We know from research that it isn’t enough to put new knowledge or techniques in the hands of early childhood teachers, they need support to put those new ideas into practice, which is why so many Head Start programs have made coaching a central component of their professional development effort. So what is coaching anyway? “An adult learning strategy in which a coach promotes the learner’s ability to reflect on his or her actions as a means to determine the effectiveness of an action or practice and develop a plan for refinement and use of the action in immediate and future situations.” (Rush, 2003, cited in Rush & Shelden, 2005)

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Coaches have many roles and responsibilities and use various approaches including: on-site, distance and an integrated method, all of which help teachers do their best work with children. In order for coaching to improve teacher practice and student achievement, here are a few considerations: 

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• Coaches must develop trusting, collaborative relationships with teachers. 

• Professional goals should be tailored to needs identified by teachers.

• The approach to learning should be collaborative and inquiry-based.

• Feedback should be content-specific in order to sustain partnerships.

 

Are you interested in a strengths-based approach to support teachers and/or coaches in becoming more effective in their interactions to improve children’s outcomes? We provide on-site and distance coaching for classroom teachers and/or coaches. We're committed to being accessible and responsive so that teachers and/or coaches always have someone to turn to when they run into roadblocks or don’t know what to try next. As a result, teachers learn to better analyze their practice and its impact on children. Administrators and mentor coaches will cultivate a habit of continually assessing how to support classroom staff in their daily interactions with the goal of school readiness.