The Complete Guide to Instructional Coaching: Empowering Educators and Scaling the Impact
- Last updated:21st November, 2025
- Matt Newell
What is Instructional Coaching?
Instructional coaching is a professional development approach in which coaches provide teachers with individualised feedback on their instructional practices. The coaching is focused on instruction and pedagogy and unlike one-off workshops, it is sustained over time and involves ongoing collaboration between the coach and the coachee. It is iterative and highly adaptable to mould to the needs of the learner.
What Makes Instructional Coaching Effective?
Instructional coaching has been shown as one of the most effective forms of professional development in regards to professional learning and student outcomes, Kraft, M.A., Blazar, D., Hogan*, D. (2018). But why is this?
1. Coaching is Individualised and Tailored to Each Teacher
Every teacher and every classroom is unique. Many factors influence the learning in a class such as the environment, students’ needs, the behaviour system and teaching approach, so coaching that is tailored to address unique challenges allows the focus to be on areas where it is most needed. Coaches can also adjust the pace, directiveness and approach of the coaching to match the development speed of their coachee, ensuring they are neither overwhelmed nor underchallenged.
Instructional coaching has the flexibility to allow this to happen as support is constantly reviewed, updated and tailored to the needs of the coachee through drop ins rather than whole observations.
2. It is Continuous Unlike ‘One-off’ Training
Research spanning over 20 years has shown that continuous training leads to effective professional development. Joyce & Calhoun, (1996) showed that short workshops were ineffective in changing teacher classroom behaviours. Joyce and Showers (2002) found that training like workshops often lead to low rates of skill transfer to classroom practice. Research by Kraft et al. (2018) shows that coaching is most effective when it is continuous and focuses on real-time observations and feedback. Most recently, the EEF released a meta-analysis that showed 14 PD mechanisms that should be included in a PD programme for it to be effective. Many mechanisms like ‘modeling and providing feedback’ are much easier to implement with coaching than with, for example, one-off training sessions.
So why would schools still opt to use one-off training as a method of professional development? This is touched on later in the blog, but scaling, cost and implementation are some factors that influence these decisions.
3. It Helps Build Collaborative Relationships
Jim Knight’s research (Knight’s Partnership Principles for Coaching, 2007) showed that when coaches establish a relationship that is grounded in mutual respect and shared goals, teachers feel more empowered to work on their professional growth. Coach and coachee practice dialogical coaching, 2-way verbal communication that is a ‘done with’, not ‘done to’ style of coaching.
It makes sense that having a coach that you feel comfortable with removes some anxieties around getting things wrong, or showing your flaws, for example.
How Can You Get Started with Instructional Coaching?
Rolling out an Instructional Coaching Model Across Departments or Small Schools
An instructional coaching model is a structured, collaborative and strategic framework or philosophy guiding the overall coaching process, aimed at improving staff instructional practice to enhance student learning and outcomes.
It is important to note before rolling out a coaching model that it is an ongoing process that takes time to implement. Thorough planning, a clear focus on outcomes, and consistency is vital to the success of the rollout.
Here are some steps to help guide you:
1. What is the Goal?
As Sam Gibbs explains, the first thing to find out before implementing any kind of instructional coaching model is to ask yourself “what kind of school, or Trust, do we want to be?”. What is the goal? Identifying key objectives like improved student outcomes, better teacher collaboration or further teacher development will mean that your planning is best focused in the right direction.If planning is skipped, it’s likely that instructional coaching becomes merely a box-ticking exercise that has no impact.
2. Obtain Leader and Teacher Buy-In
Educate other leaders on the importance of instructional coaching and how it is shown to be one of the most effective forms of PD. Culture needs to be tangible, so leaders need to buy-in and promote to staff. For staff, It is good to emphasise that it is non-evaluative, and will not be used for performance management, but rather for the good of both their individual development, the good of the school, and its students.
3. Choose a Coaching Model
With an in-depth knowledge of your school/MAT, its available resources and your goals, you can decide on an instructional coaching model that fits the context of your organisation. Will you use one-on-one coaching, peer coaching, group coaching, video coaching or a mixture of them? Next you will need to choose an instructional coaching model:
Instructional Coaching Model Examples
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) model of instructional coaching is designed to improve teaching quality by offering structured, personalised support to teachers through a collaborative process. Their model focuses on 8 steps: focused observation, actionable feedback, collaboration and dialogue, etc
Paul Bambrick-Santoyo’s Praise Probe Model focuses on consistent observations which then follows 6 steps of feedback, such as praise, probe, polish, practice and plan ahead. The steps give instructional coaches a guided framework to use in the coaching sessions. The key ingredients of the model include feedback and practice: “Teachers are like tennis players: they develop most quickly when they receive frequent feedback and opportunities to practise.” – Bambrick-Santoyo
Jim Knight’s The Impact Cycle is a comprehensive framework for instructional coaching which follows 3 stages: identify, learn, and improve. This model provides a structured approach to coaching teachers that is cyclical, but is a partnership at every level.
IRIS Connect’s LEARN model of adaptive instructional coaching is split into 5 stages: Learn from success, examine the challenge, action step, rehearse and nurture improvement. At each stage, coaches are supported to ask questions that dig into the teacher’s thinking and are supported to develop their practice.
4. Foster a Reflective and Collaborative Culture
It’s important to create a culture where reflection and collaboration is practised and celebrated. J Hattie’s (2009, 2012) research showed a significant impact of teacher collaboration on student achievement. Teachers that are in a place where professional learning is encouraged and practised, are more likely to have higher moral and job satisfaction, leading to higher teacher retention.
