Instructional Coaching Guide: Approaches, Pillars, & Misconceptions
Written by: Jessica Miller
Table of Contents
- What is an Instructional Coach?
- What is Instructional Coaching?
- Approaches to Instructional Coaching
- Three Pillars of an Instructional Coach
- Clearing Up Misconceptions about Instructional Coaching
- Instructional Coaching Practices: Collaborative Planning and Teaching
- What Does Co-Planning Look Like?
- What Does Co-Teaching Look Like?
- Guidelines for Coaching in the Classroom
- Who Should Serve as an Instructional Coach?
- FAQ
Key Takeaways:
- Effective coaching requires the ability to effectively partner with teachers to move student learning and teacher learning forward.
- Successful instructional coaching programs support coach-teacher partnerships by protecting the coaching role and ensuring the coach positions themselves as a partner with teachers inside and outside of the classroom.
- Effective coaches must not position themselves as “experts” and must not be positioned as evaluators. Instead, coaches should be positioned as partners, working side-by-side with teachers inside and outside of classrooms.
What is an Instructional Coach?
The term “instructional coach” is often used to describe a person in a school community rather than a clearly defined role. Teachers who have been successful in their classrooms are frequently placed into coaching positions without a shared understanding of what the role entails. Because the term “instructional coach” is defined differently across school communities, it can be difficult for coaches to know their responsibilities and how to show up as the best versions of themselves. As Jessica Miller shares in Becoming the Coach I Was Meant to Be, “As an instructional coach, my goal was clear: to partner with all teachers to enhance instruction and meet the needs of every student. But I quickly realized that knowing the goal wasn’t the same as knowing how to get there.”
What is Instructional Coaching?
Ambiguity about the role of the instructional coach often results in the coach being positioned as a “catch-all”—assigned to work with intervention groups, analyze data, evaluate teachers, and/or complete administrative duties. These are not the responsibilities of an instructional coach. Instead, instructional coaching is a partnership role focused on elevating student success through the building of instructional capacity. An instructional coach is not just a successful educator; an instructional coach is someone who has deep content and pedagogical knowledge and is trained to work alongside classroom teachers through co-planning and co-teaching.
At its core, instructional coaching centers on partnering with teachers to strengthen instruction through reflective dialogue, job-embedded professional learning, and a sustained focus on student learning.
Approaches to Instructional Coaching
Instructional coaching models are often described through one of three models: relationship-focused, teacher-focused, or student-focused. Determining which focus an instructional coach will have is essential to ensuring coaching work happens with purpose. Without clarity around the intended role of the instructional coach, teachers may hesitate to engage in partnership. As coaches and leaders consider approaches to instructional coaching, they should also consider how coaching is perceived by teachers in the building.
- When a coach is focused primarily on relationships, teachers may view the coach as someone who simply “helps out” as needed, rather than as a partner in improving instruction and student learning. As a result, coaches may find that much of their time is spent outside of classrooms, rather than working closely with teachers and students.
- When a coach is focused primarily on teachers, teachers may wonder why they are being asked to work with a coach or whether their work will be tied to evaluation. In this model, coaches must be especially intentional about breaking down these barriers and building trusting professional relationships that move instructional practice forward.
- When a coach is focused on students, teachers recognize the coach as an instructional partner. They understand that all teachers benefit from coaching because all teachers serve students who are learning. In this model, coaches spend their time in classrooms, working alongside teachers in the real work of teaching and learning.
Whether you are currently an instructional coach or are supporting an instructional coach, spending time to define the expectations of the coach and coaching program will be key to success. Coaches, leaders, and teachers need to deeply believe the coach is there to support them as a partner in teaching and learning.
Three Pillars of an Instructional Coach
An instructional coach serves in three primary relationships with teachers: partner, facilitator, and fellow teacher. These relationships provide opportunities for the coach to intentionally work alongside teachers with a focus on effective teaching and successful learning.
- A Coach is a Partner: Effective coaching is grounded in partnership. The relationship between a teacher and a coach is guided by humility and a stance of ongoing learning. Coaches are not responsible for telling teachers what to do; instead, they sit side-by-side with teachers in the important work of teaching and learning.
- A Coach is a Facilitator of Adult Learning: Rather than positioning themselves as having all the answers, coaches use knowledge of adult learning to facilitate thinking and reflection to support teachers in developing their own ideas and next steps. They intentionally create space for teacher voice, choice, and ownership to build sustainability with new practices. This work is guided by a deep understanding of how adults learn and is grounded in reflection. Reflection can take many forms. For suggestions of reflection protocols, check out “Amplifying Teacher Voices with Coaching Cycles.”
- A Coach is a Teacher: Instructional coaches must remember that they are teachers. Coaches are not evaluators or mentors (see “Clearing Up Misconceptions about Instructional Coaching” section below), nor are they positioned above teachers in the school hierarchy. Instead, coaches align themselves with the teachers in their building, rather than with administrators, because they understand the complexities of teaching and learning and have walked in teachers’ shoes. Remaining grounded in their role as teacher—not administrator—creates a level playing field in which both adults honor one another’s instructional credibility.
Clearing Up Misconceptions about Instructional Coaching
Being clear about the responsibilities instructional coaches do—and do not—hold is essential to developing an effective coaching model within a school or district. When these boundaries are intentionally defined, both coaches and teachers develop a shared understanding of the coach’s role and the true purpose of instructional coaching. Without this clarity, common misconceptions can emerge — misconceptions that often pull coaches into responsibilities that shift the role away from coaching and diminish its impact on teaching and learning.
Coaches are NOT Evaluators.
