Mentoring

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Welcome!
Thanks for being here
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Coach Your School to Success

• Lowell Lemons
• Mary Baldwin College
• tlemons_at_mbc.edu
• Laurie McCullough
• Waynesboro Public Schools
• lmccullough_at_waynesboro.k12.va.us

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Why Instructional Coaching?
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My job as a coach is to have people do what they
do not want to do..so they can be what they
want to be. Tom
Landry
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A Continuum of Support
Specialist
Coach
Recommend Share resources
Remind Provide plans Plan
together Clarify Answer ?s
Brainstorm options Ask ?s Give
advice Offer choices
Restate goals Teach Listen
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What is coaching all about?

• Listening more than talking
• Looking for clues and cues
• Asking questions, not giving directions
• Being a colleague
• Provoking self reflection and problem solving
• Giving encouragement, being optimistic
• Building confidence
• Gentle guidance
• It is not about the coach
• Patience/Wait time

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Creating a Coaching
Climate Supervision
Coaching Focus on short
term results Focus on long term
effectiveness Controlling
Collaborating  Fear of mistakes Safe
to try new ideas and strategies Focus on
weaknesses Recognize strengths Point
out mistakes and problems Facilitate
problem solving and growth  
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The coaching conversation
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Neutral Language

• No blame, judgment, or prejudice
• Not evaluative
• Not directive
• Focused on facts, data, information, and
  experience of the teacher being coached

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Phases of the Coaching Conversation

• Rapport and focus
• Reflection
• Actions for improvement
• Anticipate and remove obstacles
• Review and commit

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Coaching Language

• Tell me more about..
• What would happen if?
• How can you tell if..?
• Could you clarify what you mean by..?
• So are you saying that?
• How might I help you?
• What are some ways you might?
• When should we talk again?

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Coaching Questions

• What would you like for us to address today?
• How will this strategy contribute to student
  learning?
• What resources do you need?
• What difficulties do you anticipate?
• What can I do that would be most helpful to you?
• Can you think of other options?

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Coaching Questions

• How are your students responding?
• Which skills are you seeing emerge?
• Which strategy interests you that you have not
  tried yet?
• What has frustrated you?

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Situations

• Facing a difficult decision
• Improve a classroom strategy
• Relationship with a coworker
• Struggling to complete a project