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You can find My Coaches Couch, the podcast (with different content) in your favorite podcast app or at MyCoachesCouch.podbean.com.
George
Bernard Shaw said, “To be in heaven is to steer.” This statement illustrates
how prized personal agency is to the human spirit. This, of course, includes
the teacher’s spirit, which can sometimes feel crushed under top-down
directives and prescribed curricula. A low-cost way to avoid teacher attrition
and keep the best teachers in the profession is to offer teachers opportunities
to steer their own ship. Effective coaches adjust their approach as teachers
gain experience and expertise. Increasing
agency for teachers as the lead learners in their classrooms is empowering and
energizing, sustaining teachers in their professional roles.
When
teachers have agency (power and choice) over pedagogy, they have more energy
and grit for this important work. Thinking about how to best support learning –
using all they know about content, pedagogy, and their students – is demanding work,
but it is empowering and life-giving!
As
coaches, we sometimes unintentionally take up hierarchical positions of
authority. Coaches who work intentionally to flatten hierarchies, instead of
hanging onto their own positions of power, are more successful in their work.
What
Does Agency Look Like in Coaching Work?
As
coaches, we might value teacher agency but be unsure how that looks in practice.
That’s because how it looks in practice will vary based on teacher needs. It
gets complicated!
When
a teacher will benefit most from seeing a coach model a lesson, honoring agency
might sound like the teacher deciding what her focus will be as she observes.
Discuss, in advance, what she feels would be most valuable for her to pay
attention to.
When
making recommendations seems the most valuable coaching move, offering a few
options (instead of just one) for the teacher to consider honors the teacher’s
agency. Even this opportunity for decision-making helps teachers exercise
expertise and feel more powerful about their practice. Instead of, “try this,” offering,
“Some things you might want to consider…” gives the teacher ownership
to think things through. By providing multiple suggestions, we increase choice.
Asking
questions opens the conversation to teacher’s own ideas and encourage them to
explore possibilities and consider new approaches. Asking questions nudges teachers
to identify their own next steps instead of looking to the coach for answers. Saying,
“What are some possibilities you’re considering?” encourages teachers to do the
intellectual work of weighing options. The decisions teachers make will reflect
their understanding of their students and their own teaching contexts.
When
coaches affirm or praise, teachers recognize the value of their own thinking
and instruction, and that honors their agency and reinforces their confidence! When
teachers' ideas and efforts are recognized, they feel more confident trying
different approaches and taking instructional risks. They exercise their agency
in ways that lead to productive change. The goal is not for teachers to leave a
coaching conversation feeling good because they were praised, but to leave with
a stronger sense of their own capacity.
No
matter which of the 5 coaches moves from the GIR model you’re leaning on, you can
do it in a way that supports teacher agency.
Charting
Their Own Course
instructional
coaching is not about taking the wheel, it’s about helping teachers become more
confident and capable of steering their own practice. Offering options, thoughtful
questions, and intentional affirmation creates opportunities for teachers to
exercise their professional judgment and build on their own strengths, The goal
is not for teachers to depend on a coach – it’s to help them chart their own
course.
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
You can find My Coaches Couch, the podcast (with different content) in your favorite podcast app or at MyCoachesCouch.podbean.com.
Boost
creativity by chatting with a human (instead of AI):
Making
PD stick:
https://www.k12dive.com/news/how-can-leaders-ensure-professional-development-sticks/832394/
Teaching character traits vocabulary to deepen literary interpretations:
https://ccira.blog/2026/10/05/teaching-literary-vocabulary-to-deepen-close-reading-and-interpretation-a-beautiful-entanglement/
Leveraging multisensory learning:
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/multisensory-learning/
Microteaching as a coaching process to support teacher (and student) growth:
https://www.edthena.com/visible-learning-micro-teaching-2-ways/
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! TODAY 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!
https://www.k12dive.com/news/how-can-leaders-ensure-professional-development-sticks/832394/
Teaching character traits vocabulary to deepen literary interpretations:
https://ccira.blog/2026/10/05/teaching-literary-vocabulary-to-deepen-close-reading-and-interpretation-a-beautiful-entanglement/
Leveraging multisensory learning:
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/multisensory-learning/
Microteaching as a coaching process to support teacher (and student) growth:
https://www.edthena.com/visible-learning-micro-teaching-2-ways/
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! TODAY 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!
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