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The Secret To Great Coaching

Inquiry method helps teachers take ownership of their learning

By Learning Forward
Categories: Coaching, Teacher leadership
June 2014
A common question raised by new coaches is: When can I share my experience and expertise with teachers I am coaching to help them improve? It is a logical question. Many coaches know that they were chosen for the role in part because their peers respect them as a teacher. They know the instructional strategies they have used give them credibility with other teachers at their school, and their training as a coach helped them develop more expertise. Naturally, they wonder, why not take on the role of expert? The answer to their question is critical to the success of all coaches, no matter how much experience they have coaching, and that answer is shaped by research on educational reform and the experiences of thousands

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Authors

Les Foltos

Les Foltos ([email protected]) is founder and director of Peer-Ed, which trains peer coaches to help colleagues offer active, engaging, technology-enriched student learning. This article is adapted from his book, Peer Coaching: Unlocking the Power of Collaboration (Corwin Press, 2013).

References

Foltos, L. (2013). Peer coaching: Unlocking the power of collaboration.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 

Fullan, M. (2011). Whole system reform for innovative teaching and learning. Available at www.itlresearch.com/research-a-reports/2011-itl-research-findings/42-michael-fullans-new-paper-whole-system-reform-for-innovative-teaching-and-learning.

 

Fullan, M. & Hargreaves, A. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

 

Garmston, R. & Wellman, B. (1999). The adaptive school: A sourcebook for developing collaborative groups. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers.

 

Kay, K. & Greenhill, V. (2012). The leader’s guide to 21st century education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

 

Knight, J. (2011). Unmistakable impact: A partnership approach for dramatically improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 

Ley, M.L. (2011). Coaching and communications skills [Webinar]. Available at https://bit.ly/qxQiPR (now defunct).

 

Meyer, K., Peterson, K., McMann, M., King-George, S., Ragan, V., Huston, M., & Foltos, L. (2011). Explore communications skills. Peer Coaching V4. Available at https://moodle.peer-ed.com/moodle/ mod/lesson/view.php?id=411 (login required).

 

Thompson-Grove, G., Frazer, E., & Dunne, F. (n.d.). Pocket guide to probing questions. Available at www.nsrfharmony.org/protocol/doc/probing_questions_guide.pdf.

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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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