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In loving memory of my father, Perry T. Turner Sr.
Although you are no longer physically present in my life, I still feel your impact every day. ank you for instilling in me that anything is possible with faith, hard work, and determination.
In loving memory of my big brother, Monte G. Johnson Jr. ank you for all of the beautiful memories of growing up and your words of wisdom; they have stayed close in my heart and given me hope when I had nothing to pull on.
To my mom, Helen
It’s impossible to thank you adequately for everything you’ve done, from loving me unconditionally to raising me to have values and celebrate and embrace life. ank you for pouring yourself into me; I could never understand a mother’s love until now.
To my oldest son, Josh
Having you was one of the best decisions in my life. As your mother, it is my job to teach you about life, but you have taught me what life is all about. When God blessed me with you, my life changed, and it was one of the greatest days of my life.
To my one and only daughter, Kristyn
You are one of the most beautiful miracles in my life and one of the greatest joys I know. You are the true meaning of persistence and determination. You may have outgrown my lap, but you will never outgrow my heart.
To my youngest son, Maurice Justin
You are so smart, funny, and full of life. You have made this family complete. You have helped to create some of the happiest memories of the past, the most joyous moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future.
To my best friend, Rick ank you for believing in me when I was too weak and exhausted to believe in myself, for always knowing who I am and reminding me of that when I forgot, for pushing me beyond all measures, for not judging me when I did something crazy, and for always being honest. I have no doubt that you are genuinely concerned with the outcome of my life and my children. ank you for doing all the things a genuine best friend does. I could never repay you for being you.
Last but not least, to all of the wonderfully dedicated teachers and instructional coaches in this world who have made a commitment to being a special part of children’s lives forever—continue the work, this is for you.
About the Author
Nicole S. Turner is a K–12 educational coach, an author, a professional development trainer, and founder and CEO of Simply Coaching and Teaching Inc. She is also the founder of the Simply Coaching Summit™—the rst virtual summit exclusively for instructional coaches and teacher leaders. Nicole specializes in helping instructional coaches master their roles and helping teachers teach using hands-on learning activities. She has more than seventeen years of K–12 classroom and leadership experience in positions such as classroom teacher, lead teacher, di erentiated accountability coach, district- and building-level instructional coach, assistant principal, dean of students, AdvancEd diagnostic review team member, and school-improvement and turnaround specialist for the Indiana Department of Education.
Nicole has worked with thousands of educators, instructional coaches, and administrators across the United States through conferences and custom professional development sessions. Her professional memberships include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Indiana State Teacher Association, Indiana State Reading Association, and the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She is the author of e S.I.M.P.L.E. Framework for Instructional Coaching™ Workbook and the creator of the Track My Coaching Planner™ and the Simply Learning Hub™.
Nicole is pursuing a doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Oakland City University with research focused on the professional development of instructional coaches.
When Nicole is not serving in various educational roles, she can be found spending time with her family, which consists of a supportive ancée, three biological children, and three “bonus” children.
To learn more about Nicole’s work, visit www.simplycoachingandteaching.com or follow her @coachandteach on Twitter.
Foreword
Want to get great at something? Get a coach! at’s the title of a TED Talk by Atul Gawande (2017), a surgeon, writer, and public health professor. Gawande (2017) shares that when he explored how professionals get better or get great, he found two historical approaches: (1) in professions like medicine, law, and music, you study, learn, practice, get certi ed, and then manage your own improvement, and (2) in sports, the tendency is for everyone to have a coach. e world’s best have a coach— usually coaches.
Gawande (2017) shared his surprise when he discovered after interviewing violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman that he had been coached by his wife, who was listening from the audience and providing feedback.
“Itzhak, in that middle section, you know you sounded a little bit mechanical. What can you do di erently next time?”
Having a realization that he might no longer be getting better, Gawande (2017) hired a coach to observe his surgeries and provide feedback.
