Other Considerations for Scheduling Student-Centered Coaching

Other Considerations for Scheduling Student-Centered Coaching

Make the schedule public

Teachers often wonder how a coach spends his or her time. Sometimes they are even suspicious of the flexibility that a coach has throughout the day. Rather than breed suspicion, I suggest coaches display their schedule in a public place and send it out regularly to teachers. If for some reason the coach is gone for a meeting or training, it is important for teachers to be updated regarding when and why the coach will be out of the building. Sometime coaches are uncomfortable listing names of teachers on their schedule in a public manner. They worry that the teachers may feel that being on the coach’s schedule makes them look as if they aren’t performing in their job. My feeling is if the school has defined coaching as student-centered, than this becomes a non-issue. After all, don’t we all have goals around student learning? If the coaching model is more geared towards improving struggling teachers, than this may indeed be something to consider. This is one that I leave up to the coach to decide.

Update the schedule every few months

Since a full-time coach can only manage four to six one-on-one coaching cycles at a time, it is important to reengage teachers on a regular basis. That way if a teacher missed out on the first round, then s/he can be accommodated later. Coaches sometimes struggle with asking teachers to wait so they squeeze too many onto their schedule, but just like with good teaching it is better to go deep than shallow.

Spend 1-3 days a week in the classroom and plan weekly with teachers

The heart of the coaching takes place during planning sessions with teachers. Time in the classroom is about collecting evidence of student learning, supporting the teacher in some of the teaching responsibilities, and having a deep understanding of the classroom context. Sending the message that you need to be in the classroom every day sends the message that you don’t have full confidence in the teacher’s abilities. Trust the teacher and invest your time in meaningful planning sessions.

Balance one-on-one and small group coaching

Small group coaching cycles extend the coach’s impact to a greater number of teachers and students. A coach’s schedule reflects a balance across small group coaching cycles, one-on-one coaching cycles, and informal coaching.