Are you a coach who is interested in learning how to add rocket fuel to your instructional coaching program or process? Then join this session to dive into the power of using video to focus on teaching and enhance instructional coaching. Participants will explore how video can elevate one-on-one coaching partnerships and ignite a team’s learning process. In this pre-conference gathering, coaches will have a chance to learn, discuss, reflect, and plan how video can be used within their contexts.
Effective coaches, leaders, and educators communicate their message clearly, build healthy emotional connections with others, and maneuver through emotionally complex situations in ways that allow them to speak the truth so they will be heard. This workshop introduces 6 beliefs and 10 habits that promote healthy and productive relationships.“Effective communication is an essential skill for a fulfilled life, and we can't teach it to students if we don't know how to do it ourselves.”
This session will examine the earliest days of being a new instructional coach. Participants will examine foundational coaching principles and skills and also various elements of coaching in action: coaching cycles, data gathering, strategies, leadership support, and new coaches’ greatest fears. If you’re a new coach or you support new coaches, this session is for you.
The quality of the conversations in an organization can critically influence the organization’s effectiveness. This session explores how a coaching orientation, together with a strong coaching process and key coaching skills, can make a significant and immediate difference in the conversations in which school leaders and coaches engage every day.
This session is geared toward building and system administrators who are starting a coaching program or want a coaching program reset. Participants will be taken through seven must-dos for supporting successful coaching programs. They will have a chance to learn, reflect, plan, and analyze throughout the day with other leaders from around the world.
One of the seven success factors of instructional coaching, and an often overlooked one is data. Data is the way in which we set goals and monitor progress. Data is a way we keep track of important aspects of teaching. For an instructional coach to succeed, they have to understand data. Join Jim Knight in this session as he unpacks important elements of data from his soon-to-be-released book, Data Rules.
Attendees will learn how "Data Rules" can focus their coaching efforts, facilitate goal setting and progress monitoring, and ensure coaching drives unequivocal improvements in both the quality of students' learning and their well-being and engagement.
Many coaches and onsite professional developers are finding themselves in high-stakes, critically important roles expected to lead school reform efforts with little or no professional preparation for successfully performing such tasks. Having worked with more than 100,000 coaches from around the world for close to two decades, ICG experts have identified seven factors that must be in place in order for coaches to flourish. Based on Jim Knight’s newest book The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching: Seven Factors for Success, this workshop provides an overview of those seven factors.
More often than not professional development focuses on teaching practices. Research identifies strategies that are then shared with teachers for implementation. However, our 20 years of research suggest the reverse approach is more effective. We propose beginning with the needs of students, identifying required strategies afterward. This presentation advocates for prioritizing students and explains why starting with strategies can result in wasted time and ineffective development. Let's keep kids first!
Listening is something we all do (or don’t do) every day. How well we listen, to whom and under what circumstances determines who we are and the paths we take in life. It is fundamental to any successful relationship-personal and professional. During this session, Jim will discuss the importance and strategies of listening with renowned author, Kate Murphy, based on her book You’re Not Listening.
Teaching as Performance Art is an approach to teaching and learning that centers on the performative aspects of teaching. The approach helps educators to understand the ways that understanding the arts and performance are central to being an effective educator. Furthermore, it centers dimensions of teaching that deconstructs performances from musicians, artists, and performers and connects them to the art of teaching and learning. Aligned with a centering of performance art is the focus on activating the imagination to explore what can be possible in teaching and engagement with students.
This talk will involve a training of seeing students as art and engaging with them like one would with a work of art. The 7 components of Teaching as a Performance Art are 1. Use of metaphor and analogy 2. Exhibit moral conviction/collective sentiments 3. Communicate confidence 4. Communicate confidence 5. Use rhetorical/open-ended questioning 6. Use your body and facial expressions as co-teachers 7. Use voice and tone as co-teachers.
