Volley and Return: Ask a Follow-Up Question

An instructional coach is a listener and learner first. She meets with a teacher to listen to and learn about her concerns, strengths, and needs. Listening builds connections and fosters respect, trust, and safety. As coaches attentively listen, teachers realize that their ideas and opinions are truly of interest.
 
To start a conversation that offers opportunities for listening, ask an open-ended question.  Asking “What’s on your mind?” can quickly move a conversation to what’s exciting, anxiety-provoking, or all-consuming for the teacher. It’s a question that says, “Let’s talk about what matters most to you!” Similarly, asking, “What are you wondering about?” or “What is missing for you right now?” invites teachers to get to the heart of what they care about and gives them the power to choose the coaching path ahead. It signals an open agenda rather than a pre-set coaching script.
 
After asking the opening question, practice deep listening. Give your whole presence. Be attentive. Listen to make sense of the words that are being said. Be keenly interested in understanding the teacher’s reality. Listening to a teacher’s complete response creates room for their ideas and values their viewpoint.
 
The next step is key: Ask a follow-up question. The follow-up question is your chance to demonstrate that you were truly listening. This question should be more specific and clearly connected to what the teacher has said. I can’t give you a script for that, because it completely depends on what has been expressed by the teacher. Your intunement gives you the content. Your response shows you were fully engaged.
 As you listen to understand the teacher’s perspective, feelings, and goals, you can pose questions that support the teacher’s self-directed learning. Rather than assuming we know what the teacher needs, we ask and listen. Responsive coaches are those who pay attention. When we pay attention, the teacher feels attended to. She knows her comments matter.
 
The initial question and the follow-up help you understand and help the teacher feel understood. Additional questions can lead to analysis as the teacher tests her ideas. We receive the information and return it in ways that prompt reflection.
 
In the “serve and volley” of conversation, linking the volley to the serve is what’s important. When we take up a comment by echoing or extending it, we strengthen the coherence and depth of the conversation, building capacity for analysis and change.
 
Starting with a question is important because it demonstrates openness. But the real power comes when a follow-up question is responsive. After that, coaching questions can become more and more focused, pointing toward improvement. Every question opens an opportunity for response, and every response creates space for deeper understanding.
 

This week, you might want to take a look at:
Coaching new teachers:
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/free-videos/
 
 
Supporting student “voice” – the oral communication kind:
 
https://ccira.blog/2025/07/29/true-student-voice-helping-students-be-better-speakers/
 
 
Adjusting levels of support for middle schoolers:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/supporting-middle-school-students-zone-proximal-development
 
 
“Where I’m From” links literacy & community:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/linking-literacy-and-community-at-the-start-of-the-year/
 
 
Keys to productive struggle:
 
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2019/09/productive-struggle-elementary-mathematics
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: FDNF25 for 15% off. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!

10 Things Instructional Coaches Should Know and Do

Recently, as I was filming a training about instructional coaching, I overhead one of the production crew members say, “If they’d had something like this, I probably would have stayed in the classroom.”
 
Instructional coaching is a powerful support for teachers – one that can keep them growing, thriving, and staying in the profession. In these times of high teacher burnout and turnover, this is an important coaching outcome. It’s not the creation of a coaching position, though, that makes the difference. It’s what those coaches know and do . Below are 5 things coaches should know and 5 things to do to increase impact.
 
What Coaches Should Know
 
Coaches’ knowledge makes a difference. The following ideas can guide your work:
1) Pedagogy: It will come as no surprise that research says coaches are most effective when they have pedagogical knowledge – knowledge about teaching and how students learn. Even though instructional coaches might coach teachers across disciplines, it’s also helpful to have pedagogical content knowledge – knowledge of subject-specific teaching strategies.
 
The teachers you are working with need to feel that you are credible and that you believe they are, too. Credibility comes from knowing that you are drawing from your own experience and from your knowledge in the field. Teachers need to know they can trust any suggestions you might offer.
 
