COACHING WALKTHRUS

Teachers improve when leaders and coaches work shoulder to shoulder with them to seek out learning problems, work on tried and tested solutions, model and rehearse techniques until they’re ready for the classroom, and help make changes stick.

CONDITIONS & CULTURE.

Build trust by working side by side with teachers.

Create an environment in which all teachers feel supported; where coaching is taken seriously and is a normalised part of everyday practice. Build trust by involving everybody in the process. Take steps to navigate accountability tensions and explore how team coaching can embed a culture of PD.

DIAGNOSE & DESIGN.

Identify learning problems and design goals for coaching.

Individual, team, or whole-school challenges must be based on real observations of where students are struggling. Use lesson visits, student data, and video to gather insights. Once the issue is clear, select a single WalkThru technique as a starting point. Then, design a goal that links purpose to action.

Helping teachers to spot, understand and solve problems.

Five common challenges for coaches to prepare for.

Five more common challenges that all teachers face.

Protocols for coaches and team leaders visiting lessons.

Using video to support the coaching process.

Collecting useful information from the classroom.

A cognitive approach to coaching diagnosis.

A powerful framework for goal setting.

Making predictions and learning from errors.

Three simple questions to unpack complexity.

TRAIN & MODEL.

Plan training, secure understanding and model techniques.

We recommend our adaptation of Bambrick-Santoyo’s Theory, See It, Name It, Do It as a training framework. Unpack the theory, then deconstruct models to build secure understanding. Break the technique down step by step and rehearse with feedback before taking it into the classroom.

Striving for excellence through routine practice.

Creating the conditions for effective teacher training.

A structure for delivering training workshops.

Convincing teachers of the importance of the work.

Understanding the principles of effective modelling.

Five ways to model teaching techniques.

Breaking down and building up teaching techniques.

A model training session in action.

ADAPT & APPLY.

Adapt and rehearse new techniques, and help teachers apply them.

Our A|D|A|P|T framework helps teachers personalise the technique, ensuring it fits their specific context. Practising in real conditions supports teachers to embed the technique with intentionality. Run reality checks designed to build insight and collect helpful information ready to share with the teacher.

Our five-point A|D|A|P|T approach explained.

Five ways to facilitate out-of-context practice.

Five ways to support in-class rehearsal.

Lemov's approach to rolling out a new routine explained.

Collecting useful insights from short lesson visits.

Helping teachers to notice, review and adjust their actions.

FEEDBACK & SUPPORT.

Conversations that build clarity, insight and action.

Coaching conversations, whether one-to-one or in teams, help teachers reflect, see progress, and plan next steps. Use The 5Ps Framework to affirm what is and isn’t working and construct next steps. Manage dialogue to deepen and mediate teachers’ thinking, asking questions that build clarity, insight, and action.

Allowing ebb and flow in coaching conversations.

Bambrick-Santoyo's popular feedback model.

Useful questions to establish the teachers’starting point.

Questions to help teachers make sense of the classroom.

A bank of questions to turn talk into action.

Listening to support deeper thinking.

Sharing ideas and insights without imposing.

Using the 5Ps to guide team conversations.

EMBED & BUILD.

Embed techniques, build habits and move on.

Support teachers by using prompts, cues, and checklists to ensure techniques are fully embedded. Recognise and celebrate success, amplifying what has real impact for students. Use our Clustering concept to connect new techniques that build on the improved practice.

Practical strategies to keep new techniques front & centre.

Helping teachers fully embed new techniques.

Embedding new habits and building practice over time.

Recognising Knight's five stages of learning.

Using our Cluster concept to drive next steps.

Aligning the why, what, where and when before moving on.

SCENARIOS.

Navigate some of common situations that you might encounter as a coach .

Schools and colleges face a range of real-life challenges that require coaches and leaders to be flexible, responsive and pragmatic. This section offers guidance for navigating common situations—whether working with new teachers, experienced staff, large teams or colleagues who feel stuck or resistant.