Live Coaching: Tips, Strategies & Advice
Live coaching made such a difference for me as a leader because I was able to help teachers grow stronger in the moment. We didn’t have to wait until our debrief meeting a week later to discuss changes to instructional design, classroom management, student engagement or student ownership. The impact was immediate and the results followed suit.Lay of the Land
To kick things off successfully, provide a lay of the land. Teachers need to understand what it is, why they should engage in it, how it will help, as well as where and when it will take place.
- Show your personal interest in trying live coaching and provide purpose- Receiving in the moment feedback improves instruction immediately
- Explain the purpose of coaching- All teachers deserve to go from good to great and great to better
- Share a variety of coaching models- PD on demand, PLC facilitation, data analysis, coaching cycles, etc.
- Outline timeline and deliverables – You might provide next steps by saying something like “You’ll receive your live coaching planning meeting date/time by Monday and have 4 days to select your live coaching observation.”
Live it
Now that teachers know what live coaching is they want to see what it will be like before they experience it in the classroom with students.
- Walk through a live coaching planning session – Discuss what hand signals mean, what terms on a mini white board mean, etc.
- Demonstrate a live coaching experience with a teacher – Show the conversation prior to the observation where you determine the coaching cues you plan to use and then transition to delivering the cue during a mock teaching lesson to see how the teacher receives the cue and adjusts instruction in the moment
- Provide expectations for live coaching- Share how teachers should respond and implement suggested improvements to impact student achievement and their own proficiency in the classroom
Leverage Later
Live coaching is an ongoing process. Continue to revise the process so that teachers and students benefit from excellent support.
- Collect feedback via survey to tweak process – Use teacher experience to make adjustments to the live coaching model to ensure it is as successful as it can be
- Allow teachers to share positives from the experience at a follow-up meeting- Sharing experiences allows teachers to connect on their areas of focus as well as their own experience in the live coaching model
- Share out data with the district to showcase how live coaching has transformed teaching and learning in your building so that others can do the same at their school sites
Level Up
If you need ideas for what to work on with teachers below are some suggestions.
Want more support? Browse our full collection of printable and digital tools. You can also read more helpful posts on the blog—and don’t miss my latest book: Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.
GO BE GREAT!
About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.