Elementary Instructional Coaches

An instructional coach is an on-site staff developer who teams with teachers in a collaborative, reflective relationship to enhance content and instructional knowledge to increase student learning. Coaching is a supportive professional relationship that bridges district staff development opportunities with classroom practices. Coaching provides seamless teacher support from the learning of new content and instructional practice through the implementation process.

What a Coach Does

Instructional Coaches engage in:

• Collaborative conversations with teachers to support learning
• Helping teachers transfer what they learn about new curriculum and teaching practices into their classroom
• Providing demonstration lessons
• Collaborating with teachers to plan and implement lessons
• Working with teachers to hone specific instructional strategies
• Working with teachers on the use of formative assessment data to inform instruction
• Encouraging teachers to talk about their practice with them and with one another
• Coaching cycles to gain insight into teaching and learning
• Mutual problem solving to assist teachers in implementing and mastering new curriculum and teaching practices
• Grade level meetings to discuss research based instructional practices and how they can be applied

Teachers and Instructional Coaches are able to share in professional development that is embedded in the classroom, and meaningfully connected to teaching and learning.