Coaching Starts with Collaborative Partnerships

Coaching Starts with Collaborative Partnerships 

Joyce Escorcia: We are so glad that you decided to share your hour with us today, and we look forward to hearing from you, and some of the great ideas and strategies that you are using and finding effective in building those collaborative coaching partnerships. Because we know it all starts with collaborative partnerships. I am Joyce Escorcia with the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning, or the NCECDTL, or DTL. Thanks for being here with us again, and I am joined today by my colleague, Sarah Basler, who's also a CTL, and so we're just excited to have this conversation with you today.

Just as a reminder, the Coaching Corner webinar series occurs every other month, and so we invite you to go ahead and mark your calendar for the next episode on July 25, 2018, at 3 p.m. Eastern. So, we'll see you right back here in July where we're going to be talking about data. And we know that for many of you, it could possibly fall during your summer break. So, we look forward to kind of having that conversation in July. The goal of every episode is to support you as a coach by exploring specific topics that are relevant to you in your role, identifying resources and strategies specific to our topic, and then putting it into practice through scenarios, videos, opportunities to ask questions, and discussions.

So, before we begin, I'd just like to go over some information about the webinar and the platform itself, so you can get the most out of this experience. So at times, we're going to ask you to type in the chat box. And I think most of us are comfortable there, 'cause I see we've been using that for our lobby talk, and that's located right to the right of the PowerPoint. We'd also like to point out the question and answer box that's right next to the chat box. And some have already kind of taken advantage of that.

And so, if you need an answer to a specific question, then please use the question and answer box. We'll get that question directly. If it's something that maybe you don't want to ask with the larger group, so please feel free to use that, as well. And we'll be monitoring that throughout. And then the supporting documents, so all the handouts for this webinar, including the PDF of the presentation, can be found in the supporting documents box. And that's going to be right below the chat box. You're going to see supporting documents, and that includes all of the handouts for today, and a handout of the PowerPoint that you can take notes on. So, you can download those documents at any time.

And then I'd also like to point out that you can also download the transcript from this webinar. And the transcript box is located right below in the left-hand corner below the PowerPoint presentation. So, you can hit save and save the transcript from this presentation, as well. And I'd also like to point out that at the end of the webinar, we're going to have an evaluation link, and so we ask that you please, please take just a couple of minutes to fill that out, that it really does help to inform our work, and just puts us in a place to better support you in the work that you do. And then also, once you complete the evaluation link, you will also be able to download a certificate of participation for today's webinar.

And also, our webinar today is being recorded and will be posted to the ECLKC. But directly after the webinar, we'll also be posting the link into the MyPeers PBC community, along with all of the resources from the—from the webinar itself. Oh, and one other quick thing about the evaluation link. If—say if you're in a room and, you know, several coaches, you're there watching this webinar together and participating, that's great. All you would do is everyone would—would click on the evaluation link separately.

You can use the same link and it'll take you to your own evaluation, and you can each download your own certificate of participation. So, I think we are ready to get things started. And so, by the end of the webinar today, you should be able to describe the characteristics of an effective collaborative partnership, identify strategies to establish that collaborative partnership, and then, also, discuss resources to support collaborative partnerships. And so, during our time together, we're going to start by talking about, what is a collaborative partnership? Then, how can I support a collaborative partnership? And then also talking about where I can find strategies about collaborative partnerships.

So, let's begin by talking about collaborative partnerships and how they can be developed. And so, we just kind of wanted to lay the foundation, again, always looking back at the standards—the Head Start Program Performance Standards and the guidance that they provide. So, the Performance Standards requires that programs implement a research-based, coordinated coaching strategy. And so, you'll notice that the Performance Standards ask you to choose a research-based strategy and implement it systematically, but it does not say that you have to use practice-based coaching, which is one very specific research-based coaching strategy. PBC training, technical assistance, and resources are available for your regional early childhood specialists, grantee specialists, and from the National Centers.

And those you have access to, your regional team PA system, or your program does, and then also, materials related to practice-based coaching are available free of charge on the ECLKC. You do not have to choose PBC, so feel free to explore other research-based coaching strategies or models, and choose the one that's right for your program. For our time together today, we'll be specifically referencing practice-based coaching and collaborative coaching partnerships are central to the PBC model. So, there are many delivery methods of PBC, but no matter what delivery method or format that you choose of PBC, the key components remain the same across all of those methods. And so, it's all about engaging in and kind of coaching in the context of a collaborative partnership, having the knowledge of those effective teaching practices at the core of the work.

