Time for Teachership

246. Coaching Teacher Teams? Try this template.


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One-off workshops rarely create lasting change in classrooms. In this episode of the Time For Teachership podcast, Lindsay shares a practical Google Doc template designed to support teacher teams in ongoing, meaningful professional learning. She walks through a structured approach called Group Implementation Coaching Sessions, showing how coaching, feedback, and inquiry can help teachers refine their practice and better support student learning.

What You'll Learn in This Episode/Key Takeaways
  • Why continuous coaching is more effective than standalone workshops (Joyce & Showers, 2022).

  • How to set the stage for teacher team coaching by identifying team strengths, individual values, and key priorities.

  • Strategies for maintaining an asset-based, equity-focused, and student-centered approach in coaching sessions.

  • Key coaching moves to help teachers shift mindsets, including:

    • Asking for examples to get to evidence.

    • Reframing challenges (e.g., valuing curiosity over background knowledge).

    • Moving from scarcity to prioritization.

    • Aligning pedagogy to core teaching values.

  • A step-by-step walkthrough of a coaching session:

    1. Human Connection: Check-ins, celebrations, and group reflection.

    2. Implementation Check: Review previous action steps, data, and student feedback.

    3. Action Planning: Identify instructional strategies, micro-groups, or feedback systems to try before the next session.

    4. Next Steps: Decide who will try what and how data will be gathered.

  • How to leverage peer coaching and group reflection to generate richer insights and practical solutions.

Timestamps

[00:00:00] – Welcome & Episode Overview

  • Introduction to Episode 246

  • The importance of continuous learning over one-off workshops

[00:00:22] – Google Doc Template Overview

  • How to support teacher teams after workshops

  • Group Implementation Coaching Sessions

[00:00:47] – Influences & Inspirations

  • PLC at Work: Dr. Anthony Mohammed, Dr. Chad Dumas, Bob Sanju, Marin Powers, Shalene Miller

  • Grow Model & Raman Behan

  • Positive psychology, asset-based education, values alignment

  • Books: Street Data, Pedagogies of Voice, Rebuilding Students' Learning Power

[00:04:00] – Meeting 1: Setting the Stage

  • Identify team strengths and values

  • Center equity and "critical hope"

  • Name the students/groups on the margins

  • Define success: what it looks, sounds, and feels like

  • Co-design inquiry questions and evidence-gathering

[00:07:16] – Coaching Bank & Key Moves

  • Asking for evidence: "Can you say more? Share an example?"

  • Reframing challenges: curiosity > background knowledge

  • Shifting from scarcity mindset to prioritization

  • Aligning teaching to core values

[00:14:42] – Structuring Subsequent Meetings

  • Start with human connection: check-ins, listening dyads, celebrations

  • Implementation check: review prior actions and data

  • Three containers: initial reactions, data reflection, gut checks

[00:19:35] – GLEE Model for Action Planning

  • Goal: What do we want to foster before next session?

  • Learn: Analyze student strengths, gaps, and feedback

  • Explore: Identify instructional moves to grow skills & student agency

  • Expectations: Decide who does what and gather data for next session

[00:24:34] – Final Thoughts & Evidence for Coaching

  • Joyce & Showers (2022): coaching increases skill transfer from 5% → 75–90%

  • Peer coaching and structured feedback as essential professional learning

[00:26:04] – Closing

  • Think big, act brave, and be your best self

Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/246

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Time for TeachershipBy Lindsay Lyons

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