Running head: COACHING PLAN

Coaching Plan
Stephanie Walsh
EDL/531
March 2nd, 2015
Professor Lauren Laundis

COACHING PLAN

Coaching Plan
Client Name: Alonso Rodrigues Coach Name: Stephanie Walsh Date: March 2nd, 2015
Client Overview
Mr. Alonso Rodrigues is a talented multilingual 10th grade teacher who is
respected by students and other teachers alike. He is very passionate in the
English classes he teaches and strives to help young adults find their potential
in learning. Mr. Rodrigues empathizes with students who speak English as a
second language and does a great deal to see them improve; however, other
students view this as favoring them. He consistently receives very positive
teacher evaluations, especially in his classroom management skills. However,
his evaluations take note that he does not make all students feel important at
any given time, tends to not interact with other teachers, and does not involve
himself in the community.
A coaching relationship has been established with Mr. Rodriguez to
improve on his areas of improvement. Coach and teacher will meet every two
weeks to discuss progress and anything else that may be on Mr. Rodriguess
mind.
Create
Awareness

Role of mentor/coach
Build a rapport: We will spend the first coaching session by focusing
on introductions, expectations, and goals. We will share personal
information about our backgrounds to understand where we are both
coming from.
Share information and sources: I will keep on hand a binder that is full
of various resources that may become useful to Mr. Rodrigues. The
tabs will focus on different aspects of an educational career. I will
have personal experience and recommendations for each source.
Refine skills and develop new ones: I recognize Mr. Rodrigues is
known for his classroom management so we will explore ways to
make it even better. This creates a foundation of confidence, as he is
familiar with the concept. At the same time, we will explore new ways
for him to step out of his comfort zone and try new things to diversify
his repertoire.
Increase ability to reflect: As a coach, I will emphasize the importance
of reflecting on all experiences. Reflecting on the good and the bad of
the day (and taking note of them) allows a sense of continuity among
his teaching experience. Rather than treating each day individually, he
will learn to use the previous day to become a better teacher for
tomorrow.
Keeping a log of all discussed: To keep record of Mr. Rodriguess
progress and obstacles, I will keep a private log to help keep track of
the history. This will also be beneficial to my future coaching
relationships as I can learn from each mentoring session. The log will

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be confidential and only for Mr. Rodriguez and myself to see. This
will also keep track of the line of topics discussed at any given time.

Established agreements
Confidentiality: Everything discussed during sessions will be kept
private between Mr. Rodrigues and myself. This allows a retributionfree environment in which we are free to talk about deeper issues.
Constant feedback both ways: Feedback will be a given throughout the
sessions. Mr. Rodrigues is allowed to share his own feedback toward
my coaching skills. This reminds us that we both have room to grow
and learn.
Keep focus on goals: We will revert to his list of goals during each
session and identify areas of success and improvement.
Open to new ideas and methods: Coaching will successful with an
open mind. He must be willing to try new things that may not be
comfortable to him at first.
Effective listening: I will implement effective listening skills, allowing
him to be the focus of discussion. I will take the time to check for
understanding, ask good questions, and allow an appropriate balance
of talking between Mr. Rodrigues and me.
Methods of gauging interest and motivation
Transparent lifestyle: Understanding my background and experiences
in every aspect of my life will allow him to connect with aspects that
he desires for his own life. The more he understands me helps build
rapport and interest in my input and coaching.
Inspiring through dreams: Where does he see himself in five years?
Where does he see himself in ten years? Discussing dreams in his life
will motivate him to align his present actions to future aspirations.
Listening and encouraging: When I show interest in his goals and
dreams, he will be motivated to participate and be more involved in
coaching sessions.
Understanding of expectations and assumptions
Definition of success: During the first session, we will discuss his
definition of success. We will break down each part of it and how he
came to it. This will provide a foundation of what he expects from our
coaching sessions.
Time: It will be expected that time will be put aside every two weeks
for a coaching session. For improvement to be evident, we must both
make it a priority to invest in coaching.
Leave it better than how you found it: This will be my expectation
throughout each session. This means not settling for the status quo and
not accepting things on how they are if they can be improved.
Always learning: Learning is a lifelong career. I will expect him as a

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teacher to show ways to his students how he himself is a learner like
them. I will assume he will be implementing what he has learned
during the sessions.

Establish
Realistic Goals
and Objectives

Design an
Action Plan

1. Write one objective for each lesson taught in your English classes.
Tools: lesson plans
Target Date: Establish new rhythm by the end of month one.
2. Find a passion within the community to be involved in. Attend on a
monthly basis.
Tools: Community website and newsletter, after-school
activities within district
Target Date: Choose topic of interest and research of options
by the end of month two. Be involved by month 3. Be involved
in a monthly basis by month 6.
3. Be involved in professional development with other teachers on a
monthly basis.
Tools: On site development seminars, monthly teacher
meetings
Target Date: Attend monthly by month 4.
4. To help make all students feel important, English will be spoken 90%
of the class time. 10% of the class may be spent explaining concepts to
ESL students, if necessary. If further explanation in another language
is necessary, it will be done during the students working time.
Tools: lesson plan, student feedback
Target Date: This goal will be accomplished by the end of the
school semester.
Model
Lifelong learning: I will model what is expected of Mr. Rodrigues by
displaying a constant desire to learn new things. I will share what I am
learning and give him opportunities to share as well.
Transparency: My life will be an open book. Though I will allow my
life to be private, I can still communicate different parts of my life
with him, not just professionally related.
Support
Emotional support: While I maintain a level mind, I am always
available for emotional support. I will be available to listen to
frustrations and stresses that may be occurring in Mr. Rodriguess life.
Physical support: I will be physically present during every session. I
will be on time and not allow distractions to detract from him.
Instructional support: I will provide support regarding his instruction
in the class in any way possible. We will brainstorm new techniques
together and give references to reliable methods.