Read a case study below of a school that managed to successfully embed a culture of collaboration and improvement.
Case Study: Brave, not Perfect
Rosebery School in Epsom has consistently bucked the trend of falling national average of retention. They implemented a shared language that set a foundation of their great school culture. Once agreed, they worked to embed this language into the heart of the school. Assistant Head Jess explains, “The shared language is an important part of our culture as it allows easier collaboration when we know that we’re talking about the same thing.” Part of the shared language that staff have adopted, is the phrase ‘brave, not perfect’. A simple reminder that nobody is perfect, but being brave enough to try new things is enough to make incremental progress, which together, leads to big changes. View Rosebery’s case study here.
5. Monitor and Evaluate Progress
It’s important to monitor progress from the beginning so that changes in the implementation can be adapted if necessary. Part of this is dependent on your goals but defining success indicators for short, medium and long-term outcomes will provide you with the direction to achieve success. A short-term success indicator could be teacher participation (a certain percentage of staff engaging in regular coaching) and long-term could be your desired outcomes. With all these indicators, make sure you gather baseline data so you know where you started.
Tip: Use a system that has documentation and progress analytics like IRIS Connect. Read more.
Scaling Instructional Coaching for Large Schools/Organisations
The Challenges
Resource Allocation
Traditional coaching often requires schools and MATs to invest in hiring or training coaches and scheduling coaching sessions.
Cost
Schools and MATs often need to either hire experienced coaches or provide extensive training to existing staff. D. S. Knight, 2012 developed a study that suggests the average cost per coached teacher is between $3,260 (£2,509) to $5,220 (£4,017) – very much out of reach of most organisations in the UK.
Scalability
Implementing coaching consistently across multiple schools, especially in large MATs, can be difficult, requiring a unified approach while addressing each school’s unique needs. Many MATs have schools that are spread geographically wide, so using conventional methods of lesson observation and keeping consistency across these schools takes time and money (i.e. for cover) that is in short supply.
Data and Tracking
Effectively tracking progress and impact across large networks can be difficult without budget and manpower.
Time Constraints
Teachers and coaches must balance coaching sessions with their teaching duties, which can be challenging in busy school environments. Coaching requires dedicated time for observations, feedback, and reflection, which can reduce teaching time and increase the need for cover – something that schools have no budget for.
Instructional Coaching Tools That Can Help Overcome Resource Limitations
Video Coaching in Practice
Video allows teachers to record and reflect on their classroom practice, share practice with a coach or colleague, and facilitate coaching conversations with tangible footage to review. Video-based coaching has been shown to improve student achievement by an equivalent of an additional 2+ months worth of instruction.
Video Library of Modelled Teaching Techniques
Having the opportunity to look at teaching techniques on-demand and modelled by real teachers in real classrooms can allow teachers to observe what good teaching looks like, as well as the application of each technique. Coaches can recommend specific videos depending on what their coachee is developing at that given time which offers more personalisation to their support.
IRIS Connect has a library of modelled teaching techniques built directly into the platform. These modelled videos can be used in conjunction with other features like Pathways and in video time-stamped comments to get a complete professional development solution. Leaders or coaches can collate their own library of videos showing specifically how they want teaching to be within their school’s context, then share these with their staff. Teacher WalkThrus are also available within the IRIS Connect platform and offer a collection of over 150 evidence-based teaching and learning strategies broken down into 5 easy to follow steps to guide instructional coaching.
Professional Development Pathways
Structured learning Pathways support teachers systematically and collaboratively through a process of embedding teaching skills. They guide teachers through the coaching process, offering step-by-step guidance and frameworks built by education experts. Coaches and leaders can then stay informed of their teachers’ progress via a simple dashboard, showing important steps on their individual pathways.
Leveraging AI in Instructional Coaching
Leveraging cutting-edge AI technology, AI-assisted Insights reduces administrative processes and empowers teachers with deeper, data-driven self-reflection. By automatically tracking key metrics, AI Insights highlights actionable insights that coaches can use to pinpoint areas for growth. This means less time spent on administration and more time focused on meaningful, impactful coaching conversations.
AI Insights also serves as a powerful tool for teacher self-reflection. By providing clear metrics and insights after each session, teachers are better prepared for coaching discussions, arriving with a clear understanding of their strengths and areas to improve. Between sessions, these insights enable teachers to refine their practices independently, fostering continuous improvement and a deeper sense of ownership over their professional growth.
Online Collaboration and Resource Sharing
Tools that enable seamless collaboration can allow for non-disruptive working for continuous learning. These can be tools such as Google Classroom or Office 365 which enable real-time collaboration across resources. Likewise, IRIS Connect offers collaborative Groups that can be made up of teams, departments, schools or trusts offering great ways to collaborate and share resources.
Conclusion
It is clear from the evidence that instructional coaching is a worthwhile approach to professional development, if your school or MAT is in the position to implement it. Thinking intrinsically about your organisation’s context and the process is vitally important because it takes careful planning and some time to see results.
References
- D. S. Knight, 2012 ‘Assessing the Cost of Instructional Coaching’
- S Gibbs, 2024 ‘Values Led Coaching and School Culture’
- Kraft, M.A., Blazar, D., Hogan*, D. (2018). The effect of teaching coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 547-588.
- Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-ana lyses related to achievement.
- Hattie, J. (2012). Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning
- Knight, J. (2007). Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction
- Joyce, B., & Calhoun, E. (1996). Creating Learning Experiences: The Role of Instructional Theory and Research. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
- Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student Achievement Through Staff Development (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
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