So, you'll see those effective teaching practices in the middle. So, those effective teaching practices are applicable to home visitors who use them to support parents in kind of being their child's first educator, having shared goals and action planning to guide the work. So, we see that's the first component. And then engaging in that focused observation and then using reflection feedback as tools for support and growth for those—for those that are coached. So, PBC occurs within the context of a collaborative partnership. A collaborative partnership is a safe place where coachees feel free to ask questions, discuss problems, get support, gather feedback, and try new ideas. The partnership develops as the coach asks questions, makes connections, and help education staff feel appreciated.

And we're going to kind of focus in on some of those strategies for that to happen today. And we say a partnership in that relationship because collaborative partnerships are professional in nature, and we know that relationships can take time to develop and will develop, but that, you know, you can't establish a partnership with staff and begin working towards change while you're still getting to know each other. So, we know that it's great to develop a relationship with coachees. Now, when we say coachees, we're talking about a teacher, home visitor, family child care providers. It is possible to have a partnership without having a close relationship with him or her.

And so, remember that's those collaborative partnerships are the foundation of every PBC delivery method, whether using expert coaching, peer coaching, or group coaching, including TLCs, you will work to build a collaborative partnership with people that you coach. The collaborative partnerships are also the key to success in distance coaching. So, the way you form those partnerships may vary, whether it's Skype calls, text messages, video sharing. But the partnerships are still critical.

And then, you may use some of those other formats, like Skype, text message and video sharing, even if you are doing kind of in-person coaching, as well. So, you can use a variety of strategies there. And also, we want to kind of point out one of the handouts we have available to you. And again, that's available under the chat box. There's a supporting documents box. And that's the Practice-based Coaching Collaborative Coaching Partnership for more in-depth kind of information about collaborative partnerships. That's just another handout for today. And then also included, we have a Tips for Coaches about establishing collaborative partnerships, as well. And so, the collaborative coaching partnership is built around kind of three key ideas.

And that's that shared understanding—that support and communication. And so, you may wonder if something that comes up, why is having a shared understanding important in the coaching partnership? And so, to feel comfortable about taking risks and trying new ideas, a coachee must understand kind of the process, the coach and coachee must have a shared understanding of the mutual goals that they identify, they make decisions together about the practices that they will address during coaching about how the coaching partnership will progress. Teachers and coaches have a shared understanding about decision making. They have choices about their goals, their plans, and that process of coaching. So, that shared understating is so important because, again, it's that collaborative partnership. It's not just a one-sided kind of interaction.

And so, the next thing that we look at is, why is support so important in a coaching partnership? And so, the coaches' role is to support the coachees professional goals and to celebrate success. The coach becomes a resource for the coachee, and encourages, affirms, and helps solve problems. Those collaborative coaching partnerships are not evaluated or judgmental. So, the coaches and the coachees kind of build that rapport and trust with one another through positive support and a shared understanding. And again, those things kind of take time to kind of establish and kind of be a part of that partnership. And then finally, the collaborative partnership is characterized by that ongoing and frequent communication.

So, coachees and coaches make time for one another and they stick to their commitments. That it's a priority that that partnership, that time together is a priority. That they meet regularly, whether that's in person or virtually to create action plans, discuss focused observations, reflection, and feedback, and to plan the next steps. And then, now, we just want to spend some time discussing strategies to build—to build a supportive collaborative partnership. One of the strategies to use to kind of develop and support that collaborative partnership is developing a coaching contract, or some of you may refer to it as a coaching agreement. So, developing a coaching contract, or agreement, is important in establishing and supporting a collaborative partnership.

A coaching contract is a document that includes statements of coaches and coachees responsibilities and commitments to coaching that is agreed upon and signed by coaching partners. A coaching contract supports accountability, transparency, and consistency between coaching partners. So, it can be a great tool, and it's within that collaborative partnership. And so, while the coaching contracts can look different across programs, and that is completely the way it should be, there are some things to really, that it must include. And that's the coach and the coachee responsibilities.

