Getting to a Student-Centered Coaching Focus

If our goal for coaching is to improve student learning, then we have to focus our coaching work directly on student learning too. No brainer right? The challenge is that many times teachers request a teacher-centered focus for coaching. In these cases, it is up to the coach to help the teacher take a step back to discover their goals for students. The following conversation is an example of how I help teachers shift the focus towards a more explicit goal for students.

Sample Coaching Conversation: Focusing a Coaching Cycle on Student Learning (Elementary)

Coach- I noticed on your survey that you are looking for help setting up guided reading groups. Can you tell me a bit more about this?

Teacher- I came from a different district and we used a strict reading program. I know I’m supposed to be doing guided reading groups, but I’m not sure how. I have all of these books to use, but to be honest, they haven’t left the boxes because I’m really not sure what to do with them.

Coach - Let’s talk a little bit about your students. How would you describe them as readers?

Teacher - They are across the board like most second graders. Some are reading and others are barely able to recognize common sight words. It’s overwhelming.

Coach- What are your hopes for your students as readers? What do you want them to master by the end of the year?

Teacher - I’d really like to see them comprehending whatever they read, no matter what level reader they are. I know that inferring is an important standard, and that is a goal I have for my students.

Coach-That makes a lot of sense. How would you feel about focusing on inferring, and we can do that in the context of guided reading? That way we can work together to set up guided reading groups, dive into your materials, all with a goal in mind that you have for your students. We can even do some pre and post assessing to see if we are on the right track.

Teacher - I love that idea because it feels doable but also like we are taking on something that I’m supposed to be doing.

Coach- Terrific! Our next step will be to figure out how we will pre-assess your students to see how they are doing with inferring, and then we can plan instruction that will incorporate guided reading. Why don’t we meet at the same time next week?

Teacher - Thanks!

Sample Coaching Conversation: Focusing a Coaching Cycle on Student Learning (Secondary)

Coach- I see that you would like to participate in a coaching cycle. What do you have in mind?

Teacher- To be honest, it’s my 3rd hour algebra class. The kids’ behavior is really challenging. I thought you might have some classroom management ideas that could help.

Coach- Let’s talk a little bit about that course. What are you working on now in terms of mathematical skills?

Teacher- We are focusing on order of operations. But that’s really not what I need help with since I’m following the district math program, and the rest of my classes are doing fine and learning the material. I need help with classroom management.

Coach- OK, I hear you on that. What sort of positive behaviors in your other classes would you like to see in the 3rd hour?

Teacher- We do a lot of sharing of thinking on the SmartBoard and I’d like to see the kids listening to one another and asking questions to clarify their own thinking. I’d like to see them treating each other with more respect. And, I’d like to be sure that they take responsibility to learn the material.

Coach- It sounds like a big goal for this class would be being learners that are accountable for their own learning as well as the learning of others.

Teacher- Yeah, I guess so.

Coach- How about if we focus on those behaviors with the class? The ideas you listed were a great start on a rubric we could design, maybe even with the kids, that would be how we would assess their progress. Then at the end of our coaching cycle, we can see how they’ve progressed in demonstrating these behaviors.

Teacher- I think it would really help to work with you on this. It sounds like we may come up with some good ideas.

Coach- I agree. We’ll get started when we meet in a few days.

What teachers bring as topics for coaching varies greatly. Elementary teachers typically focus on teaching programs or practices that they would like to implement in their classroom. Secondary teachers are more often interested in issues around student engagement, classroom management, and sometimes on specific teaching practices. I often advise secondary coaches to view student behaviors as rich topics for student-centered coaching. Of course this differs from teacher to teacher, school to school, district to district and it is up to the coach to design a conversation that uncovers the teachers’ goals for students.