I spent last week learning about transformational coaching with educators from all over our country, plus one participant from Kenya! Some fifty teacher-leaders, coaches, and administrators came to Oakland and participated in my "Art of Coaching" institutes and dug deep into the what, how and why of transformational coaching. I love facilitating these workshops and always come away with a deeper understanding of coaching because of the questions that are asked, the connections that are made, the ways in which I'm pushed to think and articulate and share. So first--thank you to all who participated!
Spending so much time this week talking and thinking about coaching pushed me to synthesize and summarize. The information that I offer is massive and often overwhelming; I know that part of my responsibility as a teacher is to point learners in the direction of some of the highest leverage activities and ideas, to help them sift through the heap and walk away able to incorporate some new practices immediately. I want to offer you five practices that I found myself talking about over and over this week, and that have emerged from the lengthy list of transformational coaching practices as ones that could be instrumental, transformational and essential in your work. Try incorporating even just one of these suggestions into your coaching routines and see what happens.