So, really being clear with both the coach and the coachee that they're both clear within this coaching contract or agreement on, this is what I am going to do and am I responsible for on both sides. And then it also may include a supervisory, or other kind of personnel responsibilities and commitments. Again, just so everyone is clear on kind of the parameters of that partnership together. And then, again, communication about data sharing and expectations so that no one is kind of surprised on what data and how data are going to be shared and used within the PBC cycle.

And the coaching contract should be signed and agreed by all of the coaching partners and developed or modified by coaching partners together. And again, the coaching contract is kind of a living document. It's something that can kind of change and be modified as you're moving across your program year, and also, that partnership with that coachee. So, what do you include in your coaching contracts or agreements? And so, this is where, now we kind of, we want to hear from you. And you can use the chat box to respond. And so, we just want to hear from you. What are some of the—what are some things that you're including in your coaching contracts or agreements?

What's some things that you've found that work well? And I see people are typing. So, this is the hard part for me is to kind of wait for things to pop up. So, we're going to kind of wait a few minutes. I see Jessie Fisk commitment to, no, commitment to responding, to respecting each other's time. Jessie, that's a great point. Then responsibilities and expectations of the coaching process. And thank you, Laura, for that. That is so important because if it's written down and everyone knows, there's no surprises and everyone knows what to expect throughout the process.

So, that's great, as well. Commitment to meet. That's a great thing as well there. Openness to change in learning. Consistency, Brenda, that's a great one, as well. Coach and coachee responsibilities. Maria, again, that keeps kind of affirming some of those things that have been listed. Accountability, Nicole, that's great, as well. And great, Tracy, so you have a coaching contract that explains those expectations.

That's great, as well. Maggie, I see you kind of bring up that site supervisor's piece is to make sure that there's a place and a time to meet. So, that's great that you kind of have the site supervisor connected in that way. So, you do have that time and space available. And Brandon, I love how you put in there as a part of it, a part of your coaching contract including actually having it stated in there, being respectful and supportive. And also, maybe even listing, like, what does that look like? Because now, that can be different, also, kind of depending on culture, and how people communicate.

And again, Maria added, great. You mentioned kind of following a protocol and that's great. But I kind of think of that with the coaching contract in that, you know, it gives people kind of like clear direction and the clear parameters of that partnership and working together. And Crystal, we're so glad that you're here, and glad that you're able to take away maybe some ideas and things to help you in your own practice.

So, thank you for joining us. And Angie, I see you kind of mentioned protected time, and things like being an active listener, offering constructive feedback. I also love, Angie, how you mentioned that piece about being confidential. That's also something important that could be included within that coaching contract because we know that that can be a piece that can make some people a little bit uncomfortable.

And Christine, I see you've mentioned kind of maintaining separation in between coaching and performance evaluation. So, that's also something else that could be included within that coaching contract or agreement that's really important. Crystal, we're so glad you're here, as well. And Julie. So, so glad that we have some newer folks on our webinar today. So again, we've had some really great responses and some great conversation there. So, we thank you for that. And please keep them coming. I think we are going to kind of move on just a bit and keep our conversation going. But we're going to have plenty of time to kind of chat together via the chat box coming up, as well.

And just kind of thinking about another strategy to kind of build and support that collaborative partnership is to consider how adults learn. So, as coaches of teachers, home visitors, or family child care providers, it's important to understand how adults learn so that you can build that knowledge into your coaching efforts. So, honoring adult learning styles—honoring adult learning styles can strengthen your partnership efforts as coachees feel respected for how they learn best. And as a bonus, your coaching will be more effective So, on the screen, there are three adult learning principles. And there are many others included in the resources for this webinar today, but let's just consider how these three adult learning principles apply within the PBC coaching, within your PBC coaching effort.

So, when we think about connecting new information with what they already know, so during the coaching session, it's important to give examples of when and how the coachee demonstrated, like, a targeted practice so they can easily connect it to what he or she was already doing. And so then, also, retaining and implementing new information if it's immediately applied. So, encouraging the coachee to try new strategies as soon as possible after they're introduced.