The impact of coaching can be cast as a mathematical equation, one that explains the return on investment in coaching. Engaging in professional learning outside of their daily work, particularly when it involves travel, especially for coaches, can be a hard sell to those who manage budgets and to colleagues who are not afforded similar opportunities. How do those who have benefitted from an investment in them to attend TLC show the profits of that investment? When coaches and their champions leave TLC, what is the equation they can write to describe both the benefits and their impact? In this keynote, TLC participants will explore how to use a mathematical equation to explain how they can transform what they learned at TLC into positive results for students, teachers, and the schools they serve.
The biggest leadership, stewardship, and coaching challenge (and responsibility) is shaping an environment/relationship within which each person thrives. In this session, achieve clarity on dignity as the essential condition for healthy coaching relationships as well as school, classroom, and work cultures. Learn how a dignity "ecosystem" confronts inequity and brings belonging, engagement, performance to new heights.
This session will explore the importance of self-efficacy and provide an overview of how the Carolina Teacher Retention Program (CarolinaTIP) leverages self-efficacy as a key component in new teacher retention support. The session will include an overview of how CarolinaTIP has reimagined coaching and designed the Carolina Coaching Model to specifically target novice teacher retention.
How can coaches initiate conversations that inspire teacher reflection, leading to purposeful actions that align with desired student learning outcomes? Teacher growth is generated through teacher reflection that leads to conscious teacher action. A teacher’s voice is of utmost importance for reflection and commitment to action. This session is designed to examine the coaching skills and mindsets that support this process. An interactive segment allows for hands-on practice in navigating the challenges of resistance, whether it manifests as a gripe, excuse, or outright opposition, offering strategies for turning those conversations into opportunities for progress.
When you integrate mental models into your coaching, the deeper insights that accrue strengthen a sense of purpose, enable accurate predictions, and harness personal power. This presentation will show-and-tell how to coach a teacher to identify learning problems in their class, and to assemble techniques into effective clusters — thereby surfacing previously hidden beliefs about classrooms. By combining a visual playbook with the freshly discovered mental models new levels of effectiveness become possible.
Instructional coaches aim to help teachers make a greater positive impact on the lives of students. One of the most direct ways to do that is to focus on student achievement. This session will present strategies to help coaches and administrators increase achievement by partnering with teachers to remain in touch with student progress toward clearly established goals.
You've stocked the books, trained your instructional coaching team, and bought into the Impact Cycle model to support teaching staff. Unfortunately, campus needs are extensive, and the whirlwind of schools can quickly take over important minutes designated for coaching and quality conversations between coaches and the educators they support. Hear from a school district leader who implemented several key structures across the system making room for rich dialogue about the real work of Impact Cycles.
For coaches grappling with establishing meaningful connections with teachers, this session offers invaluable guidance and practical strategies. Explore effective communication techniques, active listening skills, and empathy-building exercises tailored to bridge the gap between coaches and teachers. Learn how to cultivate trust, foster rapport, and create a supportive environment where teachers feel valued, understood, and motivated to collaborate. Gain insights into overcoming common barriers and transforming challenging interactions into opportunities for growth and partnership.
What is at the heart of student learning? Have you ever wondered how Instructional Coaches can partner with educators to engage in reflecting on student learning and growth? Instructional Coaches need a unique skill set to manage the conversational pathway with an educator toward a student-focused goal. A coach's “way of being” along with using varied coaching craft moves is essential in getting to the heart of student learning with educators. Come to this interactive session to practice your coaching skills and learn more with others!
To realize improved outcomes, educators must perceive themselves to be capable of meeting the needs of all students in ways that will result in better performance and increased achievement. Collective efficacy is the shared conviction that educators make a significant contribution to raising student achievement despite other factors in students’ lives that might pose challenges to their success. During this session, we will explore ways that instructional coaches and school leaders can foster efficacy in schools. Information about ways to influence a staff’s interpretation of their effectiveness in ‘keeping kids first’ will be shared along with examples and success stories.