Gawande (2017) describes what coaches do: “ ey are your external eyes and ears, providing a more accurate picture of your reality. ey’re recognizing the fundamentals. ey’re breaking down your actions.” Describing how it feels he adds, “It was painful. I didn’t like being observed, and at times I didn’t want to have to work on things. I also felt there were periods where I would get worse before I got better” (Gawande, 2017).
at’s a pretty accurate description of why being an instructional coach is not an easy task. It explains why many teachers are not standing in line to sign up for more
of a coach’s time. Too many educators have not experienced the bene ts of making the investment in being coached. Successful coaches create experiences where the bene t of being coached outweighs the time, energy, and emotional costs. Gawande (2017) found that after two months of coaching, he was getting better again. And after a year, he saw complications in his surgeries drop even further (Gawande, 2017). As teachers observe their students bene ting from the teacher’s engagement in quality coaching, quality professional development, quality professional learning communities, and re ection with a coach and peers, the line for coaching forms.
I have had the pleasure of working with Nicole Turner over the past several years as partners for webinars and podcasts. I know her commitment to students and the teachers who serve them. at commitment guides her writing, teaching, and facilitating support for instructional coaches.
In Simply Instructional Coaching , Nicole provides answers to many questions instructional coaches have raised with her as they accepted and, in many cases, built their roles in schools. Part 1 examines questions concerning the foundations of instructional coaching. De nitions of coaching and the roles instructional coaches play are critical for clarity so coaches can build a partnership with administrators and trust with teachers.
Coaches need to consciously implement verbal communication skills based on e ective listening, questioning, and paraphrasing. Nicole addresses questions such as, How do you assist teachers in setting goals? and How do you use data in coaching? with skills and strategies.
As a coach, you will nd teachers may approach the need to change:
• Unaware ( ey think they are already achieving the desired student outcomes.)
• Getting ready ( ey know they need to change, but not yet.)
• Starting ( ey enter the learning dip as they start to change.)
• Developing ( ey are seeing the payo s of the change being implemented.)
• Unwilling ( ere are no attempts or plans to change.)
Nicole answers coaches’ questions for all these situations.
In part 2, Nicole provides a model for tiering teachers to guide personalization and e ective grouping for coaching services. Administrators often call on coaches to provide both formal and informal professional development, as well as support for existing or newly forming professional learning communities (PLCs). ese are critical activities because they provide opportunities for the coach to model the
model . How do you model the practices that engage students in rigorous inquiry in professional development activities? How does a coach show her vulnerability and risk-taking as a participant in a PLC and model the actions she desires of students in classrooms and teachers during collaborative problem solving? Nicole addresses professional development and PLC questions in this section of the text.
I believe an exciting reason to be an educator is there is no mountaintop to our careers. As I pass year forty of my career, I’m amazed at all there is to learn about teaching and learning. As an instructional coach, you are in a great position to continue your learning while guiding others to do the same. What are the strategies you will use to build a continuous improvement culture? What opportunities do you provide for the best to grow? How do you model your personal continuous development?
As you begin, Nicole provides lots of questions and answers to ponder. It’s your turn to decide: Now what?
Best wishes on this important work!
Steve
Steve Barkley (2010, 2011) is chief learning o cer of PLS 3rd Learning (https:// pls3rdlearning.com) and author of Quality Teaching in a Culture of Coaching and Instructional Coaching With the End in Mind . Visit to www.barkleyPD.com to nd his weekly blogs and podcasts for school leaders at all levels.
Introduction
I
NSTR U CTIONAL COACHING SHO U LD B E IMPACTF U L , NOT OVER W HELMING . —N ICOLE S. T UR N ER
MY JOU R NEY TO COACHING
Mine is a story of overcoming trials and tribulations. Born to two loving parents, I wasn’t naive about success. With my mother, a business owner turned elementary teacher, and my father, a steelworker, I knew what hard work looked like and what it could get you.