And then, also, the other principle that we see there on the screen is that that piece of active participation, that adults learn best if they are active participants in the process. So, during the coaching session, be aware of how much you are talking. And remember that this is a collaborative partnership. So, it's important to be careful to not kind of take over the conversation and encouraging staff to discuss and reflect on their own practice invites them to become active participants in the learning process. So, included in the handouts are a couple of resources with more details about adult learning.

So, adult learning principles is one of the resources that you'll find, again, below the chat box in the supporting documents tab, or the supporting documents box. And so, this is a resource that you can find on the ECLKC, and it outlines six research-based adult learning principles. And these principles could help you establish and support a collaborative partnership. And another resource we have is the TEAL Center Fact Sheet. And it's around adult learning theories. And when we say TEAL, that stands for Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy. And so, this resource kind of improves the quality of teaching and adult education by focusing on improving writing for adult basic education students.

So, TEAL offers resources and strategies to support basic instruction and adult education programs. So, while this resource is specifically kind of geared to and refers to literacy, it can also be used to support a collaborative partnership. And so, now we want to kind of go back to the chat box, and we want to discuss a little bit, what resources related to adult learning are you already using to support those collaborative partnerships with coachees.

So, we want share—we want you to share some of those current strategies. And what's working well? What are you using, kind of related to adult learning within your own coaching work? I see them coming on. Hands-on learning, but them choosing the topics. That's a great strategy, Brenda. The 15-minute In-service Suites. And that has some great strategies, and also some great practices there, as well. Asking the protégé to identify the areas they want to raise, raise the bar, kind of getting their buy-in. Yeah, so definitely getting the buy-in, Kathy, it's important. Using modeling is important, as well.

 Reflective coaching, or even strategies for reflective supervision. I see Emily's talking about how she uses video to kind of talk about what went well. So, lots of kind of great ideas. All are really great. And again, when we're thinking about working with those adult learners, it is really so important to kind of get their buy-in and, like a lot of the resources and things I see kind of mentioned here. Those are really great. And to again, to kind of remember that it's about connecting some of that new information with what they already know. And then, so Faith, you are using those 15-minute In-service Suites.

So, Faith, maybe you're working with staff who have experience with some of the suites. And it's about maybe not approaching it like this as something brand new, but kind of connecting it to kind of their previous knowledge of the suite. Or I saw some people even mention, like, class resources. So, that's something else that you can kind of tie in together there. Sandy, I love the question that you have, that just asking, like, what is your best way of learning, and kind of acknowledging that, and realizing that our coachees may learn in a way that's different from us, right? And so, I'm kind of a very hands-on learner.

And so, for me, like, if you can show me how to do it and I can see it, then I want to be able to kind of play around with it and do something myself. And other people, they prefer to just kind of have the directions given to them, and have things kind of fully explained. And so, I think that that's a great point, as well. Maggie, I love that you put relating my past experiences and learning experiences to theirs. And so, that's a great point, as well, just kind of relating to your own past experiences to your—to your coachees. That's a great way to kind of build that collaborative partnership.

And Sandra, yeah, many times as coachees, we all appreciate just kind of that hands-on modeling of this is what it looks like. So, that's another great strategy, as well. Kind of what are your learning types, and there's some great resources out there about, you know, kind of learning styles, and what that is, and what that looks like. So, there's some great little tests and things available that you can use to kind of identify your own learning style and those of your coachees. And Brandon, I love that you just put listening. Because sometimes that is just as important. Just listening.

OK. So, I see that we still have some typing coming in, so we're going to kind of—we're going to move on just a bit, but we're also going to kind of keep an eye on the chat box, as well. And so, our next strategy to kind of build that collaborative partnership is just getting to know coachees. And getting to know more about them. What interests them? Kind of what their experience and the expertise that they bring to the, kind of what they bring to the table. And things like, what is their schedule? Coaching should fit into a staff's schedule and not be an inconvenience. So like, an example could be a teacher may prefer to meet at lunchtime because she needs to leave immediately after school to be home when her children get out of school. So, that's something to consider.

Like, what time works best for them? And to be as sensitive as possible to that. And then, what is their style? And that came up quite a bit in the chat box, as well. That it's good to observe before you begin coaching to become familiar with how education staff interact with the children, how their classroom is organized. So, be sure to let staff know if and when you plan to visit. And that it's not to evaluate. That it's not tied to evaluation at all. So, it's just for you to become kind of acclimated to their learning environment.