Coaching virtually necessitates specific skills that extend face-to-face coaching. This presentation will highlight the key elements of VECTOR Virtual Coaching. Emphasis will be on the phases and protocols of the VECTOR model that make virtual coaching successful.
In this session, participants will learn the key components of the Impact Cycle and provide an opportunity for ICs and administrators to consider their current implementation and plan for the next steps to begin or refine this core IC-teacher process.
Student engagement is a critical aspect of learning, and addressing it through instructional coaching is an effective way to improve instruction. This session will focus on defining the different types of engagement, how to measure them, and using teaching strategies to hit corresponding goals.
Every child deserves to learn in an engaging, student-centered environment where high-quality instruction is taking place. Whether in the role of administrator, coach, or teacher leader, focusing on instructional leadership will benefit student learning. Intentionally leading for instructional growth means knowing the latest research, understanding how to sustainably coach individuals to discover the potential within themselves, reflecting on the small steps that need to take place for instructional growth to occur, and having a clear vision of that ideal classroom. Sherry will explore each of these elements, sharing tools and strategies from her daily work with schools, her book Coaching Redefined, and her forthcoming book. Participants will walk away with resources to immediately implement.
This session provides an overview of the process for developing an instructional playbook. This session is based on The Instructional Playbook: The Missing Link in Translating Research into Practice (2019) by Jim Knight, Ann Hoffman, Michelle Harris, and Sharon Thomas.
In this workshop session, instructional coaches will delve into the theme of "Keep Kids First" and explore strategies for coaching teachers to prioritize students' needs and well-being in their instructional practice. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and hands-on activities, coaches will gain practical insights into how they can support teachers in creating student-centered classrooms that foster engagement, equity, and academic success for all learners.
In partnership with Growth Coaching International, this course centers on giving feedback in a way that helps others thrive and excel.
When you are open to feedback, working relationships have more trust and more humor, and you collaborate more productively and solve problems more easily, yet the word "feedback" is loaded with connotations and assumptions. This session will show participants some alternative language to use as well as ways to ensure people feel safe in conversations, and reasons why we receive feedback in certain ways.
We will delve into the art of inquiry techniques, an essential skill for educators across all roles. In this session, we will explore the significance of crafting powerful and thought-provoking questions that stimulate meaningful dialogue.
In this course, we will discuss how to support Early Childhood teachers and educators on how to support the teachers after a goal has been set. We will discuss what modeling, follow-up data, and follow-up questions look like.
Knight (2022) wrote in the Foreword of Student-Focused Coaching the importance of an “inside out” approach where coaching is guided by the deepest concerns of the teacher about students’ needs and not “outside in” where coaching is imposed by others. One way to create the conditions for an "inside out" approach is to empower teachers and engage them in authentic conversations through the use of the SAILS framework (Hasbrouck & Michel, 2022). SAILS components include Standards, Assessments, Instruction and Intervention, Leadership, and Sustainability, and each component plays a critical role in achieving high levels of academic achievement.
During TLC 2023, Christian van Nieuwerburgh coached Jim in a session entitled, “The One Where Jim Gets Coached.” During the session, Jim set some professional research and writing goals for work that is more personal than Jim’s usual writing projects. In this session, Christian partners with Jim again to follow up on Jim’s progress, exploring Jim’s successes, challenges, and next steps.
As an educator, I have noticed we often undermine or underutilize the power our youth possess; especially as it pertains to refining our school communities. If we truly want to create spaces where belonging/inclusion is the baseline experience for our schools we have to co-create these realities with students. What does it look like for us to honor, empower, and trust the power our student body naturally possesses? Let's find out together.
Dive into the transformative world of AI as it reshapes the day-to-day practices of instructional coaches. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of utilizing artificial intelligence to enhance coaching cycles with teachers, focusing on real-world applications and the practical integration of AI tools. Participants will explore how AI can streamline observation feedback, foster personalized professional development, and enhance communication between coaches and teachers. Through case studies and interactive discussions, coaches will discover innovative strategies to employ AI in supporting teacher growth and student achievement.