However, after graduating from high school, I wasn’t prepared for the road ahead. My home was comfortable, perhaps too much so, as my transition to adulthood came with quite a few hurdles. From not taking college seriously to being convinced that a degree in business was my chosen path, I made my share of wrong turns. But what one could see as bad decisions were actually a cultivation of greatness. It’s a common misconception that one can achieve greatness without a few bumps in the road, but bumps were what I encountered.
I didn’t let anything or anyone stop me; even when my path became rugged and almost unbearable, I found inspiration to keep going. I mothered two beautiful
children while guring out that business school wasn’t my destined route, and shortly thereafter came my youngest child. My children are the source of my strength, and I frequently refer to them as the rees. After all, good things come in threes!
I fought the urge to teach on several occasions, but you can’t ght what’s inside you. I’m a natural coach and a born leader and, after a long re ective conversation with my mother, I knew I would become a teacher.
My journey in education was no di erent from my journey to it, as I encountered hurdle after hurdle. When I became a teacher, I never sought to be an instructional coach; I never even knew the position existed. But I remember the day I fell in love with helping teachers. It was my fourth year of teaching, and each year I had been moved from school to school and position to position. ere was a surplus of teachers, and I was what my leaders called an RIF (reduction in force) teacher each year.
is particular year was no di erent from the other years, except I was in my principal preparation program and had to do my “internship” hours outside the classroom. I began the school year in my district’s high school. Even though my license was for K–6, I took the position temporarily, and it worked out great. I got a chance to get high school experience from the classroom perspective and work with one of the high school vice principals. For those three months, I learned a ton, and nally understood what leadership is all about.
One of my internship assignments was to work one on one with a teacher to improve instruction. My mentor principal paired me with a teacher who was struggling with creating strong lessons in the classroom. I doubted myself because this was high school and I knew high school teachers are strong in content knowledge. How would I help a high school teacher? I was a good teacher, but my background was at the elementary school level. However, my elementary school knowledge on developing lessons for all content helped me guide this teacher in the right direction. I used my knowledge of instructional strategies, and the teacher’s lessons turned around. We met on Tuesdays and ursdays for two hours after school. We worked on lesson plans and on practicing and talking through how to deliver the lessons. e feeling of helping a teacher improve also helped me identify the type of leader I want to be. I want not only to lead a school to success but also to help teachers in classrooms be better teachers and improve their instructional delivery, which would ultimately bene t their students.
As my career went on and I began to gain leadership experience, I was hired as a district di erentiated accountability coach. It was a great opportunity, but I didn’t know exactly what I was doing; I was trying everything. I hosted weekly data meetings and entered data into spreadsheets; discussed lesson plans and their implementation; met with the principal; and covered lunch duty. I was trying my best,
and although the district saw some gains in instruction, I can’t say with 100 percent certainty that these gains came from my coaching. But that same year, I learned how to be an instructional coach. I leaned on books about coaching, talked with other coaches, and even got myself a coach and started creating and developing a system for coaching. roughout the next few years, I tested and ne-tuned skills and procedures to ensure my coaching could make an impact.
If my journey taught me nothing else, it was how to coach others. Because of my experience, I am able to relate not only to teachers but also to students. Over the past seventeen-plus years, I have experienced primary and secondary education, worked in the classroom and administration, and even held the position of turnaround and school-improvement specialist for the state of Indiana. My favorite role is instructional coach; it is in this position that I’m able to shine because I personally excel while coaching others to do the same. I have dedicated my life to ensuring my colleagues have the tools they need to be phenomenal in the classroom, and their e ectiveness results in the success of their students.
at dedication further fueled the next step in my career. I was not content with impacting and in uencing my district alone; I want to empower the world! Out of that determination grew this book. Simply Instructional Coaching is my way of sharing my years of experience with you.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
First, let me say congratulations on your coaching position!
Are you ready to get in there and be the best instructional coach you can be?