And so, that's a great way to kind of start things off. You know, it's just, "We're just coming in just to kind of get to know you, get to know—to know your space." Or even having them kind of give you a tour or kind of just an overview of their classroom, of their learning environment, and what that means, and what that looks like. So, it may be helpful to use, like, a learning styles assessment to identify and discuss individual learning styles. So, this could be helpful in identifying whether individual or group coaching is preferred, and which matches an individual's learning style best.

And so again, there's a lot of those available online. But those could be helpful just to kind of help start to have that conversation. And then, coaching history. You know, has that education staff, have they participated in coaching before? Has that home visitor been a part of a coaching initiative before? Have they had a coach before? How did it work? Was it a positive experience for them? What would have made it better? Just sometimes asking some of those questions. So, there are many types of coaches and many methods for coaching, so be sure to kind of clearly explain, like, what your role as a coach will be.

And also, to kind of explain, if there have been other, kind of coaching models and formats within a program, to kind of explain to them how PBC differs from past coaching experiences that staff may have had. So kind of ... So, everyone has a clear understanding of what PBC is and what that means as far as that collaborative partnership. And then, also, personal stories. New babies, family events. Just to kind of show interest and make that connection. So, across all coaching delivery options, whether it's individual, or group, or in-person, or virtual. So, telling staff about yourself and asking about them helps to develop connections and to better understand one another.

So, finding common ground is the basis for all relationships. And we know that trust starts with knowing about other people and just caring about who they are as a person. That that really kind of goes a long way. And then another strategy for kind of building that collaborative coaching partnership, is thinking about coaching and culture. So, culture is an important part of who we are. So, it seems likely, then, in something as personal as coaching, cultural considerations will be important to kind of ensure a strong collaborative partnership. So, for example, if we have cultural preferences or experiences that influence our own communication style, and our coachee has a different communication style preference, then that can get in the way of building a partnership or establishing a trusting relationship.

So, most importantly, we don't want cultural bias to get in the way of coaching, or we really won't be able to be an objective coach. So, on this slide we see some ideas about how to be mindful of this in our coaching work. And so, thinking about cultural sensitivities, so considering how your behavior may influence your interactions, what a staff's response to your actions may mean, and what you can learn from that person or group that you're working with. So, just to realize kind of that my own behavior, that my own actions, like, how could that be kind of perceived by that person that I am coaching? And being clear in communication. And then the other thing to kind of think about is building those trusting relationships.

So, look for information on the context that sustain and give meaning to staff's values, and beliefs, and behaviors, as compared to the context with which you are kind of, like, assessing the situation to realize that not everyone thinks the same, that we all come from these very diverse backgrounds. And that's a great thing, and just to be aware and sensitive to those. And then, also, just addressing diversity issues. So, how does culture influence what happens in a classroom? Or how does culture influence what happens during a home visit or a socialization? So, culture may come into play when coaching staff.

So, caring for young children is rooted in culture. Conflict, discomfort can stem from varying approaches. So, we really need to kind of address the diversity issues that are there, and just kind of be aware of those and how, kind of how to approach those things. And so, what are some of your ideas and experiences related to the influence of culture on the coaching relationship, or that coaching partnership?

So, we want to hear from you. Kind of what has been your experience with culture and coaching?

And how have you addressed those things? What are some of the things that you do to kind of be sure that you're being, kind of, culturally and linguistically responsive within the context of that coaching partnership? Asking a lot of questions. Different age groups is something to be aware of. Definitely. I think that's a great point, Diane, as well, because that could, that—that definitely kind of can—can affect and kind of have something to do with that culture piece, as well. Asking reflective questions. 

Sarah Basler: I like how—a researcher mindset. 

Joyce: I'm sorry, Sarah, go ahead. 

Sarah: Oh, no, that's fine. I noticed one response that was great. Frequently checking in to see if your approach in communication is working for the coachee. So, actually just continuing to check in with that is great. Oh, I like what Tabatha says. She says she uses some words of the culture as an icebreaker, like, that might be represented in the culture. So, that's a neat way to incorporate culture. 

