Coaching

After receiving training on one or more of the available professional development modules, educators should begin to apply skills and knowledge learned from the training with coaching support. Through coaching, educators are supported as the transfer of new skills to classroom practice occurs (Bush, 1984; Joyce and Showers 1982, 1981). Through coaching, educators receive job-embedded guidance, observation, and feedback. A district’s coaching plan provides the opportunity for districts to support buildings through the creation of intentional knowledge-promoting structures and processes. Coaching plans vary according to district and building needs, but should be focused on practices in the DCI content framework. Practice profiles from the district’s chosen focus components from the DCI Content Framework should be used to guide educators through the coaching process.

There are different ways to approach coaching and approaches may vary by building. Coaching is a non-evaluative process in which two or more professional colleagues work together for the purpose of improving instructional practice. The process involves a collaborative relationship, trusting culture, a clear purpose, and an agreed upon format which is solution-oriented and learner-centered.

Within DCI, coaching may have a variety of structures depending on the district’s need. Districts may use one of the following structures but are not limited to these three examples. The CST consultant provides support for any of the structures.

1. Peer to Peer – A reciprocal coaching structure, one educator to another.
2. Individual Peer to a Team – One educator coaching a team of educators (grade level or content area team).
3. Team to Team
  - One grade level or content area team coaching another grade level or content area team within a building.
  - One building team coaching another building team within a district.
  - One team from District A coaching a team from District B.

Observation of High Quality Professional Development Coaching

This Observation Checklist for High Quality Professional Development Coaching checklist is designed to be completed by an observer to determine the quality of regional implementation coaching. This checklist can also be used for self-assessment of fidelity. Fidelity should be monitored “early and often” (Harn, Parisi, & Stoolmiller, 2013). This checklist is a companion to the Observation Checklist for High Quality Professional Development Training. The criteria or threshold for fidelity as measured on this checklist is 11 out of 12 items reported to be observed.

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