School-Based Coaching provides the knowledge, tools and skills that academic coaches, teacher leaders, and administrators need to be most effective in assisting teachers and schools with efficient, effective instructional decision making to increase student learning and achievement. It allows coaches to provide high levels of support to teachers for accelerated, quality implementation of exemplary practices in the classroom. 

A.    Introduction to Instructional Coaching

• Essential Question: How does research support instructional coaching for teachers?
• Participants will understand that effective coaching can impact school culture, professional development and student achievement.

• Essential Question: What are the characteristics of instructional coaches?
• Participants will understand that effective coaching is about growth for teachers and students and also about relationships.

B.    The “Ins and Outs” of Coaching

• Essential Question: What are the various responsibilities of coaches to purposefully support growth of teachers and increase implementation of effective practices?
• Participants will understand that coaches have many responsibilities that require a particular skill set.  Successful coaches match the appropriate hat to the appropriate situation.

C.    In-Front

• Essential Question: What strategies and tools do coaches use to share expertise, knowledge and resources?
• Participants will learn that modeling with think aloud, scaffolding, demonstrations and practical examples support learning for teachers as well as students.  In addition, participants will understand the research on adult learning and its importance for effective coaching.

D.    Be-Side

• Essential Question: How do coaches create relationships to support collaboration with individuals and teams during the change process?
• Participants learn that coaching requires collaboration and side-by-side work to provide support as teachers plan, problem solve and make decisions about instruction.
• Essential Question: What strategies and tools do coaches use to develop teamwork and a school culture for learning?

E.    Out-Back

• Essential Question: When and how coaches have support conversations?
• Essential Question: How do coaches support movement of a teacher’s thinking as they reflect, problem solve, plan and make decisions?
• Participants will understand that when coaching, they support teachers as they begin to find solutions on their own through self reflection.

F.    Planning for Success

• Essential Question: How do coaches analyze and assess the impact of staff development?
• Participants will develop a plan for coaching that includes the development of results driven goals.
• Essential Question: How do coaches sustain their own growth?

Participants will:

• Construct support for instructional coaching identifying three reasons with supporting details.
• Demonstrate the use of think aloud or scaffolding in modeling an exemplary practice in instruction.
• Select a case study and based on the Be-Side strategies, propose solutions to the situation.
• Demonstrate the use of tools within each component of a coaching conversation and receive feedback from an observer.
• Successfully utilize conferencing strategies to evaluate video clips and paraphrase sample statements.
• Justify the statement “School-Based Instructional Coaches help teachers and schools implement exemplary practices to improve student learning and achievement.”