The Instructional Coach’s Toolkit

Coaching "Take the Steps"

This episode explores how to coach teachers to use Take the Steps effectively—breaking tasks into manageable moves, modeling them in under 45 seconds, and redirecting students through the steps instead of re-teaching. Practical feedback strategies and look-fors included.

Coaching "Wait Time"

In this episode, we look at Wait Time through a coaching lens. Learn how to help teachers tighten their questioning, extend their pauses, and use cold call to ensure every student thinks. Includes practical look-fors, evidence-based feedback moves, and troubleshooting tips.

Coaching "Accountable Independent Reading (AIR)"

This episode looks at Accountable Independent Reading through a coaching lens. We unpack what strong AIR actually looks like in the classroom and how coaches can help teachers refine each part of the routine — from tightening the launch, to strengthening monitoring, to making accountability consistent. You’ll get clear look-fors, practical feedback moves, and strategies for supporting teachers as they build AIR into a reliable, high-impact routine.

Coaching " Everybody Practice"

Effective instruction isn’t about keeping students busy — it’s about ensuring everyone practices with purpose. In this episode, we look at how coaches can help teachers design, cue, and monitor Everybody Practice to maximize engagement, accuracy, and learning across the room.

Coaching "Own and Track"

Helping teachers build student ownership is one of the highest-leverage coaching moves. This episode focuses on how to support teachers in designing systems for students to track goals, measure progress, and reflect meaningfully. You’ll learn what strong ownership looks like in action, how to spot token compliance, and how to guide teachers toward authentic, data-driven reflection practices that sustain motivation and achievement.

Coaching "Stretch It"

Coaching for rigor means helping teachers move beyond correctness to cognitive lift. This episode breaks down how to observe, model, and plan effective “stretch” questions that extend student reasoning. You’ll learn to identify missed stretch opportunities, plan progressive question sequences, and give feedback that helps teachers raise the level of thinking in every exchange.

Coaching "Culture of Error"

This episode dives into coaching strategies for building a genuine Culture of Error across classrooms. We unpack what to look for in observations, how to coach teachers on error-friendly questioning, and ways to help teams distinguish between “productive struggle” and student confusion. You’ll get conversation prompts, feedback moves, and examples of how to cultivate classrooms where mistakes drive learning rather than shut it down.

Coaching "Art of the Sentence"

Clarity is the cornerstone of rigor. This episode unpacks how coaches can help teachers use Art of the Sentence to make student thinking visible. Discover how focused prompts, modeling, and feedback transform classrooms from talk-heavy to thought-rich — where precision in language drives precision in learning.

Coaching "Firm Calm Finesse"

This episode focuses on how coaches can help teachers strengthen their use of Firm Calm Finesse. We’ll discuss what to look for in classroom observations—brevity, tone, body language, subtlety, and resets—and how to model stronger alternatives in feedback. Discover practical coaching strategies that help teachers deliver corrections calmly, preserve authority, and protect classroom culture.

Coaching "Affirmative Checking"

This episode focuses on how coaches can support teachers in using Affirmative Checking effectively. We’ll discuss what to look for in observations—planning, clear cues, efficient scanning, and confident affirmations—and how to model stronger teacher responses in feedback. Discover practical coaching moves that help teachers build classrooms where success is the expectation and learning stays on pace.