Absolutely you are! at is why you purchased this book. However, this is not a typical instructional coaching book focused on research and theory; I don’t discuss instructional or classroom-management strategies to o er teachers to help them in the classroom, and I don’t go into deep details on research about teachers’ thought patterns. You can nd all those wonderful things in other coaching books. I do think those books and that information are essential to being an instructional coach. However, as a coach of coaches, I know that so many things get lost when you are transitioning into the position. One day you are hired and the next thing you know, it’s the rst day of school and you have no idea what you are doing, how your leader envisions your position, how to approach a teacher as a coach, or what a coaching cycle is. You don’t even know how you t into the scheme of things because you are not an administrator or a classroom teacher; you are somewhere in the middle, straddling the fence, trying to nd your place in the system. I have been there, and it took me some time to gure it all out, which is why I created this book.
Simply Instructional Coaching will help you create a plan and think through your next steps as you assume the role of a coach. It provides direction for how to get started as an instructional coach. is book includes answers to many questions new and seasoned coaches ask repeatedly on which you can re ect. e nal goal is that you will be able to implement simple instructional coaching processes that have the greatest impact on your coaching e orts and, in turn, the greatest impact on teacher learning and student achievement.
I present this book in a question-and-answer format. Each chapter opens with a discussion about what the research says about the chapter topic. e rest of the chapter then presents the most commonly asked questions about that topic. I answer each question with suggestions and provide some step-by-step processes that can make the suggestions easy to implement. In addition, after each question, you will nd a Coaching Re ection—prompts to jump-start your own thinking and de ne your immediate next steps. Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction to download reproducible versions of the re ection prompts for each chapter.
e book is divided into two parts. In part 1, “ e Foundations of Instructional Coaching,” I answer all of the most frequently asked questions on foundational topics. These topics are what you must understand to create a solid foundation for coaching.
In chapter 1, you will read about what constitutes the position of an instructional coach. You will also discover there are many di erent instructional coaching models and roles coaches can play in schools and districts.
In chapter 2, you will nd information on transitioning into an instructional coaching role. Whether you are a new or seasoned coach, you will nd some takeaways. I share how to create a coaching philosophy, my top best practices and top coaching mistakes (and how to avoid them), how to be re ective, and more.
In chapter 3, I share strategies for staying organized as a coach—which is often harder than it sounds! is includes tips for organizing your space, time-management and scheduling strategies, and planning tools.
In chapter 4, I discuss building relationships and trust with teachers. is is the staple of your work as an instructional coach. I discuss xed mindsets, dealing with con ict on a team, and even some strategies for building a strong relationship with your principal.
In chapter 5, I share the best practices I use to support teachers in the classroom. I delve into ways to create an environment that provides balanced support for teachers, how to set goals with teachers, and how to give meaningful feedback and constructive criticism. I also discuss what to do when a teacher doesn’t improve, how to
utilize communication strategies when working with teachers, and what coaching strategies work best.
In part 2, “ e Tier, Coach, Grow Model,” I introduce my coaching model, which articulates the action steps to implementing a coaching program and answers all the most frequently asked questions about these steps.
In chapter 6, I discuss tiering teachers, which is one of the more critical components of the coaching process as it allows coaches to di erentiate coaching support for change. I also discuss conducting a baseline observation.
In chapter 7, I identify the instructional coaching cycle —a process by which an instructional coach provides support to a teacher through goal setting, planning, observation, and re ection so that the teacher can ultimately improve student outcomes. I also de ne how to utilize a coaching cycle that will bene t teachers and students, how to increase the e ectiveness of instructional coaching, how to conduct coaching conversations, and how to use data as part of the instructional cycle.
In chapter 8, I discuss delivering professional development sessions and working with teams. e chapter also includes how to create an e ective professional development session.
As you re ect on your role as an instructional coach, realize you will be implementing change and that change requires courage and consistency: the courage to step out of your comfort zone of being a classroom teacher and to approach, celebrate, coach, and lead others to success; and the consistency needed to implement coaching cycles repeatedly until you see change happening. Don’t give up! You will have hard days, sad days, happy days, lonely days, and empowering days. Never forget why you started and never forget that, at heart, you and I were and always will be teachers who do what is in the best interest of students.
