Why YOU Deserve an Instructional Coach! with Lisa Fung-Kee-Fung
In this episode Kim chats with Lisa Fung-Kee-Fung, 6th grade science teacher, Shanghai American School, Pudong Campus. Lisa’s concrete examples of working with the coaching team at SAS provide clear and practical insight into what makes coaching so powerful for teacher professional growth. As Lisa points out, by building solid relationships, coaches give teachers the confidence to be vulnerable. For coaches looking to take their practice to the next level with specific examples of how to support their teachers, this episode is full of practical guidance from a teacher perspective! Find the show notes for this episode here.
24 Jul 201934min
What Kind of Personality Makes a Great Instructional Coach? with Tara Ethridge
In this episode we chat with Tara Ethridge, Elementary School librarian at International School Prague. Tara has taught everything from Kindergarten to Grade 9 English and everything in between! She made the transition to librarianship about six years ago when we worked together at International School Bangkok. Tara’s superpower is meeting teachers where they’re at, and her endless patience and interest in supporting teachers in just what they need at that moment - no matter how many times she’s explained that very same thing before! Full show notes: https://coachbetter.tv/episode-44/
17 Jul 201934min
Picking Your Battles as an Instructional Coach with Beth Dressler
In this episode Kim is chatting with Beth Dressler, Deputy Head of Elementary and PYP Coordinator at NIST International School in Bangkok, Thailand. As a school leader, Beth works very closely with the coaching team at NIST. Her deep understanding of the coaching role in inquiry-driven schools provides such great insight into the power of coaches as “learning partners” for their teaching and leadership colleagues. It’s clear that Beth’s vision and passion for coaching truly support teacher agency and there’s lots to take away from this conversation that can be applied in any school setting. Full show notes: https://coachbetter.tv/episode-43/
10 Jul 201945min
Coaching Up! with Coaching Fundamentals Team
Today we have a great conversation about summer learning for coaches, teachers and school leaders with Tim, Tricia, and Ben from our YouTube series, Coaching Fundamentals. We talk about all sorts of opportunities for professional growth from formal book clubs to the power of documenting and sharing professional learning, and the importance of “coaching up” when working with school leaders. We talk about everything from strategies to getting started, to books, podcasts and other professional learning resources that have been powerful for our team. Plus, we end with a great idea for collaborating with our instructional coaching peers to build our individual coaching toolkits through even more great conversations! Full show notes: https://coachbetter.tv/episode-42/
3 Jul 201949min
What does it mean to be an Instructional Coach? with Clint Hamada & Kim Cofino
In today’s episode Clint and I talk about trends in instructional coaching, particularly in international schools in Asia. In this spotlight we’re talking about what it means to be a coach, and many of the key elements of being a coach today, that perhaps were not a significant part of the role several years ago. Our conversation today was inspired by questions from our #coachbetter facebook group. We’re planning to respond to those questions here on the channel regularly, so please join us or leave a question in the comments below! Full Show Notes Here: https://elpn.edurolearning.com/coachbetter/episode-41/
26 Jun 201951min
The Trap of Finding "Pet Projects" as an Instructional Coach with Ben Summerton
In this episode of #coachbetter we're chatting with Ben Summerton, ES Tech & Innovation Coordinator at Singapore American School. Ben talks about the outstanding school infrastructure at SAS that enables his amazing coaching team to innovate and closely support teacher and student learning. Full Show Notes https://elpn.edurolearning.com/coachbetter/episode-40/
19 Jun 201957min
Instructional Coaching is an "Intellectual Spa"! with Niki Dinsdale
In this episode of #coachbetter Kim chats with Niki Dinsdale, University Advisor at UWC, SEA. During their conversation Niki described coaching as an “intellectual spa” (which is now Kim’s new favorite metaphor for coaching!)Niki believes that coaching is a critical opportunity to stop and deeply reflect on our own professional “habits” that have been built over time. Niki thinks coaching can almost be self-indulgent because of the many great benefits that come from a meaningful relationship, full of thoughtful conversations, with a colleague who is focused on helping her achieve her own professional goals. If you’re not sure coaching is for you, this conversation with Niki will likely convince you that it’s time for your own “intellectual spa” experience! Full Show Notes Here: https://elpn.edurolearning.com/coachbetter/episode-39/
12 Jun 201942min
The value of building a PLN to "bloom where you're planted" with Jen Clark
In this episode of #coachbetter spotlight we’re chatting with Jen Clark, Library Media Specialist and Tech Coach at Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan. Jen is in the unique perspective of being both a coach and a librarian at the same time, so we had a great opportunity to take a deeper look at how these two positions can truly overlap in a school setting. Full Show Notes https://elpn.edurolearning.com/coachbetter/episode-38
5 Jun 201939min
