Coaching Content — Coaching to Disrupt the Status Quo

Differentiating Coaching for Novice and Experienced Teachers When Time is Scarce

In this guest post, school leader Donyel Griffin breaks down 3 different ways to focus coaching depending on the experience level of your teachers.

Recording Coaching Meeting to Reflect

Looking for ways to grow as a coach? Take the step of recording your coaching meetings to reflect and invite feedback!

Coaching ContentLauren VargasMay 4, 2023reflection, self-reflection, recording, coaching meeting agendaComment

Precise Feedback during Practice

Providing specific, actionable and clear feedback during the practice section of the coaching meeting is crucial for helping teachers grow.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasMarch 8, 2023feedback, positive feedback, practice, habitComment

Scaffolded Teacher Practice

When facilitating teacher practice in coaching meetings, consider how to plan for layers that build from simple to complex to support building new habits.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasFebruary 22, 2023practice, modeling, success criteria, Scaffolding, automaticity, planning, coaching meeting agendaComment

Practice in Coaching Meetings: Role-play vs. Co-planning

Practice builds habits quickly, but how do I decide what practice should look like in coaching meetings?

Coaching ContentLauren VargasFebruary 16, 2023coaching meeting agenda, practice, role-play, co-planning, planningComment

“We Talkin’ ‘bout Practice?!”

Help teachers build their new skills and strategies quickly by effectively using practice in your coaching meetings.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasFebruary 9, 2023practice, habit, teacher-centered, modeling, success criteria, feedback, automaticityComment

Towards Liberation

Coaching and instructional leadership should work towards liberation for all, the theme of the Towards Liberation newsletter!

Coaching ContentLauren VargasNovember 30, 2022liberation, freedomComment

Coaching in the Classroom: Preparation is Key

In part 3 of the series on coaching in the classroom, we look at 4 tips for preparing well to make the experience effective for teachers.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasOctober 15, 2022coaching in the classroom, coaching stance, planning, real-time coachingComment

Coaching IN the Classroom?!

Here we dig into 4 strategies with examples for Coaching in the Classroom (Part 2 of 3).

Support Struggling Teachers, Rooted in Relationships Not Control

When supporting new or struggling teachers, coaches should consider these things in order to develop class community rooted in relationships, not classroom management rooted in control.

Coaching for Self-Advocacy, Not Surrendering

When teachers want to surrender to burn out or education’s systemic injustices, coaches can work to build teacher self-advocacy to make their voices heard and finder greater balance.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasSeptember 7, 2022self-advocacy, burn out, boundaries, work-life balance, teacher voice, organizingComment

Coaching for Agency, Not Assimilation

Instead of asking kids to conform to the status quo of schooling, coaches work towards classrooms where students share power, responsibility, and leadership.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasAugust 27, 2022student agency, assimilation, classroom observation, cogens, student choice, listeningComment

Coaching Out a Teacher’s Savior Mentality

Even when their intentions are good, a teacher’s savior mentality is harmful for students - and complex to address. Here are 4 tools for responding in coaching.

Education as Liberation

We disrupt the status quo of school in order to promote the liberation and thriving of all students. Check out these ideas, questions and readings.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasJune 30, 2022liberation, well being, freedom, marginalized students, reflection questionsComment

6 Ways to Create Teacher Choice in Coaching

Directive coaches doesn’t mean that we tell teachers what to do. In fact, great coaches create space for lots of teacher choice.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasJune 9, 2022directive coaching, teacher choice, PD, welcome meetings, questioningComment

Coaching Teachers for Family Engagement

Supporting teachers in shifting from communicating TO families to building partnerships WITH families so everyone thrives.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasApril 21, 2022family engagement, coaching beliefsComment

Normalize Learning from Mistakes

Here are 3 tips about making learning from mistakes a central part of the coaching process.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasMarch 23, 2022mistakes, coaching beliefs, learningComment

8 Misconceptions about Directive Coaching

Directive coaching often gets a bad rap, but I believe it’s the most powerful and effective coaching stance. Here I tackle 7 misconceptions.

Equity from the Start: Coaching Welcome Meetings

In the very first coaching meeting we have with teachers, here are 4 tips for centering equity from the start.

Coaching ContentLauren VargasMarch 2, 2022coach-teacher relationships, relationships, welcome meetings, equity, identityComment

How to Respond When Teachers Complain About Students

Sometimes teachers talk negatively about students in coaching meetings. To create equitable classrooms, we have to respond. But how?

Coaching to Disrupt the Status Quo

Instructional coaching resources, ideas, and stories to inspire coaches to disrupt the status quo of schooling and work to create the kind of learning where all kids can thrive. Written by Lauren Vargas.

Instructional coaching resources, ideas, and stories to inspire coaches to disrupt the status quo of schooling and work to create the kind of learning where all kids can thrive.
Written by Lauren Vargas.