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Why the Instructional Coaching Model?

WHY THE INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING MODEL?

The instructional coaching model can be seen as a professional development model. Many disciplines use the term professional development. Doctors, educators, accountants, nurses, and even manufacturers all participate in professional development. Professional development is “continuing education and career training after a person has entered the workforce in order to help them develop new skills, stay up-to-date on current trends, and advance their career” (Antley, 2020).

For many years, teachers have attended professional development sessions and seminars. However, I’ve noticed that professional development tends to be ineffective when there’s no follow-up. After a teacher attends a professional development session, one of three things happens. 1. The teacher says the professional development was boring and leaves not knowing or understanding the approach or strategy taught and discussed. Therefore, the teacher never implements it in the classroom. 2. The teacher leaves the professional development excited to try something new in the classroom. He or she plans and implements the new approach, but it doesn’t go well. The teacher struggles to adapt the strategy to his or her classroom, hits a brick wall, and just gives up. 3. The teacher implements the strategy and it goes well, but the results are slow.

This is what I call train and hope. Teachers are trained on the new strategy or approach, and the administrators hope that it will work. But in each of these situations, teachers have no support to continue using the strategy and, therefore, usually don’t. The teachers’ time and the money spent on the consultant were wasted; the potential benefits of implementing the strategy or approach never come to fruition.

The instructional coaching model is a response to this need for ongoing support to implement strategies and approaches. Its purpose is to help close student achievement gaps and accelerate learning for all students by building teacher capacity through the implementation of effective instructional practices (Casey, 2006). In other words, it allows coaches to train teachers on new strategies or approaches and support them through the implementation.

Research shows that coaching works (Becker, 2019; Harbour & Saclarides, 2020; Kraft & Blazar, 2018; Lockwood, McCombs, & Marsh, 2010). Helping teachers get through the rough spots in the classroom benefits not only the teacher but also the students and the field of education itself. Teacher shortages have long been a concern; furthermore, there are concerns about practicing educators lacking experience and proper credentials (García & Weiss, 2019). The alarming number of teachers who

have indicated a desire to leave the profession amplifies this concern (Jotkoff, 2022). Coaching is one way to help retain teachers in the field. Well-implemented instructional coaching can help retain teachers who are considering leaving. It reenergizes teachers who are burning out, improves job satisfaction through the emphasis on teacher-coach-administrator partnerships, and strengthens school culture through collaboration (Digital Promise, n.d.).

The instructional coach is at the center of this model. The coach provides jobembedded professional development for the classroom teacher. From your work as an instructional coach, there should be evidence of improvement in classroom management, instruction, and overall student learning.

COACHING REFLECTION

Knowing you are at the center of the instructional coaching model, how will you measure your work? Jot down a few ways you want to measure your work at the end of the school year. For example, during my second year of coaching, I decided I wanted to see how my communication with teachers improved over the year. I created a survey and asked teachers to complete it anonymously at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. I asked the exact same questions each time, but in a different order. The feedback helped shape my work, and I was able to see my growth based on the answers.

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