Teachers Notebook

In the last 5 years we have seen a dramatic rise in the use of instructional coaching within teacher professional development. Instructional coaching allows teachers to have targeted feedback at a granular level and has been identified as being central to effective professional development (EEF, 2021), supporting it to have an impact on classroom teaching and pupil attainment (Gregory et al. 2017). But can just anyone be an instructional coach? Is a line manager not already a coach because they complete learning walks and give feedback? There is a little more to it ….

I came across an interesting study that looked into teacher’s perception of the characteristics of highly effective coaches (Cope & Bussiere, 2014) and they rank positive and negative attributes of coaches. This study wasn’t intended to divide coaches into groups of effective vs ineffective but to enable coaches to make evidence-based improvements to their practices. These attributes could also be considered by middle leaders to ensure that professional development from learning walks is a positive and constructive process. 

The study also explored other research that explored which features are considered ‘high-quality’ within Professional Development programmes. (DuFour, 2004; Higgen & Parsons, 2009) One feature is to allow teachers to develop a deeper understanding of both subject matter they teach and how students think of and learn the subject matter. This also was highlighted in a recent Teacher Tap survey, 1^st June 2023, where 34% of teachers would like more subject professional development. The second feature was that teachers should have multiple opportunities to engage in discussions with peers, a main drive for the instructional coaching model in my school. The third feature of ‘high-quality’ PD was for opportunities for teachers to receive constructive and non-prescriptive feedback on tasks. 

In my experience of receiving feedback there is a thin line between constructive and criticism and I have been on the receiving end of both. When feedback is delivered in a high-stakes environment, such as feedback on performance management lesson observations, and it is perceived as judgmental and not constructive it can have a detrimental impact of teacher progress and performance. This is also why I feel that coaches need to have certain qualities to ensure that the feedback is considered valuable by the observed teacher and they feel safe to be vulnerable and willing to take a risk of trying something new. This is also why this study sprung out at me, as I have been there and been on the receiving end of feedback that made me want to give up teaching all together. It takes years to come back from that and takes a particular coach to make you want to try again and trust that you can make changes in a positive but protected environment. 

The top feature of a highly effective coach found by Cope and Bussiere, 2012 was their ability to provide them with constructive criticism. Coaches that set high expectations and provide clear, consistent, constructive and timely feedback. One response was:

‘My coach was always positive – even when I had lots of revision to make!’

I am a firm believer of positivity and I have been growing this within my own school within the staff body with positive pedagogical shout outs. You can read more here.  I start instructional coaching training always with the praise element of a coaching conversation. Getting the coaching conversation started on a positive foot then has a huge impact on later discussions of improvements in practice. Who doesn’t like to hear about what’s going well? It’s key to the relationship between professionals.

The second most common response was the coaches expertise. Almost 25% of teachers reported that they valued coaches who had expertise in the following three key areas: content, pedagogy and technology skills. I have seen coaching models where everyone is a coach and all staff members are paired to complete coaching, however whilst yes everyone is receiving consistent feedback, I question the quality over the quantity. A coach is often an experienced member of staff, maybe a middle or senior leader, but I do consider to become a coach you need to have experience of what can and what won’t work because you’ve tried it yourself. 15% of teachers in the study expressed frustration with their coach not being able to help them or providing inaccurate information because they were not familiar with the process or expectations. That is also why I believe that to be an effective coach you need to have been through the coaching process as a coachee and see how it is to receive the feedback process yourself. I also suggest that coaching on coaching is also an important element of a successful instructional coaching programme.

Another interesting quality of an effective coach is their ability to be a thought partner. 10% reported that they valued coaches who viewed them as a colleague and struck a balance between listening and suggesting. A coach doesn’t just come to the table with the solution to a problem them have seen but in reality, the best coaches probe careful and draw the teacher themselves towards to solution. To tentatively tease the lightbulb moment where the teacher says, ‘I see that at this point in the lesson if I did ……… it would have a positive impact on …….’  I feel that a coach is always the listener first and then the navigator of the conversation but not necessarily the driver.  This format also builds a sense of trust within the relationship too. 

Where coaching sits within the whole school CPD programme also needs to be considered to ensure that coaches are provided with adequate time and resources to maximise the benefits that this relationship will bring to the teacher. Participants of the study were also asked to describe something that their coach could have done better, and the most common response was that they would have appreciated if their coach provided them with faster feedback. Coaching conversations need to be carefully planned and both the coach and coachee should have scheduled meeting times which are planned and prepared for. This relationship is formal between two professionals and so teachers want a timely response to their coaching conversations to ensure that the momentum is maintained. Otherwise, it will soon drop down within priorities and the value of the interaction will become diluted.

As instructional coaching continues to grow within education and more schools are turning away from high-stakes lesson observation for performance management, coaches and line managers do need to be reflective on those professional conversations. Build upon the main aspect of professional collaboration, teachers still need to feel autonomy within their own practice, but this role can be a reflective ear. Teachers for many years have struggled with low self-esteem when it comes to reflecting on how we can improve our teaching. Many people first viewed instructional coaching as a tool used to support struggling teachers however as I lead coaching within my school I will always speak of my own experiences of coaching and how it is a positive in my own practice. Everyone can benefit from these professional conversations. I do firmly believe in Dylan William’s quote: Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.  

Cope and Bussiere (2014) Teachers Perception of the Characteristics of Highly effective Coaches.

DuFour, R. (2004). What Is a” Professional Learning Community”? Educational Leadership

Higgins, J., & Parsons, R. (2009). A successful professional development model in mathematics.A system-wide New Zealand case. Journal of Teacher Educat