Coaching Call: Coaching New Teachers with Nikki Drury, Ep. 75 Buzzing with Ms. B: The Coaching Podcast

Why is coaching new teachers so hard?

On this coaching call, I’m joined by Nikki Drury. She’s a literacy instructional coach in a Texas grade 3-5 school.

Nikki has many coaching responsibilities but spends much of her time developing new teachers. Some teachers she coaches have limited classroom experience, while others have several years at different campuses.

Nikki and I talk about some of the challenges she faces coaching new teachers. We discuss how to find the balance between showing and doing for teachers.

Tips for Coaching New Teachers

Nikki’s school has many campus-aligned literacy strategies and programs in place. It can be overwhelming for new teachers to learn so many things all at once.

While discussing this on the call, one tip I suggest is making a video for each strategy. The videos can feature her or any other willing teachers modeling the lessons in action.

This will create a video library that teachers can watch on-demand. Teachers can get extra support when they want, but it won’t add to their already heavy workload.

Developing Teachers’ Thinking

On this episode of The Coaching Podcast, Nikki and I discuss how to develop the thinking skills of teachers. This is critical for lasting change and improving teachers’ practice.

When I model a mini-lesson or any other type of lesson, I want teachers to see the thought process that goes into it.

During the planning, I explain how I’m pulling from the standards and figuring out what to focus on. Once the lesson plan is complete, I model it in the classroom. Then I debrief with the teachers and ask questions that guide them to think about what they saw in the lesson.

This technique is super impactful for teachers. It can be a valuable way to spend time with new teachers.

If you give it a try, let me know how it goes in the comments below or tag me on Instagram.

More Ideas for Coaching New Teachers

The ideas above are a small sample of what we discuss on the coaching call. This episode has many tips and topics, including tiering support, classroom management during guided reading, and encouraging teacher visitations. If you’re a literacy coach, you’ll find lots of valuable tips to help you coach with confidence.

Ready to listen? You can listen below with the media player, or search for Buzzing with MS. B: The Coaching Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!