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Diving is like teaching, an individual sport. Yet, a diver's overall performance counts toward the swim team's ranking, just as a teacher's success with his or her classroom influences the success of a school. A coach works to help each team member reach a personal best. Instructional Coaches (IC) serve as on-site professional developers.

At the 2010 Instructional Coaching Conference there were two panel discussions. Jim Knight, Steve Barkley and Michael Fullan's panel discussion was titled, "Coaches as Leaders of Change."

This is a group for instructional coaches, teacher mentors, and anyone in a teacher mentoring role. Members: 7 Latest Activity: May 16 Started by Carole Fuller. Last reply by Scott H Snyder May 16. 0 Likes I coach teachers of adult students, mostly teaching ESL but also Workforce content areas such as computer skills.

Recently I spent a day with a district wide group of instructional coaches working on the school improvement plans for their buildings. We used a backwards plan beginning with the identification of specific student growth that they wanted as a goal. Then they identified what student actions/work would be needed to produce that learning.

In this video Steve Barkley discusses the two beliefs that underscore coaching. The first is that educators should be observed once a week and receive feedback. The second is that the most skilled educators should be coached the most.

The instructional coach serves many roles in the educational system. These roles align with the roles of teacher leaders. Click here to read a great article that outlines the 10 roles of a teacher leader/instructional coach. This link will navigate you away from this page.

My Colleague Refuses to Collaborate with Us (LITERACY COACH CONFIDENTIAL) A literacy coach writes to us with the question: How do you work with a teacher who refuses to be a collaborative part of a team? She does her own thing without regard for other team members.

Have you ever found yourself challenged in the classroom -- wishing you could turn to someone immediately for a guiding hand or an encouraging word? As a practicing teacher, I did. In part, that's why I worked collaboratively to research and develop virtual coaching.

Instructional coaches are on-site professional developers who teach educators how to use proven instructional methods. To be successful in this role, coaches must be skilled in a variety of roles, including public relations guru, communicator extraordinaire, master organizer and, of course, expert educator.

Steve Barkley's concept of "backwards planning" shifts the process of teaching practices, coaching, and professional staff development in significant and comprehensive ways. Steve's research suggests that teachers don't cause student achievement; students do, when armed with the right learning behaviors taught and modeled by others. From those behaviors, they become lifelong learners. Receive guidance and insights into specific coaching skills, questioning strategies, and ways to work with principals. The result ensures that teachers are fully supported in the highly complex and challenging world of education.

What does an instructional coach do? Look at "instruction"-the act, process, or art of imparting knowledge and skill. Look at "coach"-to teach.

Notes on Instructional Coaching Comments by Jim Knight, from the Kansas University Center for Research on Learning