Coaches, Ask, “What’s Working?”

*******************************************************************************************************************
You can find My Coaches Couch, the podcast (with different content) in your favorite podcast app or at MyCoachesCouch.podbean.com.
*******************************************************************************************************************
One of my favorite questions to ask at the beginning of a coaching conversation is,

“What’s working for you right now?” It’s a question that invites the teacher to reflect on their own practice and share what they’re noticing about what is going well.

Instead of beginning with a problem (“What would you change about that lesson?” or “What do you want to work on?), which can make the conversation feel heavy before it has even gotten underway. asking “What’s working for you right now?” starts the conversation off with a positive tone and creates an opportunity to build on teachers’ strengths, learn more about what’s happening in their classrooms, and find a meaningful focus for coaching work.
 
Asking about what’s working gives the teacher a chance to identify a success, and it gives the coach an authentic starting point for reflection. This question is flexible enough to use in almost any coaching conversation, yet focused enough to lead somewhere useful.
 
Begin With Strengths and Possibility
Asking, “What’s working for you right now?” creates an opportunity to affirm in a way that feels specific and earned. Instead of offering generic praise, such as “You’re doing a great job,” you can respond to something the teacher has identified and help them recognize what makes it effective.
 
When I asked a teacher this question, she began describing a recent lesson in which students were especially engaged in discussion. As we talked through what had happened, she realized that she had asked more open-ended questions and allowed students more time to think before responding. Reflecting on the lesson helped her recognize these strategies she had used successfully as practices she could use again.
 
Another teacher described how he had changed his lesson halfway through because his students weren't understanding the concept. “I just stopped and tried a different example,” he explained. As we talked about that moment, he recognized how responsive he had been to his students' needs. Rather than simply moving on to the next topic, he had noticed a problem and adjusted his instruction. That was worth affirming! It also gave us something concrete to build on.
 
Beginning with what is working builds confidence!
 
Let the Teacher Do the Thinking
Something I appreciate about asking, “What’s working for you right now?” is that it puts the teacher in the driver’s seat. It starts with an observation from the teacher, rather than the coach. That matters because the one doing the thinking is the one doing the learning!
 
In the examples above about a classroom discussion and a changed example, when asked about what is working, teachers can uncover the reasons behind a successful moment. They may recognize a strategy they had not used intentionally or name a decision whose importance they had not fully considered.
 
Asking about what’s working gives teachers an opportunity to identify what matters to them and explain their thinking, inviting them to make sense of their own practice. In making sense of why something worked, teachers often discover what they want to repeat, refine, or extend.
 
In another conversation, a teacher mentioned that exit tickets were working well. As she reflected, she realized just how much the exit tickets were telling her about student understanding. Because the routine was already in place, it became a natural focus for our next steps. We explored how she might look for patterns in students’ responses and use that information to plan the following day’s instruction.
 
Build From What Is Already Working
Asking follow-up questions helps the teacher move from simply reporting a success to understanding it. Together, you can identify why the practice was effective. You might ask:
“What do you think contributed to that?”
“What did you notice students doing?
“How was that different from what usually happens?”
“What part of this would you like to build on?”
"Where else might that approach be useful?”
 
While reflecting on what’s working, teachers often begin generating their own next steps.
 
The conversation may eventually move toward a different topic. That’s fine. The question doesn’t prevent you from addressing something else. It just provides a positive, productive entry point. Even if the focus shifts, you have begun by acknowledging the teacher’s capacity and inviting them to take an active role in the conversation.
 
Coaching conversations often move quickly toward what did not go well or what needs to change. Those conversations certainly have their place, but when problems become our automatic starting point, coaching can feel heavy.
Asking, “What’s working for you right now?” offers another way in. It promotes growth by building from strengths rather than beginning with gaps.
 
This Week's Coaching Challenge
Try asking, “What's working for you right now?” at the beginning of a coaching conversation this week. Give the teacher time to think, listen carefully to the response, and see where the conversation leads.
 
You might discover an instructional strength you hadn't noticed, learn something new about how the teacher approaches their work, or uncover a next step that the teacher is ready to explore.
 
This simple coaching question can help you find a focus, gather meaningful information, and respond in ways that are aligned with the teacher's thinking. It affirms strengths and builds confidence. All of that from one simple, well-placed question. That's a coaching move worth keeping in your toolkit!
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

The hero’s journey for new teachers (October is a big month for new-teacher burnout!):
 
https://kappanonline.org/with-great-power/
 
 
6 benefits of play:
 
https://thegeniusofplay.org/tgop/benefits/genius/benefits-of-play/benefits-of-play-home.aspx
 
 
6 ways good teachers get better:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-good-teachers-get-even-better
 
 
Improve engagement, recall, and critical thinking of complex non-fiction texts:
 
https://www.middleweb.com/54414/using-key-words-to-build-written-responses/
 
 
This podcast about leveraging multisensory learning:
 
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/multisensory-learning/
 
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: OCT2026 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!