Differentiated Mentoring and Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner

by Vicki S Collet

Books abound to guide mentoring and coaching for preservice and inservice teachers’ professional learning. However, none fully account for the differences among teachers in experience and expertise and how these factors change over time. This book addresses this need by presenting a dynamic model for teacher/coach interactions, the Gradual Increase of Responsibility (GIR) model for mentoring and coaching. Like students, teachers benefit when support is personalized. The GIR model includes five coaching moves that are selectively used to match support to need. This book guides mentors and coaches in refining their approaches, helping them provide differentiated support to teachers from a range of grade levels, academic areas, contexts, and levels of experience. As strains on teachers escalate, mentoring and coaching using the GIR model is an effective, energizing approach to prepare, sustain, and retain teachers and increase their instructional effectiveness. To help you use the book with others, the author has created a Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities. Request the guide . Book

176 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2022

Reviews

[Amanda Leggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Collet takes the work of instructional coaching and breaks it down into thoughtful, manageable chunks in her GIR model for coaching (gradual increase of responsibility). I had many takeaways, but the two simple questions on pg. 32 of: "So what?" and "Why does it matter?" made for two places to always connect back to when supporting post-modeling conversations. I appreciate how teacher agency was always a priority in Dr. Collet's coaching practice. If you are an instructional coach and want to both affirm and grow your coaching, the GIR model is a great place to lean into to further enhance your coaching practice.

[Bethani Hoelzeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Respecting people as they are makes us more effective in helping them become more than they are.”

Dr. Collet’s book presents a new model for mentoring and coaching in an intentional way. It really takes into account the needs of the learning teacher without creating more work for the mentor teacher! The book is good to read all the way through if you have the time, but it can also serve as a guide for intentional coaching discussions in the moment, helping to meet teachers where they are and to build their confidence as you both move forward. It contains engaging, easy to read content, helpful anecdotes, questions to consider at the end of each chapter, additional resources for those that enjoy a metaphorical hyperlink, and specific suggestions coaches can use immediately or keep in their mentor toolbox for when your teachers are ready to take on the responsibility.

I love that as a mentor teacher reading this book, I have a roadmap of where I might start and where I can go while intentionally making coaching decisions. I also appreciate the lists of suggested phrases and language to help me build relationships with my interns while also providing authentic and constructive feedback. Two birds - one stone! This book really helped to change my position from thinking about what I need to do to guide my interns to what WE can do to truly grow together.