Coaches & Admin: The Key to Sustaining Effective Instruction

Educators who have received training from BeGLAD know the powerful impact it has on student learning, and are excited to implement the strategies in their classrooms. That said, without the support of the administration and instructional coaches, at times other priorities can arise and implementation becomes less sustainable. The role of the administration and instructional coaches is paramount to keeping up solid instructional practices that really make a difference in learning.

Three Ways Administrators Can Build Sustainability

Each school works in partnership. The educators in the school, including the teachers, assistants, and administration, partner with each other and support each other in the important work they do. The school, as an organization partners with families and the community to support the students we serve. The school also partners with the school board and district administration to ensure the success of each child. The partnership that administrators have with teachers in the school will build the sustainability to keep effective instruction at the forefront.

Set expectations and provide support

Administrators set the tone and instructional expectations for the school. By making teachers aware that you expect that they use effective instructional strategies, you set a priority on instruction and instructional practices. In staff meetings, in newsletters or emails, continue to make teachers aware of the importance of implementing BeGLAD strategies, and focusing on building deep content knowledge while building language and literacy skills. In addition, provide support to teachers by making sure that they have what they need to effectively utilize the strategies, including time and material resources.

Inspect what you expect

Conduct walk-through observations or wisdom walks to ensure that effective instruction is being implemented. By going into classrooms, you have the opportunity to see strategies being implemented throughout the day. In addition, you will see evidence on the walls, with high levels of academic language and rich content being displayed. The students will also be able to articulate what they are learning about and how they are learning!

Celebrate and spread the word!

Sharing data from walk-throughs and wisdom walks, and celebrating the fantastic work of your teachers and students will go a long way in building a culture of learning. Use every opportunity possible, including in meetings, through informal conversations, and in communications with parents, staff, and the school district to share the successes in implementing GLAD in your school.

Three Ways Coaches Can Support GLAD Implementation

Build Rapport and Be Supportive, Listen Carefully, and Get Into Classrooms! Keep reading to see how.

Build Rapport and Be Supportive

One of the most effective ways coaches can help build sustainability is to develop relationships with teachers and be on their side. Coaches have a wealth of experience and knowledge about teaching and learning, and they can utilize that knowledge and experience to support teachers and students. Coaches can help teachers find resources, create materials needed for instruction, help to plan lessons, and share lesser-known strategies that may be of interest and help to teachers and students.

Listen Carefully

Listening is a critical skill in coaching. Let’s face it, most people listen to respond, not listen to understand. It is vital that, as coaches, we listen to what teachers are saying and what their needs are. In addition, we should be listening for what teachers are NOT saying, and look for ideas and tools that may be of help to them. Through active listening, we can find out what teachers need in the moment, and work to help meet those needs.

Get into Classrooms

The coaching cycle is a powerful tool to build teacher confidence in integrating the effective instructional strategies from BeGLAD. The coaching cycle consists of a pre-meeting, wherein the coach and the teacher discuss the lesson, plan together, and determine the focus; the lesson, and implementation of the strategies; and the post-lesson debrief, to discuss the lesson and strategies implemented. During the lesson itself, the coach can demonstrate strategies, co-teach strategies with the teacher, or observe strategy implementation and provide feedback.

You Got This!

Both administrators and coaches play a pivotal role in supporting teachers to implement solid, research-based instruction that builds the content knowledge and language skills students need to be successful in today’s world. By creating a deep culture of effective instruction, providing support to teachers to implement effective strategies, and celebrating each other and the success of our students, we can build long-term sustainability.