Based on The Impact Cycle (2017) by Jim Knight, this workshop describes the coaching cycle process for instructional coaches. All teachers, schools, and classrooms face their own unique challenges. An established process for guiding the coaching experience ensures that instructional coaches have all of the tools they need to help teachers set and achieve their goals for students. 

The Impact Cycle—the product
 of 20 years of ICG research (see instructionalcoaching.com/research)—provides a framework for any classroom coaching scenario. Participants in this workshop will learn why the cycle is successful and will gain experience using it through examples and guided exercises. 

Course Outline

Week One: The Impact Cycle Overview

• Discuss the complexities of helping adults and the Partnership Principles
• Distinguish among facilitative, directive, and dialogical coaching
• Examine “surface” versus “deep” instructional coaching
• Introduce the three stages of The Impact Cycle: Identify, Learn, and Improve

 [Participants will create a listing of the coaching requests they are currently receiving from teachers to determine which ones are surface coaching and which ones are candidates for deep, Impact Cycle coaching.]

Week Two:  The Identify Stage

• Determine how to help teachers get a clear picture of the current reality in their classrooms (through video, student interviews, student work, and/or observation data)
• Examine video of the modeling of setting a goal with the Identify Questions 

• Examine choosing an instructional strategy to use to hit the goal in a partnership environment 


 [Participants video record themselves practicing setting a goal with the Identify Questions with someone else before week three.]

Week Three:  The Learn Stage

• Discuss the importance of clear explanations when learning a new strategy 
• Examine how checklists and modeling aid in providing clear explanations
• Examine video of the modeling of explaining an instructional strategy to someone else

[Participants will video record themselves practicing explaining an instructional strategy to someone else before week four.]

Week Four:  The Improve Stage

• Discuss the importance of confirming direction with teachers on the goal
• Examine the multi-faceted elements of reviewing progress on the goal
• Troubleshoot the complexities of inventing improvements on the goal and/or the strategy when goal progress is not meeting expectations
• Discuss the different pathways a teacher can choose for planning next actions
• Examine video of the modeling of navigating a roadblock in the Improve stage

 [Participants will create a simple online tracking process for their Impact Cycles that uses the Impact Cycle Checklist they have created during weeks 2-4 as its foundation.]

Week Five:  Putting it All Together 

• Discuss some of the similarities and differences among coaching for academic achievement, coaching for positive classroom environments, and coaching for student engagement.
• Discuss Impact Cycle FAQs concerning role clarity, time, and the importance of administrator support and any additional questions from participants

In the event you need to cancel your virtual workshop registration, you can receive a full refund prior to your cohort start date. If you have any questions, please contact us at hello@instructionalcoaching.com.

If you do not receive an email containing course information at least 1 day prior to the event, please contact brooke@instructionalcoaching.com.