Improving Coaching through
Participant & Observation
Feedback
Brent Garrett, PhD
Garrett Consulting, LLC
[email protected]
Why do we care if coaching is effective?
• Recent, highly publicized studies suggested PD wasn’t effective for
impacting student performance.
• And
• Everybody, even coaches, need feedback.
Are there coaching resources and structures
to help us assess coaching?
• Implementation science
• SPDG Performance Measure 1 – Evidence-based professional
development worksheet
How do we know if coaching has its intended
impact?
• We can ask those being coached
• Someone (a supervisor, project lead, mentor, peer) can observe the
coaching and make judgments.
New Hampshire’s Coaching Instruments
• Adapted from a great tool developed by Drs. Gaumer-Erickson &
Noonan, et al., at the University of Kansas
• Based on the Participatory Adult Learning Strategies (PALS) – Trivette
& Dunst
• Slight modifications were made to fit the NH context.
Participant Feedback
• Introduction
• Demonstration
• Engagement
• Evaluation
• Mastery
Introduction
1. Coaching aligned with school’s action plan or priority areas.
2. Coaching emphasized PD to improve student learning outcomes.
Demonstration
• Coaching provided evidence-based practices and strategies for
implementation.
• Coaching provided examples on use and benefit of practice.
Engagement
5. I had the opportunity to practice and/or rehearse new skills.
6. I had opportunities to express personal perspectives (e.g.,
experience, thoughts on concept).
7. I had opportunities to interact with the coach.
Evaluation
8. I had an opportunity to reflect on areas of accomplishment.
9. Coaching includes a discussion of how the new strategy was
integrated into practice.
10. Coaching prepared me to implement content and identify next
steps.
Mastery
11. Coaching identified follow-up activities to help apply learning in a
new setting or context.
12. I was provided continued feedback through ongoing coaching &
resources.
Coaching Observation Tool
Used by SPDG Project Director to Observe Coaches
At least once a school year
Addresses
• Structure
• Content
• Communication
• Efficacy
Structure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Purpose
Coachee talks about what is going well.
Offers observations of things that are going well.
Coach asks elicit clarification and prompt reflection regarding areas of
improvement.
Before providing his/her own observations, coach asks recipients to
identify things they would do differently in the future, or have yet
undertaken.
Coach allows recipients to offer clarification and/or reflect on areas for
improvement.
Coach offers suggestions.
Coach guides recipients to identify solutions for problem areas in the form
of action steps.
Coaching Content
9. Helps recipients identify solutions to potential implementation barriers.
10. Offers suggestions - Appropriate in number and reasonable in scope.
11. Provides examples of possible implementation steps.
12. Provides a rationale for each suggestion.
13. Recipients successfully identify action steps.
Communication
14. Guides recipients to identify persons responsible and timeframes
for action steps to be completed.
15. Avoids judgment or bias when providing observations and
suggestions.
Efficacy
17. Do the individual(s) being coached appear to be open to
implementing the suggestions/action steps?
18. Overall, I would rate the coaching as:
Percent of High Quality Coaching Practices in Place
85%
80%
75%
Communication
Structure
1. Coach shares the purpose of
the coaching session with
recipients of coaching, and its
alignment to their action plan.
2. Before providing his/her own
observations, coach asks
recipients to identify the things
they feel are going well…
Structure
60%
100%
4. Coach asks questions of the
recipients in order to elicit
clarification and prompt
reflection regarding areas of…
100%
6. Coach allows recipients to
offer clarification and/or reflect
on areas for improvement.
7. Coach offers suggestions.
8. Coach guides recipients to
identify solutions for problem
areas in the form of action steps.
Content
Communication
67%
Content
3. Coach offers his/her
observations of things that are
going well.
5. Before providing his/her own
observations, coach asks
recipients to identify things they
would do differently in the…
100%
86%
9. Coach helps recipients
identify solutions to
potential barriers to
implementation.
80%
10. Coach offers suggestions
that are appropriate in
number and reasonable in
scope.
80%
14. Coach guides
15. Coach avoids
recipients to identify
judgment or bias when
persons responsible and providing observations
timeframes for action
and suggestions.
steps to be completed.
Efficacy
83%
11. Coach provides examples
of possible implementation
steps.
5
100%
100%
100%
100%
4
4.71
4.29
3
12. Coach provides a
rationale for each
suggestion.
13. Recipients successfully
identify action steps.
80%
2
1
80%
16. Do the individual(s) 17. Overall, I would rate
being coached appear to
the coaching as:
be open to
implementing the
suggestions/action
steps?
Questions For You
• What tools/process do you use to assess the effectiveness of your
coaching?
• If your coaches are observed, who does that and how is the
information used?
• What challenges do you face in assessing your coaching?