KIMBERLY LOGUE OCTOBER 2011

The Roles of a Leader “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” – John Buchan “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants.” – Isaac Newton “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

Leaders in a School Coach Leader of All Teachers Mentee Leader of Students Mentor Leader of New Teachers

Choosing Strong Coaches Coaches must... be highly accomplished and well-respected educators have credibility with teachers and administrators have the ability to juggle several roles have the skills needed to work one-on-one with teachers as well as to oversee a wider professional development effort in the school.

The Purpose of Coaching “Of all forms of teacher professional development, coaching is the most effective” – Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers Instructional coaches bring evidence-based practices into classrooms by working with teachers and other school leaders.

The Roles of Instructional Coaches Coaching is confidential, non-evaluative, and supportive. Coaches work one-on-one and in small groups with teachers on specific teaching strategies or problems, focusing on practical changes they can make in their classrooms. This ongoing one-on-one work is supplemented by other professional development activities, and skillful mentors often help support and extend the work of coaches.

The Big Four of Instructional Coaching “When coaches collaborate with teachers on The Big Four, they are not simply there to help teachers remedy weaknesses in their teaching practice. Effective IC’s help teachers grow by building on their strengths and helping them achieve potential that they may not have realized that they had” (Knight, 140).

The Big Four of Instructional Coaching 1. Behavior 2. Content 3. Direct instruction 4. Formative assessment

Eight Factors of Effective Coaching 1. Sufficient time to work with teachers 2. Proven research-based interventions 3. Professional development for instructional coaches 4. Professional development for coaches should address at least two subjects 5. Protecting the coach relationship 6. Hiring the right instructional coaches 7. Evaluating coaches

The Principal and the Coach “Some principals will have a deep understanding of the interventions and what they should look like in the classroom; they may even be the primary mover behind the change initiative being implemented by the IC. In other cases, the principal is one of the first people a coach educates” (Knight, 189).

The Principal and the Coach “The Instructional Coach should be the right-hand person of the principal when it comes to instructional leadership in schools, but the principal must remain the instructional leader” (Knight, 190).

The Purposes of Mentoring To help new teachers gain knowledge about school policies and procedures. To improve new teacher performance and enhance effectiveness. To provide new teachers with a knowledge base and support system.

The Roles of the Mentor To develop a trusting partnership with the new teacher. To introduce effective research-based teaching strategies. To reinforce classroom management techniques. To provide support when the new teacher experiences stress or problems.

Characteristics of a Good Mentor Good listener Knowledgeable Experienced Nonjudgmental Able to give constructive feedback Honest and trustworthy Able to network and find resources Successful and recommended Willing/able to devote time to developing others Eager to help and learn

The Principal and the Mentor and Mentee The principal will communicate with the mentor and the mentee at least once a month. The principal will support the mentor and mentee by purchasing needed resources, handling parent/student conflicts, scheduling times for observing experienced teachers, etc.

Choosing Strong Mentors Mentors must… be very positive and encouraging about education. have at least five years of teaching experience. teach the same grade level or content area as their mentee. be highly recommend them for mentorship.

One Final Thought… Instructional Coaches and Mentors encourage other teachers to have self-confidence in their profession and stay positive! Video:

Reference Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: a partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.