Elements of Effective Coaching - Partnership

What are the elements that make coaching an effective form of professional development?

The Google for Education Certified Coach Curriculum identifies four main elements:

• Partnership
• Active Learning
• Personalization
• Sustained

How might you build a coaching partnership?

So, let’s look at the first element, partnership, along with some suggested strategies from the curriculum.

🙋‍♀️ Make coaching voluntary

This seems super important, but I’m not sure how common it actually is in school districts. I think it is fairly common in some districts that coaches are assigned to teachers who don’t necessarily want or think they need coaching. A lot of that has to do with the fact that coaching is often seen as only meant for “struggling” teachers, and many teachers don’t understand how it could benefit their teaching practice or their students. I know I didn’t when I was a classroom teacher.

So, how might we change that narrative and create a positive culture of coaching?

🤝 Make coaching non-evaluative

I have seen this point made in several different coaching models, not just this one. As coaches, we are often asking teachers to step outside their comfort zone and try new things. That means that teachers are likely going to encounter some “fails” along the way. That’s natural and to be expected - and hopefully celebrated as part of the learning process. If we want teachers to take those chances and be vulnerable, then we have to make it clear that we are not there to judge them as they stumble and grow in their practice.

🔦 Clarify roles up front

“As a partnership, teachers should understand the role of their coach as a thought partner as well as their own role as an active participant.”

I love the description of a coach as a “thought partner.” I think clarifying roles is really important because teachers may have had an experience with someone who was a “coach” in the past, and it may not necessarily have been a positive experience. I think it would be super helpful to create a resource (such as a slide deck or website) that explains your role and the different ways you can support teachers. Then you could share that with teachers at the beginning of the year and refer back to it when working with new teachers.


How do you build coaching relationships with teachers?