Coach More. Talk Less. The Five-Minute Habit That Grows Teachers

Summary for Educators

Based on Frederick Buskey
“Real Coaching in Five Minutes (or Less),” ASCD Online, July 16, 2026

🔵 THE BIG IDEA 

Instructional coaching does not always require a formal cycle, an hour-long conference, or deep expertise in the teacher’s subject. Buskey offers a five-minute approach built around presence, psychological safety, and three reflective questions: “What went well?” “Did anything surprise you?” and “Is there anything you would do differently?” The leader’s job is not to evaluate, advise, paraphrase, or add follow-up questions. It is to listen. That restraint is the central challenge. School leaders are accustomed to solving problems and supplying feedback, while teachers may associate post-lesson conversations with evaluation. Five-minute coaching changes that dynamic by giving teachers protected space to analyze their own decisions, connect actions with outcomes, and identify possible adjustments. Used consistently, these brief conversations can strengthen trust, reflective practice, instructional awareness, and professional ownership—without requiring another meeting on an already crowded calendar.

🔵 KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR EDUCATORS

• Begin reflection by identifying what worked, helping teachers notice effective instructional decisions worth repeating.

• Examine surprises because unexpected student responses can reveal important connections between teaching moves and learning.

• Frame improvement around what could be done differently next time—not what was done wrong this time.

• Connect specific teacher actions with student participation, understanding, engagement, or confusion.

• Preserve teacher ownership by listening without immediately offering advice, corrections, or interpretations.

• Use brief reflection after lessons, meetings, professional learning, parent conferences, or other meaningful events.

◻️ WHY IT MATTERS

School leaders frequently cite time as the greatest obstacle to meaningful instructional coaching. Teachers, meanwhile, may experience post-observation conversations as judgment rather than professional learning. Five-minute coaching addresses both problems. It makes reflection job-embedded, frequent, and manageable while communicating confidence in teachers’ professional judgment. The approach also aligns with growing attention to teacher agency, psychological safety, and sustained improvement through small routines. When reflective conversations become part of everyday school life, professional growth is no longer confined to scheduled evaluations, formal coaching cycles, or occasional professional-development days.

🟢 LEADERSHIP ACTION STEPS

✔ Identify two teachers and two opportunities for brief coaching conversations during the coming week.

✔ Explain that the purpose is reflection—not evaluation, feedback, or advice—and that choosing not to answer is acceptable.

✔ Ask the three questions in sequence: What went well? Did anything surprise you? Is there anything you would do differently?

✔ Listen with full attention while resisting the urge to paraphrase, probe, solve, or share your own judgment.

✔ Separate any necessary supervisory follow-up from the reflective conversation by addressing it at another time.

Original Article

“Real Coaching in Five Minutes (or Less)” by Frederick Buskey in ASCD Online, July 16, 2026

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (5.2) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com