Facilitator Resources
Building The Capacity Of Educators
Suites of resources on a range of early STEAM topics for facilitators and coaches to use in professional learning with educators.
What Is a Coaching Cycle?
A coaching cycle is a process in which a coach and coachee work together to set goals, make plans, and reflect on how their plan went. Many different approaches can make up a coaching cycle. However, a coaching cycle generally includes four parts: plan, teach, reflect, and apply.
Let’s explore each part of a coaching cycle.
Coaching Cycle: Plan
During the planning phase, the coach and coachee develop a collaborative learning partnership. They learn about each other, build a relationship, establish expectations, and discuss goals and desired outcomes.
They might record their goals and plan for achieving them in an action plan or coaching agreement. As coaches and coachees work together, they continually review and update their goals and plan as needed.
Use this General Coaching Conversation Template during meetings with coachees as you discuss their goals and next steps.
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Coaching Cycle: Teach
Next, the coach and coachee work together to engage children in a math learning experience. They might use one or more of the following practices: observation, co-teaching, or modeling. Each practice involves a different level of scaffolding, or support, provided by the coach.
A coach might observe a coachee facilitating a learning experience. As they observe, the coach records what they notice using objective, data-based language.
For example, instead of “the lesson was engaging,” an objective observation might be “Children were observing the book illustrations while the educator was reading.”
A data-based observation is, for example, when a coach says, “During this lesson, you asked nine closed questions, two open-ended questions, and six rhetorical questions.”
Use this Observation Note-Taking Template to record your observations of an educator engaging children in early math learning experiences.
Co-teaching may involve a coach and coachee facilitating a learning experience together.
For example, the coach may facilitate parts of the learning experience while the coachee is responsible for other parts of the learning experience.
Or the coachee might facilitate the whole learning experience while the coach offers additional facilitation in the moment to support the coachee’s growth.
A coach might model ways to facilitate a learning experience while the coachee observes. This method helps coachees learn new teaching strategies to use with children.
Coaches should demonstrate authentic, flexible, and messy learning experiences so that coachees can benefit from observing realistic examples. For example, when planning a lesson, coaches should use a similar amount of time as educators would to plan and prepare for the lesson.
Provide this Demonstration Note-Taking Template for your coachee to record their observations during a demonstration lesson.
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Coaching Cycle: Reflect
After facilitating a math learning experience, the coach and coachee discuss and reflect. During this reflection, the coach creates a safe space for collaborative reflection and decision-making. Topics for their reflection might include:
- Coach and coachee’s actions and observations
- Children’s actions and engagement
- Materials and learning environment
Toward the end of their debrief, the coach and coachee may make plans for future coaching sessions. Defining actionable next steps helps maintain the coach–coachee relationship. This process also shows that the coach is committed to supporting coachees over time.
For additional resources on ways to reflect on children’s early math learning experiences, visit the M5 Early Math Approach suite of resources.
Coaching Cycle: Apply
The coachee can apply what they learned from this coaching cycle in different ways. For example, they may incorporate the feedback immediately into their next math learning experience. They may update their goals so that the coach and coachee can continue to meet regularly and track the coachee’s progress over time.
Coaching Cycle in Action
We have explored each part of the coaching cycle. Next, let’s observe the coaching cycle in action through two sets of video examples.
The first set of examples features Jon, an early math coach from Count Play Explore, and Ismerai, a first-grade educator. Jon and Ismerai had been working together (along with other early educators at the school) for about a year before filming.
The second set of examples features Millie, an early math coach, and Sara, an early childhood educator working with toddlers who are 24–36 months old. Sara shared that she was a new toddler teacher and had worked with preschoolers before. Millie had previously worked with other educators at the center. This was the first time she had worked with Sara.
Observe the video examples that best match your role and learning setting. After observing the videos, reflect on the questions provided. Consider sharing these video examples with coachees to illustrate the various components of a coaching cycle.