Joyce: Yeah, and I love Trevor mentioned, kind of proximity. He said, kind of as a male, proximity. I'd say that's a great point. I would just think that proximity in general is something great to consider, because kind of personal space definitely can be influenced by culture. 

Sarah: Mm-hmm. I also like that there's a response to say, making sure the contracts and resources in your paperwork are offered in the primary language. That's so important. And to even just inquire about teachers' visions and beliefs so that you can know more about your coachees, and how they might handle certain scenarios. I love this. When you're going on home visits, being present and really listening to when you're in the household. Listening is so important. Sometimes we get carried away with trying to just provide information that we forget that listening is so important.

People just need to be heard sometimes. Understanding cultural norms. Because what we might—what we might feel might not be something that we're used to, culturally. It might be something that's totally a norm in someone else's culture. Oh, this is great. So, Maria says that she started coaching at a new site where the majority of children, and families, and teachers are Asian. And what she does first is an introduction letter about herself, and asks the teachers to introduce themselves and talk about what they'd like to share. That's so great. Really starting—starting that partnership great off in the beginning. That's wonderful. Yeah, and being present, and aware, and sensitive.

That's so critical. It's hard to be present sometimes, especially with jobs that, like ours that we have. We're always so busy that we get carried away with kind of what's coming next. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and be present. And then being aware of cultural bias. That is so important. That's really important. And often, even being aware of our own cultural biases, and being able to, like, set those aside, so that we can coach effectively. I think it's also really important to just be aware of how people perceive what it is that we are saying, as well, too, because often perception is that is a reality for people.

Like, how I perceive something coming across might not be how someone else really perceives what I said. So, I liked some of the answers where it's saying, like, really just checking in with coachees to kind of just ask, is this effective? Asking questions is always great. And then I'm going to respond to a few more and then we'll move on. So, this is great. Kim says, "It's important to understand stereotypes, and also a consideration for culture change between first and second generation in the U.S." Wow. 

Joyce: Very powerful. 

Sarah: Yeah. These are great because this makes everyone aware. These are things that I didn't even think of. Make sure that your non-verbal cues match the words you speak. That's great. 

Joyce: Yeah, that's powerful. And I see that Mariela, she was asking about some tips on kind of setting aside our own cultural bias. And I think we have a resource that you can share that, well, could maybe be helpful with that. 

Sarah: Sure. OK. Let's move onto that. So, this resource that you see on the screen, this is a resource that we have, found in our supporting documents, and it's supporting diverse populations within the early childhood workforce. This document offers resources about policy development, dual language learners, and staff's competency skills when supporting diverse populations.

So, this resource is, like I said, available to download in your supporting documents. It'll also be available on MyPeers after this webinar. You can find that by clicking on the files tab and going to the coaching corner webinars tab. There's also, under the welcome tab, you can find those resources, a link to these resources, as well. This resource will also be on the ECLKC in the fall of 2018. So, be on the lookout. All right, so another strategy to build collaborative partnerships is making a connection between coaching and other professional development experiences. That's another great way to build collaborative partnerships.

So, it's important, like, following up in a coaching session with what was addressed in a training can help ensure that staff understands the principles so that they connect it back to their work and the practices that they learned in the training. So, for example, if a coachee attends a pyramid model training, the coach can reflect with the coachee, and point out ways that he or she has observed the coachee implementing some of the strategies that were provided in the training. So, it helps to affirm what the coachee is already doing in their environment. So, really making those connections between what is being observed and maybe what the teacher's already doing within their environment, or within the home visits. All right. Another thing that helps is to establish a culture of coaching within your program.

So, professional development and coaching are a parallel process to the way that we support children and families. Each person receives the individual support that they need on the skills that they need support with. So, a coachee may receive coaching on supporting literacy development, but may not need support with making connections with children and families. But another coachee might be really skilled at assessing children that need support with how to make those meaningful connections. So, it's important to note that this is tailored to really the strengths and needs of a coachee. And PD is totally parallel with this.

A culture of coaching indicates that all education staff engage in the parallel process, and that explicit communication about the purpose of coaching. It's very important to be explicit. Because sometimes we think that we're communicating clearly, and we might not be. So, clear communication about the coaching activities and expectations. And then of course we always want to celebrate and celebrate of those coaching wins, to really build up our coachee and our staff. All right, this clip art that's used here is great. The jack-of-all-trades.