In this session, we will focus on the art of coaching presence and its profound impact on fostering better conversations. As coaches, our way of being significantly shapes the dynamics of our relationship with teachers, influencing the depth of reflection and insight they attain. In this session, we'll explore Better Conversation strategies for enhancing our coaching presence to facilitate richer dialogues.
How might we unlock teachers' potential by recognizing and leveraging their inherent assets and strengths?
When we focus on strengths, we look for what someone is doing well, their visions for themselves and their teaching, and who they recognize as supporters in their journey towards growth. When we focus on strengths, we look for what someone is doing well, their visions for themselves and their teaching, and who they recognize as supporters in their journey towards growth.
Asset-based instructional coaching emphasizes a positive, proactive approach to personal and professional development. Through asset-based coaching, instructional coaches collaborate with teachers as partners in the coaching process, providing support, encouragement, and accountability along the way. Asset-based instructional coaching emphasizes a positive, proactive approach to personal and professional development. Through asset-based coaching, instructional coaches collaborate with teachers as partners in the coaching process, providing support, encouragement, and accountability along the way.
In this interactive session, we will examine the qualities of an effective instructional coach and learn how to maximize our time and connections with those we work alongside and support. These simple strategies can strengthen our relationships and rapport with colleagues as we support their growth. Time will be provided throughout the session to reflect on current practice and set goals for future implementation.
What’s the best way to coach the uncoachable? You may be frustrated trying to coach teachers who feel they don't need or won't benefit from your support. During this session, you will learn practical and rational strategies on how to work with teachers who find reasons not to work with you.
Elevating every teacher's ability and repertoire is important. Being able to transfer these skills to the department, grade level, school, and district is also very important. Learning how successful staff are working with your own students can unleash the local talents. Find out how to do that with 15-20 strategies
2024 marks the anniversary of two landmark United States Supreme Court cases, the 70th of Brown v. Board of Ed. and the 50th of Lau v. Nichols. What progress have we made in regard to creating and sustaining equitable learning communities? How have we championed linguistic diversity as part of coaching practices? This session will engage participants with a self-assessment and advocacy-based recommendations for application.
School districts invest a great deal of staffing and money into instructional coaching programs, but program evaluation of coaching impact is often minimal. In this session, we’ll examine our proposed process for evaluating coaching programs so that districts can demonstrate the impact of coaching on students and use the evaluation process to determine ways to improve the program.
In this session we’ll look at examples of learning conversations where the leader seeks dialogue with an invitation something like:
1. Can we have a chat?
2. I think we should meet to discuss...
3. I'd like to check in on progress with...
4. I'd like to share some thoughts about....
We will also address these topics:
- Feedback as (helpful) information
- Helping the information land well
- Authentic affirming
- Stretch and nudge
- When more than a nudge is needed - misaligned expectations
In this session, Nicole S. Turner explores a simple yet comprehensive framework for coaching that can drive differentiated support for teachers and high-quality professional development. Access is provided to a range of effective coaching strategies that help with making true instructional gains with teachers and students. By the end of the session, participants are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to create a clear and achievable vision for improving outcomes in the classroom.
As Jim Knight himself stated, 'video is rocket fuel for PD' and this session will explore how video can be used for models and deconstruction of instructional techniques. It will also explore how using a sports commentary style of articulation can help build more complex mental models, leading to adaptive expertise.
Jim Knight says “The easiest way to improve your coaching skills is to record a video of yourself in conversation .” Drawing on the foundational work at Hilton CSD, case studies from Hilton, Greece CSD (Rochester NY area schools), and the international podcast “Coaching Done Well”, we will provide a model of coaches using video reflection to advance on the road of personal best.