COACHING PLAN

Institutional support: I will provide support on understanding the

schools standards and policies. I will keep these resources close at
hand to benefit his full understandingof his school and district.

Motivation
Keeping the big picture in mind: To maintain motivation, remind him
of the big picture that he strives for, especially his list of goals. Every
step he takes now is one step closer to whom he strives to be.
Encouragement
Celebrate successes: Every milestone and success is worth
celebrating! Celebrating can be a simple high five, positive feedback,
or a homemade dessert.
Monitor
Progress

Set standards: Standards are found in the established goals. Goals will
be developed together with Mr. Rodrigues and myself.
Measure actual performance: Performance will be based on
discussions that take place during coaching sessions. He will reflect on
his experiences with the community and other teachers. Also, I will sit
in each of his classrooms in the middle and at the end of the school
semester to measure performance.
Compare actual performance to standard: One session will be
dedicated to aligning performance with goals. Mr. Rodrigues will have
the opportunity to give self-rating as well as provide reflection.
Take corrective action
o Solve problem: If one of the goals has a specific obstacle in the
way that can be fixed, we will work on solving it. We will find
a solution to make sure there is progress toward that goal.
o Revise standard: If one goal is not plausible after a period of
time trying, then we will make the goal more realistic. For
example, perhaps there are limited things in the community
that he is interested in. Perhaps an option would be to create a
new activity for students to participate in.
o Do nothing: If the goal is met, positive feedback will
immediately be given. No corrective action is necessary.

Forms of encouragement
Compliments: To keep compliments meaningful, they will be direct
and specific to the situation.
Rewards: Though there may be external rewards such as compliments
and positive feedback, there will be a heavy emphasis on internal
rewards such as self-satisfaction.
Continual review: We will review progress on a biweekly basis.
Keeping interaction positive and supportive: Coaching sessions should
be a stress-free and comfortable setting. The setting will be positive

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through word affirmations, body language and, voice tone. Support
will be displayed through genuine interest in progress, direct eye
contact, and follow up questions during each session. Follow up
questions convey that the initial discussion was meaningful enough to
discuss again.

Obstacles of successful completion

Time: Teachers are not ones to usually have a lot of time on their
hands. It may not be possible to always be involved in the community
or with other professionals. That is why it is important to discuss time
management and how to carve out time for these important things.
His gravitation toward ESL students: His help toward ESL students
have always been commendable and he has received positive remarks
on it in his evaluations, but sometimes his other students feel left out.
Helping those who speak other languages seems to be his reflex. He
will need to be more cognizant on how much time he is spending on
speaking other languages or he will fall back into old ways.
Coming to
Closure

Expectations for Personal/Professional Growths: I expect that he will stay true

to his long-term goals and how his current goals align with them. He will be
encouraged to try different methods will assist with his new set up of one
objective per lesson plan.
Each goal is spread out through a school semester to give time for adjustments
and flexibility:
1. Write one objective for each lesson taught in your English classes
a. One month is provided because he has done so well at
providing an objective per week that this would be a slight
change to what he already accomplishes.
b. Once established, this will be carried out with every class
every year.
2. Find a passion within the community to be involved in. Attend on a
monthly basis.
a. If he cannot find one, then he should make one.
b. This will not be an instant change. His time outside of school
must be considered and how he spends his time should not be
taken lightly. It should truly be worth his time.
3. Be involved in professional development with other teachers on a
monthly basis.
a. This will be a simple change, as it will be conveniently
occurring in his school setting. This is just something he never
consciously put time aside to attend them.
b. When attending such development seminars, it opens
opportunities to build rapport with the other teachers and in
turn, opportunities to learn form them as well.

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4. To help make all students feel important, English will be spoken 90%
of the class time. 10% of the class may be spent explaining concepts to
ESL students, if necessary. If further explanation in another language
is necessary, it will be done during the students working time.
a. This will be an on going goal for the whole semester as this is
a new concept he will need to be acclimated with.
b. The focus is not to focus on ESL students anymore, but to keep
the balance of English speaking in an English class to keep
everyone involved and feeling important.
Conclusion

Mr. Rodrigues has many commendable attributes to his teaching style and his passionate
stance on his teaching subject. With the help of a coach, he soon learns to capitalize on his
strengths and find new strengths through achievable goals. His aspirations and long-term goals as
his ultimate compass, he finds motivation to further serve his well-deserving students. His
feedback during his evaluations will become his guide to ensure he improves on the factors that
were considered areas of improvement. The coach will act as a soundboard and a source of
knowledge to help him achieve a more effective way of teaching and reaching out to his students.
Through this coaching plan, Mr. Rodrigues will grow in ways he did not imagine before and will
be able to share these growing experiences to less experienced teachers. Soon, the roles will be
switched and he will be the coach.

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References

Knight, J. (2009). Coaching: approaches and perspectives. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.
Portner, H. (2005). Teacher mentoring and induction: the state of the art and beyond. Thousand
Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.
Zachary, L. (2000). The mentor's guide: facilitating effective learning relationships. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.