselves through proper questioning. Once I realized that it was so much easier! #educoach
A3: Since my Coaching For Results training from @results_coachin I've realized that it's not about knowing the answers but helping Ts find the answer inside of themselves through proper questioning. Once I realized that it was so much easier! #educoach
A8: To me, coaching teams is all about putting in place the structures and supports for healthy, sustained collaboration. It’s about capacity building. #educoach
A4: Coaching outside of my comfort zone helps me focus less on the content itself and more on skills. It also helps me focus on helping Ts find a solution instead of giving them a solution #educoach
A3: Since my Coaching For Results training from @results_coachin I've realized that it's not about knowing the answers but helping Ts find the answer inside of themselves through proper questioning. Once I realized that it was so much easier! #educoach
A5: I think they realize the value of coaching when we debrief at the end of the session, revisit our goal from the beginning, and evaluate how well we met that goal. Usually, Ts are pleasantly surprised with how we were able to accomplish their goal. #educoach
A9: In my district we’re weighing content based vs. generalist and part time school based vs. full time district based coaching models as we scale up. Would love to hear what your district models look like in tens of those variables. #educoach
@4pBchange Sounds like metacognition - or @simonsinek's "Start with the Why". Both Ts and Ss need to examine this, and it starts with clear modeling & messaging from ICs and admin. #IllinoisCIC#educoach#edchat
A6: Committed listening, powerful paraphrasing, and presuming positive intent when asking questions helps me coach Ts outside my area of expertise. #educoach
