Episode Details

• Everyone should have a coach
• There are people who are viewed as the real pros
• The difference between having a coach and “just getting better”
• The biggest mistake coaches make.
• How to mix the coach’s agenda with what the teacher is doing
• Personal relationship vs. professional relationship
• Focus is powerful. 
• Teacher behavior during a training vs. teacher behavior in classroom.
• Teachers don’t have to be an entertainer. 
• Coaches as a model lesson. 
• Power Phrases and Phrases to Never Say.
• Teacher behavior matches the behavior of the grade they teach.
• Techniques that work regardless of your personality. 
• Coaching cycles are important. Meet, observe, debrief, Check-in
• This is your lesson, do it your way. 
• Coaches need to be smiling during the observation. 
• Debrief - how they evaluated their own lesson. 
• Calibrate with a local coach or administrator. 
• How to be a Transformative Principal? Know that your role is not that of a coach. Coach helps teachers get better. Principal - don’t get in the way! Part of a system of improvement.

About Gene Tavernetti

Dr. Gene Tavernetti has been involved in education for over forty years. He has served as coach, teacher, counselor, administrator, and consultant. He is the author of Teach FAST, a book about the design and delivery of quality instruction, and Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles, a book that answers many of the questions that were left unanswered in most books on instructional coaching. 

In 2006 Gene partnered with his former high school teacher and mentor, Dr. Randy Olson, to found Total Educational Systems Support, (TESS). The focus of TESS has always been training teachers, and those who support teachers, in how to provide the best instruction possible. 

Dr. Tavernetti holds a core belief about children and adults: Given the right environment and proper support, everyone can improve and succeed. This core belief has allowed Dr. Tavernetti to help his students, staffs, teachers, and administrators – with whom he now trains and coaches – to attain the levels of competence they desire.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance