Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction

by Jim Knight

An innovative professional development strategy that facilitates change, improves instruction, and transforms school culture! Instructional coaching is a research-based, job-embedded approach to instructional intervention that provides the assistance and encouragement necessary to implement school improvement programs. Experienced trainer and researcher Jim Knight describes the "nuts and bolts" of instructional coaching and explains the essential skills that instructional coaches need, including getting teachers on board, providing model lessons, and engaging in reflective conversations. Each user-friendly chapter includes:

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Adult

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Briana Cleveland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend Instruction Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction to anyone working or aspiring to work as a literacy or instructional coach.

Instead of beginning with Chapter 1, I recommend starting with chapter 9, Coaches as Leaders of Change, and then circling back to chapter 1. Chapter 9 describes specific tactics for navigating the tricky nature of being both a leader and collaborative partner. Having the strategies suggested on hand as you begin or continue your coaching work will help you carve a truly collaborative path with teachers, which can be quite a difficult feat to manage.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm adding my textbooks since I technically read them for grad school and I want to meet my 2019 reading goal!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bruce Nieminski · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5/10
239 pages

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent resource if you are just beginning in a campus instructional coaching role, but not so much if you are simply mentoring a fellow teacher. There are some guidelines for facilitating good conversation between a mentor/coach and teacher that could be applied to both positions, but this book is definitely focused on helping guide someone who is observing, modeling for and instructing teachers in more of an administrator to teacher relationship. As a peer teacher who was looking for help in creating conversations that were less me directing a new teacher and more sharing and learning together, there were only a few chapters that were helpful.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Jim Knight covers the basics and more on instructional coaching no matter what you are a coach for. He begins with what does coaching look like then discusses the partnership philosophy. He gives a beginning coach direction and guidance on how to get teachers on board, strategies on how to support them and ends with 8 tactics for the coach to stay the course.

[John Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ed school read, but very useful information
I totally agree with everything he says pretty much,
especially the idea of treating your co-workers as partners.
And his "pedagogy" for presentations is the way to go.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical book about coaching. One of Knight's earlier books on the subject, so it is foundational in nature. Definitely one to refer back to frequently.

[Seán Mchugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been coaching for over 10 years now and I’ve read many books and articles about coaching in that time, most of them are extremely disappointing, so it was with great trepidation that I approached this book, especially as it was published over a decade ago.

So imagine my surprise as I discovered page after page chapter after chapter so many powerful insights into coaching, if I’m honest none of them were particularly surprising, but it was comforting and reassuring to hear so many aspects articulated so effectively and so practically throughout this book.

Reading through the book it seems clear to me that instructional coach has a much broader all-encompassing role than that which we would understand from say a literacy or numeracy coach. In that regard the kind of coach I am (a DLC—digital literacy coach) is a lot more like an instructional coach in that the sphere of influence is wide ranging, literally encompassing the entire breadth of the curriculum, with the expectation that regardless of the area of focus that the DLC is aware of effective practices in terms of the research into teaching and learning and works to seamlessly integrate these using digital technologies to facilitate this.

I also wonder whether now after 10 years, we are reaching the stage where all coaches should migrate towards becoming instructional (or pedagogical) coaches rather than subject/domain specific?

I have to say though I really don’t like the qualifier “instructional” this sounds very didactic and narrow, non collaborative, with a distinct association with direct instruction (after all what other kinds of instruction are there? Indirect?), I would prefer term that’s more inclusive and focused on the nature of the role like “pedagogical coach”.


Really I guess I should have given this book 5 stars, but I removed one star for the inclusion of anecdotes which came across as quite There and patronising, and as it often my gripe with books written for teachers, overly long. There should be a requirement that any books written for teachers to read should be short and to the point!

Overall if you are coach work with coaches are considering coaching, or have been coaching for any length of time, as far as I’m concerned this book is a must read.

[Michael Loveless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instructional Coaching contains a lot of helpful information. Jim Knight argues that the traditional 0ne-and-done model of professional development is ineffective. He believes that teachers need an instructional coach to help them achieve improvements in teaching a learning. He describes how instructional coaches can recruit teachers to buy in. He promotes a collegial relationship of mutual respect between teacher and coach. He describes the "big four" areas where teachers can make changes that will result in important student improvements: behavior, content knowledge, direct instruction, and formative assessment. He then describes how teachers can get the message out and take the lead in changing schools. Unlike other books about instructional coaching that I've read, Knight's book focuses on how instructional coaches can help teachers use high-impact strategies that will increase student learning. Other books may touch on that idea, but it is the framework for all that this book contains.

[Jilleebean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for instructional coaches. It is filled with ideas and other books to read for further study on different topics. I will be returning to this book to continue to improve my practice as a coach.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very helpful and I learned a great deal from it. It will be a very useful reference book for me. It was easy to read and had a good mix of realism and optimism.

[Nikki Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read (if you are an instructional coach)

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, anyone who works with teachers should read this book. There are so many practical strategies for communicating with in-service teachers. So glad I have this in my brain now!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep. A good one. Full of resources and tips to come back to.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand the basics of instructional coaching, this is a great read!

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of it is outdated, but many chapters offer a good overview of Knight's partnership philosophy.

[Julie Aquilina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find that in most teaching-related books, I'm constantly searching through the theory to land on the practical: those tangible strategies I can try in my classroom or learning teams tomorrow. And, if you're like me that way, Chapter 7 has the most bang for your buck. I left with one big idea that I thought might be useful. Namely, Knight divides teaching into what he calls, "the big four." That is, "behavior, content, direct instruction, and formative assessment." As of now, I have a growing list of research-proven teaching strategies in my repertoire that are all muddled together in a big list. I've decided, thanks to this book, to categorize them; then, hopefully, I'll have an easier time matching the strategy with the need presented more effectively. On another note, I like the layout of the book: each chapter ended with a summary of key ideas and a list of further reading suggestions on the chapter's focus. I like knowing I can go back to review those chapters that were key to my new understandings and look up more reading suggestions, again, in the areas that peaked new understandings or interest.

[David Doty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coaching is common in many professions, including athletics, music, personal training, and financial planning, but it is a relatively new phenomenon in the field of education. Jim Knight, a professor at the University of Kansas Center for Research and Learning, and a national expert on instructional coaching, presents a compelling model for how to implement effective coaching in public schools to improve both teacher quality and student outcomes.

[Heidi Hodgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a new Instructional Coach this book was a valuable resource. It was almost like Jim Knight was describing my world. I would highly recommended this book for any leaders in a school or Instructional Coaches. FYI...all the ICs in my school district read this book for a book study and it was a great tool for defining our roles.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiiiiinally finished this one! I read this book for work, and finished all but the last chapter pretty quickly. There are some great ideas for instructional coaching in here--I'll have to go back through and review my notes, becauseI started it in the fall and don't quite remember the beginning!

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably a five-star book, but it took me months to read. Even professional books usually don't take me longer than a week. I read an article based on the book, and I think the article was plenty.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

good practical advice to focus the work of Instructional coaches.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished to prepare for an interview. Great ideas on successfully implementing instructional coaching.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knight, who runs the Kansas Coaching Project, has put together a coaching handbook of sorts. His major belief is the partnership approach, or what some call shoulder-to-shoulder coaching.

[Sharon Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not find this book particularly helpful.

[Jeremiah Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Job specific, but very informative.

[Kaylynne Watson]

Coaches, read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read with strong research-based practices. I liked the question stems and additional readings at the end of each section.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an instructional coach or thinking about becoming one, you should read this book. So many useful nuggets of information!

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful book in my journey as an instructional coach! I highly recommend.