2) Adult Learning: In addition to knowing how students learn, coaches should understand how adults learn. Andragogy (principles of adult learning) reminds us that adults learn best when they are self-directed, their experience is acknowledged, and they understand and buy into the goal.
 
Adults benefit from having choices and autonomy. They like to take responsibility for their own learning. Adult learners are often practical and problem-centered. And, of course, they want to be shown respect. Adults expect to be treated as capable and reliable individuals. They want a collaborative learning environment where their input and opinions are valued.
 
3) Change & Implementation: Coaches need to understand how teachers change their practice – incrementally, over time, and through modeling, feedback, reflection, and affirmation. Substantive change is not sudden. Just like with student achievement, there are no quick fixes – just hard work. Change is a process.
 
Coaches should also know some common barriers to change: too many expectations, shifting priorities, time constraints, caustic culture, and conflicting teaching philosophies, for example.  
 
4) Data Literacy: Not only do coaches need to know how to analyze both formal assessments and classroom observation data, they need to be able to explain it and guide teachers in how to use data to inform instruction.
 
Coaches support teachers as they dig into data, identify problems, determine root causes, and narrow the focus, As we move from data to decision, coaches  help teachers make a plan that matters.
 
5) School and District Systems: Coaches need to know how the work they are doing fits in with larger systems in their school and district. Understanding the big picture helps coaches identify elements of shared vision that they can support. It helps when coaches and principals are on the same page.
 
Coaches can avoid being seen as “one more initiative,” when their work aligns with school and district priorities. Teachers then view coaching as a support for meeting these expectations. You can be on their team.
 
What Coaches Should Do
 
It’s hard to limit this list to 5, but below I’ve prioritized some important, research-supported actions for coaches to incorporate into their practice.
 
1) Build Trusting Relationships: There’s no doubt about it – positive coaching outcomes are built on foundations of trust. Teachers are more open to feedback and more willing to take risks when they feel seen and safe.
 
Trust is built through active listening, expressing empathy, maintaining confidentiality, and acknowledging teachers’ strengths. By honoring agreements, showing up as expected, and being consistent, coaches sustain trusting relationships.
 
2) Offer Practice-Based Support: Coaching is more than just talking. Effective coaching includes modeling, observing, offering feedback, making recommendations, and supporting reflection.
 
No matter which coaching moves are used to offer practice-based support, make clear connections to student learning. Seeing how changes affect student engagement and outcomes creates buy-in.
 
3) Balance Support and Challenge: Effective coaches affirm teachers’ strengths and nudge them toward growth. Including specific evidence as part of an affirmation makes it authentic, meaningful, and more likely to encourage repeat performances of the effective practice.
 
Similarly, when recommendations are specific, they are more likely to be remembered and applied. Open-ended questions that spark reflection can also spur growth. Another way that coaches propel growth is by checking back with teachers about goals they have set for themselves.  
 
4) Foster Collaboration: In the GIR model, coaching build collaborative, interdependent relationships. Through collaboration, both coach and teacher offer valuable perspectives, sparking ideas that wouldn’t be created otherwise. The insight and power that we gain from working together is one of the enduring assets of successful coaching.
 
Coaches can also create structures for peer collaboration. Coaching grade-level teams or disciplinary departments extends impact by creating networks of support and accountability. Coaches can also create structures for peer observation so that teachers recognize and build on each other’s successes.
 
5) Differentiate: My coaching book is called Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching for a reason – teachers are not all the same, and they don’t grow at the same pace, just like our students.
 
Differentiated coaching means recognizing teachers’ place, pace, and progress, and then varying the coaching moves you use as those you work with gain experience and expertise. By selectively choosing whether to model, recommend, ask questions, affirm, or praise – based on teachers’ needs – you effectively differentiate the support provided.
 
Coaching as Knowing and Doing
 
Recent research on instructional coaching suggests clear patterns for what makes coaching most effective. When coaches focus on the practices that matter, they have a positive impact on both teachers and students. The 5 things to know and 5 things to do, described above, make a difference. Instructional coaching helps teachers strengthen their practice and sustain their energy for teaching.
 

