Coaching: Who’s the Focus?

The ultimate goal of instructional coaching is to improve student learning. Coaching literature often suggests that there are two approaches to achieving this goal: teacher-centered coaching or student-centered coaching. However, such dichotomous, this-or-that thinking is problematic. Coaching is not a “would you rather” game; we don’t have to choose between a focus on the students and a focus on the teacher. We can, and should, have both.
 
In Russian, there’s a single word, obuchenie, that describes the teaching/learning process, emphasizing the collective and collaborative efforts of teachers and learners together. If we had such a word in the English language, maybe we wouldn’t have gotten to a place where coaching processes are presented in a dichotomous, “focus on the teacher” or “focus on the students” fashion. We need to focus on both. It doesn’t have to feel like an “about face” when including both emphases. Rather, the perspectives of teacher and students, and the interactions among them, should be woven through our coaching work.
 
When we look at student work, what does it say about the teaching? If we model an instructional practice, how do students take it up? These coaching moves intertwine teacher and learner, teaching and learning. The three strands of coach, teach, and student weave a strong fabric that moves the work forward.
 
When I say, “Let’s watch…” or “Let’s listen,” I’m constructing a relational triangle that includes me as coach, the teacher, and the students who are our focus. When I offer a resource or an instructional strategy as we design a lesson together, all three are included. We partner with teachers in their role. Coaching is more than an ILP or PLC meeting. It is relational work, and each person in this relational triangle matters.
 
There’s some truth to the statement, “If mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy”* and it’s mirrored application to the teacher in the classroom. But the overarching goal of instructional coaches is not to improve the teacher’s wellness. Instructional coaches should have some understanding of human interactions. We should listen with empathy, but we are not therapists. Every coaching conversation should have a through-line to student learning.
 
Please pardon my soapbox stance, but to achieve the coaching goal of improving student learning, we can (and must) avoid dichotomous thinking and working. Coaching is most effective when we consider both students and teachers while also attending to the relational interactions between teacher and coach.
 
 
*In addition to being a t-shirt slogan, “If Mama Ain’t Happy, Nobody’s Happy” is the title of a 2014 documentary by Mea Dois-de Jong that received critical acclaim.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Getting to know your multilingual learners:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/getting-to-know-english-language-learners-at-the-start-of-the-year/
 
 
Connecting classics to students’ lives:
 
https://www.middleweb.com/50673/relating-classic-texts-to-kids-lives-today/
 
 
Pinterest board with classroom storage ideas:
 
https://www.pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/classroom-storage-ideas/
 
 
Moving to an “all in” coaching model:
 
https://dianesweeney.com/moving-from-an-opt-in-to-all-in-coaching-model/
 
 
A good description of the “Stop & Think” comprehension strategy:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/promoting-active-reading-skills
 
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: SEPT2024 for 20% 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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