Coaches should not assume any responsibilities aligned to evaluation. This includes walk-throughs, observations, random classroom visits, or any practices teachers might associate with formal or informal evaluation. Even the perception that coaching is connected to evaluation can negatively impact the trust essential to effective coaching relationships. Instead, coaches serve as partners who support teachers in strengthening their instructional practice.
Coaching is NOT Mentoring.
New teachers deserve the right support at the right time. As they enter the profession, they need guidance with classroom management, lesson planning, unpacking curriculum, and understanding school and district expectations. This mentorship is essential — and it is distinct from coaching.
Coaches are NOT Responsible for Curriculum Implementation.
While instructional coaches must deeply understand curriculum and standards, their role is not to enforce compliance. Rather, coaches support teachers in making intentional instructional decisions that thoughtfully align curriculum, standards, and student needs.
Coaches are NOT the Experts.
Instructional coaches should not position themselves as experts when partnering with classroom teachers. Although coaches may engage in targeted professional learning, their role is not to simply transmit that knowledge. Instead, coaches meet teachers where they are in their practice and partner with them to determine next steps. This requires setting aside personal assumptions about what instruction “should” look like and allowing teachers to drive instructional decisions within the partnership.
Coaching is NOT Assisting.
Coaches naturally want to be helpful, which can lead them to step into classrooms as an extra set of hands or offer generalized support. While appreciated, this work is not coaching. Coaching in the classroom is purposeful and intentional, while assisting tends to be more reactive and “on the fly.”
“Instructional coaching is a partnership role focused on elevating student success through the building of instructional capacity.
Instructional Coaching Practices: Collaborative Planning and Teaching
So, what does an instructional coach do? Instructional coaches partner with classroom teachers in instructional coaching cycles to improve instruction and elevate student learning. To fulfill this purpose, coaches enact two key moves: co-planning and co-teaching.
A coach’s purpose in the classroom extends beyond serving as an additional set of hands or eyes. Instead, coaches position themselves with intention in order to provide job-embedded professional learning for teachers. This important work requires careful planning before spending time in the classroom and thoughtful decision-making about the instructional moves used during instruction.
What Does Co-Planning Look Like?
When a coach partners with a classroom teacher, their work together must be intentionally planned. Coaches collaborate with teachers to identify goals for student learning and determine which instructional practices will best support those goals. The strategies discussed during planning sessions should be purposeful and guided by schoolwide initiatives, analysis of whole-school data, and current research. In addition, coaches support teachers in ensuring all students consistently receive access to grade-level instruction.
A Sample Process for Co-Planning:
- Examine student evidence from a recent lesson or assessment.
- Use that evidence to determine a goal for student learning.
- Collaboratively identify instructional practices that will best support the goal.
- Determine what the partnership will look like in the classroom (see the next section).
What Does Co-Teaching Look Like?
Co-teaching positions the coach and teacher as equal partners in instructional decision-making. While in the classroom together, both have opportunities to provide instruction, gather formative assessment data, engage students in learning conversations, and respond to student needs. This means the coach and teacher remain in the instructional space together and work collaboratively throughout the lesson — not just with a specific group of students.
Guidelines for Coaching in the Classroom
- Positioned as Partners in the Classroom: The teacher and coach remain in close proximity to one another and to student learning, allowing for purposeful conversations about instruction and student thinking.
- Focused on Student Work: Student work makes thinking visible so the partnership can gather formative assessment information and make in-the-moment and future instructional decisions.
- Supports the Entire Classroom: Coaches avoid a “divide-and-conquer” mindset. When coaches consistently work only with a small group, it can create the misconception that they are interventionists. Similarly, dividing the class into two separate instructional groups can limit collaborative decision-making and alter the classroom learning environment. This may lead teachers to attribute improved learning to smaller group sizes rather than to purposeful instructional practices.
Who Should Serve as an Instructional Coach?
Whether you are considering stepping into the role of instructional coach or are looking to hire one, it is important to understand the characteristics and dispositions that make coaching effective. Instructional coaches must be active listeners, flexible thinkers, and skilled in supporting adult learning.
At its heart, coaching is about listening. Coaches must be thoughtful and intentional in their listening and work to balance their own contributions to the conversation. Because coaching is not driven by an expert stance, a skilled coach prioritizes listening and reflection over sharing personal ideas or solutions.
Coaches must also be able to think fluidly and flexibly when working with teachers. Just as classrooms are unpredictable, teacher collaboration is equally dynamic. Coaches navigate both the complexities of teaching and the complexities of adult learning, adjusting their approach in response to teacher needs.
Finally, instructional coaches must remain grounded in their role as supporters of adult learners, intentionally employing strategies aligned with how adults learn best. Understanding how to partner with teachers while moving their learning forward is key to becoming an effective instructional coach.
Developing and defining the role of an instructional coach is necessary in order to position the coach to positively impact both teacher and student learning. When teachers, leaders, and coaches are all clear on the role the coach does and does not fill, coaches can move from a position of assisting or evaluating teachers toward a space of true partnership. By staying grounded in partnership, coaches can transform school communities and elevate student learning by leaning on the expertise of the teaching staff and providing intentional opportunities to reflect on and enhance instructional practices.
FAQ
I am new to the role of coaching. What tips do you have for getting started?
- Things I Wish I Knew as a New Instructional Coach
- In the Trenches: Top 10 Tips for Deep Coaching Cycles
I am a school leader planning to hire an instructional coach. What might I want to keep in mind?
What are some specific ways I can coach teachers in the classroom?
Moves for Coaching in the Classroom from Diane Sweeney.
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