Because I know that in much of your work that you probably feel like that sometimes, that you don't have enough heads for your hats that you own. But another way to build a collaborative partnership is to establish yourself as a resource. So, your expertise and your experience, those are valuable. Those are a valuable resource to your coachee. So, you could use some of your experiences to help model a practice, brainstorm solutions to a problem, or even share your experiences and ideas.

Now, it's important that when, if you are going to model practices, you want to make sure that your coachee is comfortable with you doing that. And so, I always ask the coachee kind of what they're comfortable with. Some strategies that I might use within the meeting that we might have, or even some strategies I might use within the observation. So, it's important that you ask before you just do it, because it could make them feel very uncomfortable. And also, you might not be comfortable with it yourself. So, make sure that you have really prepared yourself for what you might model.

So, I want to go ahead and ask you guys to use the chat box again and respond. How do you use your previous expertise and experience to establish yourself as a resource for your coachees? What are some things that you guys do to establish yourself as a resource? Use the chat box. Let's see. Oh, I like this. Rita says, "I use a survey for gathering information." I ... Whenever I was coaching, I actually had a list of coaching strategies that I had the coachee actually mark what they felt comfortable receiving. So, that's important. Let's see. Debbie says—share her past experiences. Solve the little problems first. Oh, that's so important. Because sometimes we need those quick wins when we're working with our coachee.

If we try to tackle those huge problems, sometimes solving those little ones can be a quick win for us. That's great. Oh, Sally says, "Share past experiences." Oh, it's going fast. "And bring along resources." Let's see. Oh, that's so important. Rochelle says, she recognizes attempts. So, coachees' attempts to start a new practice. Let's see. Oh, Maggie says a way that she provides herself as a resource is to connect them to other staff that have resources they might need. Because that's great. Because once you step back as the coach, they can use—they can reach out to their colleague or other staff. Provide a variety of professional references with coachee, like internet, books, fellow staff.

These are great. Share past experiences. That's all really important to share past experiences. Because I know that when I'm relating to someone, if they can say, oh, that actually happened to me, or this is something that I've dealt with in the past, it makes me feel better. And it also makes me connect with that person. It really, I feel like there's more of a partnership there. Let's see, I try to spend non-observational time participating in classroom community to better understand the children and the staff. That's great. Oh, this is great. Attach articles and links to videos ... Oh, it's going so fast.

But if you might send an email to debrief with your teacher, you could also attach resources to that. That's always a good way to follow up with staff. Prove to be reliable. That's a great way to show that you're a great resource. Because if they can count on you, they learn to trust you, and that's so important.

So, as soon as they ask me for support, I respond within 24 hours. That's great, Rochelle. Help them know some approaches may not work and how to regroup when they don't. Oh, that's so important. Because it's easy to get knocked off balance when something doesn't go the way that you'd planned, it's hard to bounce back sometimes. So, just letting them know that it may not work out and that's OK. That's great. Ooh, this is great. It's kind of like, "Teach a man to fish." I would share how I looked for resources, Maria says, and also make changes if they didn't work. So, that's great.

So then, share how you looked for resources. Like, maybe some of those keywords that you used in a search box, or where you went for resources. That's great. Jan says, "Giving them an extra hand in the classroom on modeling as needed." Just also, I see, like, checking in. Jan says she checks in to see how they're feeling or doing. What's also good, you can even ask questions, like, what is it that you might need? What resources do you think you would need? What would be helpful to you? Because what we might think would be a helpful resource, our coachee might find that it's not as helpful as we thought.

So, it's always good to check in. Sandy says, "Be willing to reset goals if action steps aren't working." Provide them with an opportunity to share resources that have been helpful to them so that they can also build on their networking and collaborative skills. That's a wonderful idea. Because they can help each other. It's always great to build a network, like a community. It's just like building that community of coaching within your program. So, connecting them with other people and allowing them the opportunity to share on their own. That's so important. That's great. You guys have some great ideas, but we're starting to run out of time, so I'm going to move on.

So, another strategy is jumping in and helping. And it's a really great way to build that collaborative partnership. But remember, you're in the coachee's environment, and it's their domain. So, you are a guest. Acknowledge that by offering your help, acknowledge that by offering your help before jumping in. You don't want to just jump in and help because that might not be welcomed in that environment.

