The Importance of Being Self-Directed as an Instructional Coach with Kim Cofino and Clint Hamada

In this #coachbetter episode, Kim chats with Patrick Holt, Head of Educational Technology at GEMS World Academy in Singapore. Patrick’s background with experiential education has strongly influenced his perspectives on teaching and learning, allowing them to have a wide-ranging conversation. They talk about starting with the “why” to influence change across a school community, then Patrick’s experience teaching in Qatar and the need for cultural competency, and finally the importance of “messy learning” - not just for students, but also for teachers and leaders. This episode connects three big themes of coaching: change management, understanding diverse perspectives, and critical elements in effective professional learning. If you’re interested in big picture thinking about teaching and learning, this episode is for you!  Find the show notes for this episode here.

9 Juni 202143min

Welcome back to another episode of #coachbetter! We’re continuing with our #coachbetter tips, inspired by our FiveMinuteFriday episodes on YouTube. In this episode, Diana is sharing three coaching frameworks that can be used to assess how balanced the role of the coach is - or isn’t, given your school context.  Find the show notes for this episode here.

2 Juni 20218min

In this #coachbetter episode, Kim talks with Sarah Gilmore, co-author of Integrating Technology: A School-Wide Framework to Enhance Learning. Like many of us, Sarah has been doing a lot of remote teaching and coaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, so they focused their conversation on how that has been both an opportunity and a challenge. They talk about the ways that technology can enable us to connect well beyond our physical borders and how we can leverage the tools that many students and teachers are currently using to build lasting learning networks. Find the show notes for this episode here.

26 Maj 202154min

Welcome back to another episode of #coachbetter! We’re continuing with our #coachbetter tips, inspired by our FiveMinuteFriday episodes on YouTube. In this episode, Kim shares her top 5 productivity tips for busy instructional coaches.  Find the show notes for this episode here.

19 Maj 202110min

In this #coachbetter episode, Clint and Kim chat with Carla Marshall, Director of Teaching and Learning at United World College, Southeast Asia, East Campus. This was a fascinating conversation about change management in an educational context, a critical skill for all coaches. They talk about the importance of taking a systems approach as a school leader and change agent, the ways that both Cognitive Coaching and Instructional Coaching are part of the professional learning culture at UWC, and the ways that coaches and school leaders can leverage micro-changes to create large scale ripple effects. For coaches looking to better understand the leadership aspects of their role, this episode is essential listening!  Find the show notes for this episode here.

12 Maj 202150min

Welcome back to another episode of #coachbetter! We’re continuing with our #coachbetter tips, inspired by our FiveMinuteFriday episodes on YouTube. In this episode, Diana is sharing five approaches coaches can use in developing relationships with families at their school. This topic was inspired by a question that came up on our #coachbetter Facebook group about the relationship between coaches and families. So if you have coaching questions, head over to our FB group and ask them! We will do our best to make a podcast about your question! Find the show notes for this episode here.

5 Maj 20217min

In this #coachbetter episode, Kim chats with Margaret Powers, Director of STEAM Innovation in an independent school outside of Philadelphia. They talk about the unique structure of the innovation team at her school, including their distributed leadership model. They also discuss, in-depth, the Legacy Through Leadership program that the Innovation Team designed to build capacity through peer coaching and mentoring! If you are looking for sustainable models to engage teachers in professional growth that create lasting change in an organization, this episode is for you!  Find the show notes for this episode here.

28 Apr 202141min

Welcome back to another episode of #coachbetter! We’re continuing with our #coachbetter tips, inspired by our FiveMinuteFriday episodes on YouTube. In this episode, Kim shares 3 ways to find your voice as an instructional coach. If this is a topic you would like to dig deeper into and you’d like to explore in your own professional learning, please head over to EduroLearning.com to see all of the great professional learning opportunities we have for you. Find the show notes for this episode here.

21 Apr 202110min