The Final Mile:
How Instructional Coaching Translates
Research Into Effective Teaching
Jim Knight
The Kansas Coaching Project

Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
what is an instructional coach?
Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
what is an instructional coach?
what do instructional coaches do?
Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
what is an instructional coach?
what do instructional coaches do?
what does our research say?
Our questions for today.

Why?

My first
teaching
experience

My first
teaching
experience

None

One-shot
workshops do
not improve
instruction
instructionalcoach.org/research

Learning consultants

X
Learning consultants

Instructional
collaborators

X
Instructional
collaborators

Instructional

Instructional
coaches

What is
instructional
coaching?

an on-site professional
developer who partners
with educators to identify
and assist with
implementation of proven
teaching methods

3 Big Ideas

Partnership

Relationships

Experience

What do
coaches do?

My first coach
was my father

Coaching Components
Enroll
Identify
Explain
Model (You watch me)
Observe (I watch you)
Explore
Refine

Enroll

Identify

4
The Big Four
•Classroom management
• Content planning
• Instruction
• Assessment for learning

Explain

Model

Observe

Explore

Refine

What does
research show?

Partnership
instructionalcoach.org/research

Interviews
instructionalcoach.org/research

She came in and modeled after I tried the unit organizer once, and …
it was funny because I could see the look on the kidsʼ faces. It was as if
they were saying, “This is so not what you had us do.” So I was like,
okay; Iʼm learning too. And it was wonderful because she could bounce
off math things to me that needed discussion as we did it, and I could
bounce off the organizational stuff to her. The kids got the big picture.
I could never have gotten that if it hadnʼt been modeled for me.
NEVER could have gotten it. I would have failed miserably at it and given
it up ... because even when she and I just talked about it, I thought ... Next
year if we donʼt have to do this, Iʼm not going to do it, because I canʼt
see any benefit to it—because I didnʼt know how to use it.
Then when I saw her … that was just like wow! I look for that the light
on in the kidsʼ eyes. When Lynn came in and modeled for me, oh my god
the light just went on.

Implementation
instructionalcoach.org/research

Elida Cordora
The Unit Organizer NAME
4 BIGGER PICTURE 1/22
DATE
The roots and consequences of civil unrest.
LAST UNIT /Experience NEXT UNIT /Experience
3
CURRENT UNIT UNIT
2 1 CURRENT
The Civil War
The Causes of the Civil War
Growth of the Nation
is ab
8 out.
UNIT SCHEDULE 5 UNIT MAP
..
1/22 Cooperative groups -
over pp. 201-210
Sectionalism
was based on was influenced by
1/28 Quiz
pp. 201-236
1/29 Cooperative groups -
Leaders
over pp. 210-225
Areas of across the
emerged because of became greater with
the U.S. U.S.
\"Influential Personalities\"
projectdue
Differences Events in
1/30 Quiz
between the U.S.
the areas
2/2 Cooperative groups -
over pp. 228-234
2/6 Review for test
2/7 Review for test
2/6 Test
6
descriptive
What was sectionalism as it existed in the U. S. of 1860?
UNIT SELF-TEST
RELATIONSHIPS
QUESTIONS
compare/contrast
How did the differences in the sections of the U.S. in 1860 contribute to the start
UNIT
of the Civil War? cause/effect
What examples of sectionalism exist in the world today?
7

Elida Cordora
NAME
The Unit Organizer 1/22
The Causes of the Civil War DATE
9 Expanded Unit Map is ab
out.
..
Sectionalism was influenced by
was based on the
Areas of the Leaders of
pp. 201-236
U.S. change
developed because of became greater with
such as
ded the -Henry Clay
Differences Events in the -Stephen Douglas
between the U.S. -Zachary Taylor
which inclu
areas
e
ed the
-Harriet Beecher Stowe
d th
-Douglas Filmore
and included such as
lude
and included and included -John Brown
includ
-1820 Missouri Compromise -Jefferson Davis
Social Economic -1846 Mexican War
Political
h inc
-Abraham Lincoln
Differences Differences Differences
which
-1850 Compromise of 1850
whic
-1850 Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
West -1852 Uncle Tom's Cabin
-1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act
-1854 Republican Party formed
-1854 Bleeding Kansas
South -1857 Dred Scott Case
-1858 Lincoln Douglas Debates
-1859 John Brown's Raid
-1860 Lincoln Elected
-1860 South Carolina Secedes
North
-1861 Confederacy formed
10
QUESTIONS
SELF-TEST
How did national events and leaders pull the different sections of the U.S. apart?
NEW
UNIT

What we found
100.0
90.0 92
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
36
30.0
20.0
10.0
0
Was there any evidence of use of the Unit Organizer?

What we found
8.0
7.2
7
6.4 7
6
5.6
4.8
5
4.0
3.2
3
2.4 3
2
1.6
0.8 1
0
Review Introduce Add New End Lesson

What we found
100%
96%
90%
80%
70%
68%
60%
50%
40%
35%
30%
20%
18%
10%
0%
Did You Continue to Use? Will You Use in the Future?

average
cohenʼs d effect size

.96
average
cohenʼs d effect size

Please stay
connected

instructionalcoach.org

thebigfour.ning.com/

jknight@ku.edu

Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
what is an instructional coach?
Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
what is an instructional coach?
what do instructional coaches do?
Our questions for today.

why do we need coaches?
what is an instructional coach?
what do instructional coaches do?
what does our research say?
Our questions for today.