So, taking charge in modeling an appropriate practice without discussing it in advance could make the staff feel undermined. Tying a shoe, or setting out materials, or co-playing with children [Inaudible] is a great way to help out. Also, sometimes you might notice a behavior starting. If you see a teacher maybe working on a practice with one group of children, you might notice that with another group of children that there might be something going on.

So, you want to maybe jump in and help manage some behavior there. And it could look different in—in a home visiting environment. It's dependent on the family, since the home visitor and coach are guests of the family. So, for home visitors, one step might be to include getting to know your family caseload through their lens, which families are likely to be comfortable with the coach being present. And you also want to find out, maybe how you could reach out and inform families of the coach visiting. The coach may want to confer with the home visitor prior to the visit to discuss how it would look in the home setting, just so that they're prepared.

And then coaching may or may not be done in the home with the home visitor. So, if that happens, it may be done with video. So, if jumping in and helping isn't an option, you could use other coaching strategies such as reflection or role play. Obviously if coaching is done via video and you're not there for the observation, jumping in and helping wouldn't be an option. So, you may help support the teacher or home visitor by finding a resource or offering materials that you have that would be meaningful to them. And I noticed in the chat box, establishing yourself as a resource in the prior chat box of jumping in and helping was one of our responses that we saw a lot. So, it sounds like that's a way that you guys build that collaborative partnership. OK, and so we want to really appreciate a coachee.

And so, letting coachees know that they're appreciated is a great way to build and support this partnership. Recognize their efforts and their strengths because working with children and families is a tough job, and it's often thankless. So, taking those opportunities to acknowledge the important work that they do. So, I want to know, we want to know, what are some of the ways that you show appreciation to coachees? Please use the chat box to respond. Let's see, what are some ways that you show appreciation to your coachees?

Cards, that's a great way. Sometimes it's really nice to get, like, those tangible, handwritten notes. Because, like, we often, we're such a digital society that cards are very personal. By, let's see, sorry, it's going by fast. Having lunches, buy their favorite candy. Offer chocolate. Oh, that's always important.

[Laughing]

Certificates, yeah. Point out their strengths every visit. That's great. Ooh, you guys have got lots of great ideas. Offer breakfast. Ice cream. Tell them what they do matters. That's really important. Send a good morning note to remind them that you're there to help. That's really important. Oh, bring them things for their classroom. Or books. Let's see, oh, this one. Rachel says she had a coaching completion ceremony and they were presented certificates, awards, and played games and ate food. That's so awesome. That sounds like a great way to end out the coaching year. Begin and end meetings with positives.

That's a great way to acknowledge. OK, we're starting to run out of time. These are such great ideas. All right, I'm going to move on before we run out of time completely. All right, so today we talked about some resources and strategies to build collaborative partnerships. And so, to recap some of the things that we discussed, it's important to offer choice throughout the coaching cycle to make—to build that collaborative partnership. Because allowing coachees to make choices of things, like coaching support strategies or the priority of the practice that they're going to be focusing on is really important.

Get to know your coachees. So, find out about their past experiences, their strengths, their weaknesses really helps to build that partnership at the beginning and really establish that trust. Remain transparent about the coaching process so that there are no surprises. You want to have shared goals with your coachee. Show support to your coachee by offering your help and resources, and then, of course, we just talked about all these great ways to celebrate successes and show appreciation.

We are out of time, so I want to thank you for joining us today as we explored coaching collaborative partnerships. As a reminder, please complete the evaluation using this link. If you ... Please complete this evaluation so that we can use the information to improve our webinars and presentations for the future. And after you complete the evaluation, you will be able to download a certificate for your participation in this webinar.

So, if you're viewing this webinar with other colleagues on one computer, only one person is registered for the webinar. But please forward the evaluation link to your colleagues so that you can get a certificate and fill out the survey. Join us for our next installment of the Coaching Corner webinar on July 25, at 3 p.m. Eastern. And remember to contact us at ecdtl@ecetta.info, or call the toll-free number listed.

And thank you. And we'll see you on MyPeers. There's lots of great resources there. We'll have this webinar and the resources that we shared today there.

Thanks for joining us. Bye.

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