This week, you might want to take a look at:
Pairing teachers to support professional growth:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLBVJfQHQoQ
 
 
Helping students satisfy their esteem needs in healthy ways:
 
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/maslow-esteem/
 
 
Why teachers should be asking more questions in their classroom:
 
https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/always-on-inquiry-asking-more-questions-classroom/
 
 
Relationship-driven strategies for responding to challenging behaviors:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/relationship-driven-strategy-addressing-challenging-behavior
 
 
Book-choosing strategies for middle schoolers:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-teaching-book-choice-strategies-to-middle-schoolers/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: FDNF25 for 15% off. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!

Letters to the Coach: Gathering Teacher Voices

As the beginning-of-year bumps begin to smooth out and the dust settles, it’s worth creating a moment of quiet reflection. One simple way to do that is by inviting teachers to write letters—letters addressed to you, the coach. Can you ask to carve out a few minutes as teachers settle in for an upcoming faculty meeting? Your work throughout the year will be more purposeful and effective if teachers pause now to give you some insight about their own priorities.
 
Why Letters Matter
These letters aren’t just a feel-good activity. They provide authentic insight into teachers’ priorities, beliefs, and curiosities. When you know what matters most to the people you work alongside, you’ll be able to focus your coaching in ways that are more purposeful and supportive throughout the year
 
The letters can give you authentic insight into what teachers hope to accomplish this year. That kind of perspective will make your coaching work more intentional and relevant.
 
Setting the Stage
To make this activity meaningful, build it into a meeting rather than assigning it as “homework.” A few minutes of protected time ensures that everyone has space to think and write. Create a pause.

·        Hand out notecards or stationery.

·        Play soft background music.

·        Pass around a few extra pens (just in case).

The goal is to signal that this is not just another task, but an opportunity for reflection.

Prompts to Get Started

Teachers may not know what to write at first, so prompts can help guide their thinking. Here are some you might try:

·        What’s one thing that worked so well last year that you want to do it again?

·        What do you believe about your students? What else do you believe about them?

·        What do you believe about teaching? What else do you believe about teaching?

·        Is there a teaching practice you’re wondering about?

·        Was there something you emphasized too much last year?

·        Is there something you’d like to approach differently this year?

·        When your students look back on this school year, what do you hope they’ll remember?

You can use these prompts as written or come up with your own. Your want to spark reflection, not to collect polished essays. The important thing is that you give teachers time to pause so that they can give you a glimpse of their hopes and dreams.
 
The Gift of Time
It’s tempting to ask teachers to email you their thoughts later or to drop them in your mailbox. but teachers have so many priorities this time of year that they’ll need the think time to get these ideas worked out. The goal is not just the writing—it’s the pause. Teachers rarely get built-in moments for quiet reflection in the midst of busy school days, and providing this time can be a gift.
 
At the start of the year, competing demands are endless, and even the most well-intentioned task can slip through the cracks. By carving out time during the meeting, you ensure that every teacher has the chance to pause and reflect in the moment.
 
A Treasury of Insight
Once you collect the letters, you’ll have more than just pieces of paper—you’ll have a collection of teacher voices – their hopes, their priorities, their curiosities. As you read through them, patterns will emerge, helping you know where to focus your energy as you work with teachers this year.
 
In the rush of back-to-school, a few quiet minutes for reflection can create a foundation for purposeful coaching all year long. That treasury of insights can guide your coaching focus and help you support teachers in ways that align with their dreams for the year ahead.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Some musical inspiration about the power of letters:  J
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQaUs5J2wdI
 
 
The importance of choice in writers’ workshop:
 
https://ccira.blog/2019/06/24/the-importance-of-choice-in-writers-workshop/
 
 
Modeling mistakes:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/alert-mistakes-in-progress/
 
 
Ideas for making anchor charts more student-centered:
 
https://twowritingteachers.org/2018/10/10/co-constructing/
 
 
When to opt out of graphic organizers:
 
https://www.middleweb.com/43456/when-should-we-skip-the-graphic-organizer/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: FDNF25 for 15% off. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!