Must Do #5: Instructional Coaching—> Be the Guide on the Side

The Five “Must-Dos” in Building an Instructional Coaching Program (Part 5/5)

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. 

Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Being Curious

Every coach I have talked to has someone they work with that they feel needs to be told what to do. No matter what you ask them, this person just doesn’t see the change that is needed. 

Working with them is the proverbial “beating the dead horse.” 

The scenario is common. A teacher’s classroom is unruly and bordering on unsafe. The word around the school reflects concern at every turn. The instructional coach is called in and asked to fix it. Literally, you are told to fix it (a clear indication someone doesn’t understand how coaching works). 

You try all methods of approach just short of telling them what you think they have to do. You give advice. You have them observe others. Nothing is working. 

What is the hold-up? 

All too often, we have not been curious enough. Pulling from the work of Michael Bungay Stainer, “You need to be more curious,” as he states in his book The Coaching Habit. 

And it really is that. 

If you engage in deep conversation with this teacher, you will find blame is placed anywhere possible except themselves. Or, they keep saying everything is fine and you sense they have blinders on.

What are those blinders embedded in? What drives them to not see what everyone else is seeing? Where is the disconnect located? 

Take your psychology lens out and take a long and hard look. When someone is trying to survive and has lost their way, the presence of grief is likely hiding somewhere. 

The first year and the twentieth year teacher can be in this place. If you are unfamiliar with this, take a look at this quick overview.

Resistance to change is caused by some form of anxiety. It has to be acknowledged. 

No matter how much you tell this person they need to change their practice, they won’t until the underlying issues are addressed. 

This is where you become the guide on the side. You are not their leader, you are not the expert, you are not the sage on the stage. 

You are not a facilitator of personal growth. 

Know the goal - Master of nothing.

In order to guide people, you need to stand with them in their experience. 

So first, to guide well, determine what is the goal of your interaction with this teacher? 

If you don’t know this, you will be a curriculum coach, a wak-a-mol person, one that can’t make a transformation. 

Once you have a target set, actionable steps can be taken. The questions you ask and the resources you offer will be directed by this goal. 

Facilitate the Transition

Now it is time to facilitate a transformation. It isn’t easy. Don’t expect transformations to ever be easy. 

And solving one of the surface-level issues at hand doesn’t mean a solution is found. 

It is the old metaphor of “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This is not about facilitating a transformation by solving one or two problems. It is about someone making a move to see the problems and adjusting their perspective to see them. A transformation leads to proactive steps by the coachee. It leads to them seeing things they didn’t see before.

If they were in a stage of grief unknowingly, they will now see it. You won’t have to tell them what to do. They already knew it. Now, they have the capacity to do something about it. 

That is the role of a facilitator. You bring out the wisdom or knowledge that is already there. A new perspective now means they are ready to learn. 

Once you get to this point, you can offer the classroom resources that would help with classroom management and they will be implemented. Even better, the coachee will come to you with the ones they like and ask you to be a thinking partner. 

An Instructional Coaching Program Created

Nothing is smooth in the world of an instructional coach. It takes a lot of determination and self-coaching and humility. 

There will always need to be continual communication of what you do, why you do it, how you do it, and what people will experience working with you. 

You won’t get to work with every teacher. And not every teacher will like the concept of your role. But you are their supporter and asset. 

Throughout this series, we pointed out how to take actionable steps to build a program. All five steps are important. Remember this is a start. There is more to do. Each step could have a book written about it.

Once you hit the ground with each step in mind, adjustments will need to be made. Fine-tuning will depend on how your district and you defined your role. 

Next Steps

If you find yourself with more questions, then you are having a common experience. 

The purpose of these articles was to offer support. Our goal is to serve those that are in the shoes we once were.

Reach out to us with any and all questions at info@agileideasleadership.com. No gimmicks. It’s free. We will respond.