Region 13's E-Campus

Jim Knight’s Instructional Coaching Group has worked with 30,000 instructional coaches over the last 10 years, throughout 50 states and six continents.  Knight’s coaching model is focused on improving teaching to improve learning, and is comprised of simple step-by-step processes that coaches and educators can master.

Knight and his colleagues have identified six essential domains (knowledge and skills) that need to be in place for instructional coaches to succeed. When any of these is missing, a coach’s chances for success are significantly diminished.  The domains are:

1. Understanding how to work with adults (which we refer to as understanding the complexities of helping and the partnership approach)
2. Understanding the coaching cycle
3. Understanding high-impact teaching practices
4. Understanding how to gather data and use video as a part of coaching
5. Effective communication skills
6. Effective leadership skills and systems thinking (what principals need to know about coaching)

Based on the research, content, and Knight’s experience as the leading thought-leader in the field of Instructional Coaching, this unique and intensive institute offers professional development addressing all six areas.

Specifically this institute addresses the following guiding questions:

• What are the five core concepts of change literacy and how should instructional coaches address those concepts during coaching?
• What are the partnership principles and how should coaches use them to guide their interactions?
• What is the Impact Cycle and how should it be employed by coaches in partnership with teacher to set goals and identify teaching strategies to hit goals, to ensure teachers understand new teaching strategies, and to provide support until teachers hit the identified goals?
• What are PEERS goals, how are they different from SMART goals, and how should they be used to guide coaching?
• Why is video recording an essential part of instructional coaching, and what can coaches do to dramatically decrease teacher resistance to video recording their lessons?
• What data should instructional coaches gather to help teachers set goals and to monitor progress toward goals?
• What is an instructional playbook, and which high-impact teaching strategies should be a part of any playbook?
• What are the communication beliefs and habits that lead to the kind of learning conversations that are essential for effective coaching, and how can coaches master those beliefs and habits?
• How should coaches lead to have the greatest positive impact on teaching and learning?