Coaching Models

Kaylan Robinson

18WB-OTL515-1-Teacher as an Instructional Agent

Coaching Models

Dr. Kimberly Smith

March 8, 2019
Coaching Models

Coaching Models and Descriptions

There are three types of coaching models that every teacher leader needs to learn and explore.

Learning about the characteristics of these three coaching models will be very insightful!

Teacher leaders typically use one coaching model over another based on client needs. For

instance, an instructional coach may use the facilitative model with most teachers who have been

at the school for multiple years and veteran teachers. With first-year teachers and student

teachers, however, she uses the directive coaching model. This is because she is doing more to

support the struggling teacher. Having a first-year teacher reflect on their lesson may be

overwhelming in the beginning stages! Often times, our coach uses the teacher's direct quotes or

dialogue from a lesson as a teaching tool to explain how the statement or direction would have

been more effective. First year teachers benefit from directive coaching because the instructional

coach becomes more than just a reflective thinking partner. This is because these teachers often

need modeling of lessons, co-teaching, and reflective debriefs in order to improve their overall

practice. The Veteran teacher can also benefit from directive coaching in certain situations. For

example, I am a 6th-year teacher and had been working in 2nd grade for 5 years until my recent

switch to 4th grade this year. After year three in 2nd grade, I was very familiar with the content

standards, performance indicators, and I had also set up systems and procedures to help me use

data to inform my coaching decisions. At that point in my teaching career, I only benefited from

facilitative coaching models. Now, as a first-year teacher to 4th grade, it was necessary for my

coach to provide directive coaching approaches. My coach helped me deeply understand the

curriculum, content standards, and provided me with several resources frequently.

Coaching Models

The Facilitative Coaching Model

The facilitative coaching model supports and encourages the teacher to reflect on his or her

strengths and area(s) of improvement. The teacher seeks to improve upon their practice and

solicits the help of the coach to join them as a reflective partner rather than a coach. An

instructional coach can begin every debrief session by asking the teacher how they feel the

lesson went. She can ask probing questions to help the teacher arrive at their own next steps and

area's for growth. The facilitation model is very intentional in it’s purpose. Teachers are

encouraged to take the facilitator role when teaching lessons as well. We are encouraged to push

our students to think and discover their own observations and learning. In fact, teachers display

distinguished teaching characteristics when his or her students are mastering a new skill or

concept through discussions and collaboration with each other. The three approaches of

facilitative coaching offer specific guidance tailored to the clients’ need, experience, and/or

personality.

 The Supportive coaching approach allows the coach to highlight specific areas in which

the client is making progress towards the desired goal. With this approach,

encouragement and confirmations will help build the clients’ self-esteem.

 The Cathartic approach allows coaches to build a strong relationship with the client by

engaging in conversation about how the client feels. Aguilar, (2013, p. 166), reminds us

that our feelings affect our actions and we need to attend to them.

 The Catalytic approach uses intentional questioning in order to stimulate change. The

goal is to have the client reflect and learn independently. These probing questions should

be designed to assist the client in making sense of situations.

Coaching Models

The Directive Coaching Model

Directive coaching is necessary when the client needs to be pushed in their learning. There are

three directive approaches; the confrontational approach, informative approach, and the

Prescriptive Approach.

The Prescriptive approach requires that the coach provides clear and consise directions for the

client to follow. If a client lacks confidence or experience, they are usually unable to direct their

own learning.

The Informative approach often requires that the coach provides a solution for their area of

growth and provides the necessary resources to do so. The coach will also need to work closely

with the client to ensure that the plan is properly carried out.

The Confrontational approach is necessary when a coach needs to challenge the clients’

assumptions and help reveal consequences of certain actions. This approach may be needed to

change behaviors that are interfering with growth and transformation.

The Transformational Coaching approach incorporates strategies from both facilitative and

directive coaching. It strives to affect three areas: the individual clients’ behaviors, beliefs, and

being. This model is what every educator and teacher coach strives to achieve because it not only

seeks to change the practice of this client, but all those around them! Whether coaching an

individual or a team of teachers, coaches can produce positive change and a culture of inquiry for

a school community. This can be done most effectively if the coach can assist educators in

assessing their daily decision making in and out of the classroom.

Coaching Models

References:

Aguilar, E. (2013). The art of coaching: Effective strategies for school transformation. San

Fransisco, CA: Jossey- Bass

Inam, H. (2010). The 5 C’s of great coaching conversations. Retrieved from

http://www.transformleaders.tv

Mind Tools. (n.d.). How to make your goals achievable. Retrieved from

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm (Links to an external site.)Links to an

external site.