Explore examples by age group:
The Coaching Cycle: 24–36 Months
Coaching Cycle: Plan (24–36 Months)
Plan
Observe this video of coach Millie and educator Sara discussing their plan for an outdoor activity with toddlers. Notice how Millie and Sara use the M5 Early Math Approach as a framework to guide Millie’s observation. To learn more, visit the M5 Early Math Approach suite of resources.
Coaching Cycle: Plan (24–36 Months)
Reflect:
- How did Millie and Sara plan to use the M5 Early Math Approach in their coaching session?
- How did Millie build rapport with Sara during this planning conversation?
Coaching Cycle: Teach (24–36 Months)
Teach
Observe this video of educator Sara engaging with toddlers in the outdoor activity while coach Millie observes. Consider how Sara and Millie interact with the children to support their early math learning.
Coaching Cycle: Teach (24–36 Months)
Reflect:
- How would you describe Millie’s role during this coaching observation?
- What did you observe about this lesson? Consider the different components of the M5 Early Math Approach: Materials and Learning Environment, Meaningful Investigations, Multiple Representations, Math Vocabulary and Discourse, and Mutual Learning.
Coaching Cycle: Reflect (24–36 Months)
Reflect
Observe this video of coach Millie and educator Sara reflecting and debriefing on the activity. Notice ways the coach and coachee communicate with each other—verbally and nonverbally—during their coaching conversation and continue to build rapport.
Coaching Cycle: Reflect (24–36 Months)
Reflect:
- What observations do Millie and Sara share?
- What verbal and nonverbal behaviors did you observe in the video that demonstrated good rapport between Millie and Sara?
Coaching Cycle: Apply (24–36 Months)
Apply
Observe this video of coach Millie and educator Sara discussing new strategies that Sara can incorporate into her early math teaching practice. Notice how Millie and Sara work together to identify these new strategies based on their joint observations and reflections.
Coaching Cycle: Apply (24–36 Months)
Reflect:
- What might have Millie and Sara learned from this coaching experience?
- What will Millie and Sara do next? How might these next steps support children’s early math learning?
The Coaching Cycle: First Grade
Coaching Cycle: Plan (First Grade)
Plan
Observe this video of coach Jon and educator Ismerai discussing their plan for a geometry lesson. Notice how Jon and Ismerai share ideas and build their coaching relationship. Consider the materials they use during this coaching conversation.
Coaching Cycle: Plan (First Grade)
Reflect:
- What math learning goals did Jon and Ismerai focus on?
- How did Jon invite Ismerai to share input on the lesson plan?
Coaching Cycle: Teach (First Grade)
Teach
Observe this video of coach Jon modeling a geometry lesson while educator Ismerai observes. Then, Jon and Ismerai co-teach the second part of the lesson. Consider how Jon uses modeling and co-teaching (coaching practices) to support Ismerai.
Coaching Cycle: Teach (First Grade)
Reflect:
- Consider Jon’s use of modeling and co-teaching. In what situations would you use these coaching practices? Why?
Coaching Cycle: Reflect (First Grade)
Reflect
Observe this video of coach Jon and educator Ismerai reflecting and debriefing on the lesson. Notice ways the coach and coachee communicate with each other—verbally and nonverbally—during their coaching conversation and continue to build rapport.
Coaching Cycle: Reflect (First Grade)
Reflect:
- What observations do Jon and Ismerai share?
- What verbal and nonverbal behaviors did you observe in the video that demonstrated good rapport between Jon and Ismerai?
Apply
Review Jon’s written reflection of his coaching session with Ismerai. Consider what Jon and Ismerai might have learned from this coaching session and what they will do next.
Reflect:
- What might have Jon and Ismerai learned from this coaching experience?
- What will Jon and Ismerai do next? How might these next steps support children’s early math learning?
Reflecting on the Coaching Cycle
Let’s reflect on the coaching cycle. Consider the following questions:
- Which part or parts of the coaching cycle do you feel most confident about facilitating? Why?
- Which part or parts of the coaching cycle would you like to learn more about? Why?
- How might you use the coaching cycle in your work?
Reflect:
Reflect on the four parts of the coaching cycle: plan, teach, reflect, and apply.
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