The IC Toolkit
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For more than 25 years, Jim Knight and his team at the Instructional Coaching Group have been studying what excellence in instructional coaching looks and sounds like. Their findingsβorganized around 7 Success Factors for instructional coaches and shared via books, articles, and workshopsβhave helped many instructional coaches around the world to increase teacher effectiveness and improve outcomes for students. Bringing together for the first time a wealth of resources and practical tools, The IC Toolkit is designed to guide instructional coachesβeither individually or, preferably, collectivelyβthrough a 36-week journey of practice, reflection, and learning. For instructional coaches who want to improve and leaders who want to set up meaningful learning experiences, the book provides concrete toolsβincluding activities, checklists, case studies, and videosβthat you can use every week.
Additional features include
- One-page descriptions of each success factor
- A needs assessment to gauge your instructional coaching proficiency in the 7 Success Factors
- Learning paths to guide your use of the resources and enable meaningful exploration of each success factor
- End-of-chapter reflection questions
The IC Toolkit makes it possible for every instructional coach to become highly proficient in the Success Factors. When instructional coaches become highly proficient in their craft, we can see students, teachers, and systems flourish.
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Dr. Jim Knight, Founder and Senior Partner of Instructional Coaching Group (ICG), is also a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He has spent more than two decades studying professional learning and instructional coaching. Jim earned his PhD in Education from the University of Kansas and has won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards.The pioneering work Jim and his colleagues have conducted has led to many innovations that are now central to professional development in schools. Jim wrote the first major article about instructional coaching for the Journal of Staff Development, and his book Instructional Coaching (2007) offered the first extended description of instructional coaching. Jimβs book Focus on Teaching (2014) was the first extended description of how video should be used for professional learning. Recently, writing with Ann Hoffman, Michelle Harris, and Sharon Thomas, Jim introduced the idea of instructional playbooks with their book on that topic.Jim has written several books in addition to those described above, including Unmistakable Impact (2011), High-Impact Instruction (2013), Better Conversations (2015), The Impact Cycle (2018), and The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching (2021). Knight has also authored articles on instructional coaching and professional learning in publications such as Educational Leadership, The Journal of Staff Development, Principal Leadership, The School Administrator, and Kappan. Jim is also a columnist for Educational Leadership and.Through ICG, Knight conducts coaching workshops, hosts the Facebook Live Program, βCoaching Conversations,β and provides consulting for coaching programs around the world.
Dr. Jessica Wise is a Virtual Consultant with the Instructional Coaching Group. Beginning her career in education in 2007, Jessica has held various roles including a classroom teacher, school-based instructional coach and intervention/gifted teacher, district literacy specialist, and then leadership & staff development instructional coach. Jessica received her doctoral degree in School Improvement from the University of West Georgia where her focus was facilitation of adult learning. When not working, Jessica enjoys hiking, movie night with her family, and reading. She lives in Georgia with her family.
Michelle Harris has been in education since 1993, starting as a special education para, then a teacher, coach, and administrator. She is the co-author of Instructional Playbook: The Missing Link for Translating Research Into Practice and Evaluating Instructional Coaching: People, Programs, and Partnership. Michelle is is a seasoned staff developer and has presented and keynoted in the US, Canada, Africa, Asia, and Europe. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband, two sons, a corgi, and two cats.
Amy Musante is a Consultant with the Instructional Coaching Group. She began her journey in education in 1998 and has served in many roles to support students and diverse school communities. Her experience as a Language Arts teacher, Secondary Schools Intervention Specialist and District Director of Coaching Programming (UPK-12) has provided her with experience that informs her work continuously. She received her MA from Teachers College, Columbia University and has done considerable work partnering with the University post-graduation. In her free time Amy loves spending time in nature, traveling with her family and cheering on Buffalo sports teams.