This session is perfect for PLC leaders, instructional coaches, and administrators who are looking for ways to build community and elevate professional learning. The High Impact Community (HIC) model, which is a blend of PLCs and Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle, enables communities of educators to focus on a shared PEERS goal that amplifies a school’s collective growth. You will discover how to implement HICs as a way to bring your staff together and put your students first.
This session explores two key habits outlined in Better Conversations: Coaching Ourselves and Each Other to be More Credible, Caring, and Connected (2016) by Jim Knight. Participants will explore strategies that help control their emotions, as well as redirect toxic conversations (and stopping them before they start). They will also learn about the five factors of trust and how to utilize them all together.
The Blended Coaching Model has been widely adopted for the support, development, and supervision of school leadership, including teacher leaders. The model balances facilitative and instructional coaching and suggests that coaches must address "ways of being", particularly as we confront equity challenges in our schools.
"Breaking Patterns: Cultivating Creative Process for Social Change" emphasizes a love-centered pedagogy to guide participants in identifying and transforming entrenched habits and norms in educational settings. This workshop invites participants to critically engage with the automatic routines and unexamined power dynamics that shape our interactions and environments. Anchored in a belief that creativity is a catalyst for systemic change, Mariah Rankine-Landers provides concrete strategies for coaches to support teachers and organizations in reimagining patterns of interaction, learning, and community engagement.
Increasingly, teachers are seeking coaching and support in classroom management. Research affirms the critical role of creating a positive culture in the classroom based on respect and an environment that honors students’ autonomy as these conditions lead to improved student learning. This workshop will provide coaches and administrators with strategies to partner with teachers to create positive learning communities with a focus on increasing behavioral engagement.
This session will share the latest evidence about connection in society. The session will share practical examples of how a coaching approach can be used to support leaders, teachers, parents, and students to improve school culture. The session will also share evidence-informed tools to measure culture and track progress.
Designing, implementing, and leading coaching in schools is complex. Gaining a deeper understanding of the role of context, culture and the change process can help guide our development as coaches, the sustainability of our coaching programs, and how to use coaching to support other educational initiatives. In this breakout session, Trista will share what she has learned from two decades of research and practice leading change and systemic change and introduce the 5 A's model developed with her CollectivED colleagues Dr. Rachel Lofthouse and Jasen Booten for their new book "Coaching with Purpose: Learning Encounters for Educational Change". Participants will explore the model's 5 dynamic phases of educational change in detail by discussing coaching case studies from the book and reflecting on their own coaching experiences and contexts.
This session will explore how short, 'on the fly' conversations can become powerful coaching opportunities, often leading to energizing, productive, and even transformational outcomes.
While much coaching takes place in lengthy formal contexts there are ways in which skilled leaders/ coaches can turn shorter, informal conversations into significant moments. This session provides practical models, tips, and tactics to help do that.
In schools, we often challenge teachers and students to dream bigger! Yet simply dreaming is not enough. Aspiration is defined as the ability to dream and set goals for the future while being inspired in the present to reach those dreams. We will examine strategies and resources for coaching teachers and students who are in a state of Hibernation, Imagination, and Perspiration, with the goal of helping all members of the school community achieve their Aspirations. Participants will consider how to attain a healthy balance of dreaming and doing while supporting teachers and students in using their voices to achieve their Aspirations in the present and in the future.
Have questions about TLC? Check out our FAQ page or reach out to us for assistance.
TLC Frequently Asked QuestionsNeed to submit a “Request to Attend” to your school principal or administrator? Download our template Word doc, pre-filled with all the conference information you need.
Download “Request to Attend” docTLC consists of education experts and practitioners who lead keynote presentations and learning sessions focused on better education. Check out our list of Keynote and Breakout presenters at the link below.
View all speakersDon't forget to book your room using our link to reserve our room block rate. Limited rooms will be available until 9/22/2023. Please reach out to our team with any questions about booking your stay.
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