By modeling their own learning, coaches send a powerful message about the importance of ongoing professional learning for increasing student achievement.
- Joellen Killion and Cindy Harrison; Taking the Lead

The Role of a Learner:

One of the most important roles a coach can assume is that of a learner.  Learners model continual improvement, reflect on their work by seeking and graciously receiving feedback, experimenting with new ideas, and use what they learn to help all teachers and students achieve.
- Joellen Killion and Cindy Harrison; Taking the Lead

Here are some ways that FCPS Instructional Coaches serve in this role:

• Providing coaches with high quality, monthly professional development opportunities to stay current with curriculum and educational research.
• Participating in side-by-side learning with teachers and administrators.

Coaches in FCPS take advantage of their own learning in many ways. As a community, instructional coaches have studied the works of:

• Jim Knight
• Lucy West
• Joellen Killion and Cindy Harrison
• Robert Garmston and Diane Zimmerman

Individual coaches in the FCPS coaching community differentiate their own learning by participating in learning circles. Some of these topics have included:

• John Hattie’s Visible Thinking
• Exploring and Implementing Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle through video coaching
• Math Workshop
• Effective Facilitation Skills
• Project Zero’s Cultures of Thinking

Coaches also take advantage of professional development opportunities offered through the school system to stay current on division initiatives and instructional practices. These have included:

• Adaptive Schools
• Cognitive Coaching
• Fierce Conversations