The Impact Cycle

Preface Acknowledgments About the Author CHAPTER 1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO IMPROVE? What Is Instructional Coaching? Three Approaches to Coaching Deep Learning, Deep Coaching CHAPTER 2. IDENTIFY: GETTING A CLEAR PICTURE OF REALITY Getting a Clear Picture of Current Reality Using Video to Get a Clear Picture of Reality Learning From Students Putting It All Together CHAPTER 3. QUESTIONS TO IDENTIFY A PEERS GOAL PEERS Goals Questions to Identify a PEERS Goal The Identify Questions CHAPTER 4. LEARN Describing Teaching Strategies Instructional Playbooks Modeling Teaching Strategies CHAPTER 5. IMPROVE The Improve Stage of the Impact Cycle Step 1: Confirm Direction Step 2: Review Progress Step 3: Invent Improvements Step 4: Plan Next Actions INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES' TOOLKIT Strategies for Enrolling Teachers Data-Gathering Tools Instructional Playbook Strategies for Assessing Student Attitude Appendix: Lean-Design Research Development of the Impact Cycle Lean-Design Research Interviews References Index

"Jim Knight is one of the wise men of coaching. His well is deep, and he draws from it the best tools from practitioners, the wisdom of experience, and research-based insights. And he never loses the bigger picture: the point of all this is to have more impact in this life we're lucky enough to live." -- Michael Bungay Stanier "I have had many opportunities to learn with and from Jim Knight. I've learned as a participant in his workshops, reading his books, and being on panels with him. Now, The Impact Cycle adds to my skills and insights. Jim's vision of the coach as a partner who sets goals with the teacher, strategizes with and supports the teacher, and monitors changes with the teacher until the goal is met will assist many instructional coaches in targeting their efforts. Student- focused goals will be a game changer in many coaching initiatives and guarantee that coach and teacher investment in teacher learning is impacting student learning." -- Dr. Stephen Barkley, Executive Vice President "Once again, Jim Knight has earned his reputation as the reigning expert in instructional coaching. With his trademark clarity and heart, Knight manages to capture both the simplicity and complexity of coaching in an accessible, detailed, and nuanced framework for instructional coaches. Packed with insight, concrete examples, and practical tools, The Impact Cycle is an indispensable guide for coaches who want to make the biggest possible difference for students." -- Nancy Love, Director "Coaching done well may be the most effective intervention designed for human performance. Jim Knight's work has helped me understand the details of how effective coaching can and should be done." -- Dr. Atul Gawande, surgeon, public health researcher, and author of The Checklist Manifesto "Continuous improvement is fueled by a focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. The Impact Cycle provides educators with the strategies and the tools necessary to make that improvement a reality. I have had the opportunity to see how Knight's model works first-hand and can attest to its effectiveness. The emphasis on effective partnerships with shared responsibility and ownership combined with a goal-oriented coaching cycle results in lasting and meaningful changes for teachers and students. This book shares a clear vision for powerful instructional coaching along with the specific steps to make that vision a reality. Knight's The Impact Cycle is essential reading for educators who are committed to real and lasting change." -- Dr. Jadi Miller, Director of Curriculum "The Impact Cycle is an essential read for instructional coaches. It is organized to take the reader through each stage of an impact cycle, providing a vision for how to coach for a deeper impact. It is filled with stories from the field, allowing the reader to walk in the shoes of other coaches. In the end, all coaching is about creating meaning and supporting teachers to reach their goals, this book supports coaches to do just that." -- Diane Sweeney, Consultant "In this very helpful book, Jim Knight builds on knowledge gained from over two decades of assisting coaches to inspire and guide teachers to improve their instruction. Following his own advice to "stay curious", Jim continues to expand upon his coaching model to explicate new dimensions of the coaching relationship. Conversational and informative, this book will be a useful resource for any coach working in the field." -- Dr. Megan Tschannen-Moran, Professor of Educational Leadership "There is no one more passionate about improving every student's learning experience than Jim Knight and in The Impact Cycle Jim has done it again with another well researched and immensely practical book. There are some great features here - the visual maps that introduce each chapter, the numerous checklists and templates, links to the Companion Website, helpful chapter summaries and great recommended resources in the Going Deeper sections. This is a book which will be referred to often. Instructional coaches will be an even better resource for the teachers with whom they work as a result of reading and using this book." -- John Campbell, Executive Director