• Instructional Coaches Need to Know How Memory Works – And It’s Not a Muscle

    I often hear memory described as a muscle—something that gets stronger the more you “work it out.” While the sentiment is well-intentioned, it’s a misleading metaphor. Our memory isn’t a single entity that we can simply beef up through brute force. It’s a complex system, and for instructional coaches, understanding its nuances is a game-changer…


  • Crush it from the Start: 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders is Now Available!

    Today marks the release of my new book—a resource designed for instructional coaches, principals, assistant principals, college of education professors, and district office leaders who are committed to transforming teaching and learning in the modern classroom. This book isn’t just about coaching strategies; it’s about understanding the content necessary to navigate education in the age of AI. To coach…


  •  The Diffusion of Innovation and Instructional Coaching

    In my recent podcast episode, Ep 77 – The Diffusion of Innovation and Instructional Coaching, I explore how this model directly impacts our approach to instructional coaching. I discuss real-world examples from my experience share insights on overcoming resistance, and offer strategies for effectively coaching educators through the change process to allow ideas to diffuse through…


  • Creating Instructional Coaching Systems – To Build Teacher Efficacy and Capacity

    By: Matt Rhoads, Ed.D Dr. Matt Rhoads is a Tech and Instructional Leader and Innovator with hands in Adult Ed, K-12, and Higher Education. He is the author of several books and is the host of Navigating Education – The Podcast. A major part of my role is to provide instructional and EdTech integration coaching to teachers. The…


  • Instructional Coaching Through Co-Teaching

    Imagine stepping into a classroom where a teacher and instructional coach work side by side while teaching students simultaneously. Together in this coaching scenario, the instructional coach and teacher bring their own skills to create a warm, engaging, and effective classroom environment. This isn’t an abstract concept for instructional coaching—it’s the practical reality of co-teaching,…


  • Proving Our Impact: How Instructional Coaches Can Use Regression Analysis to Demonstrate Their Value

    Recently, my PLN colleague Roxi Thompson posed some compelling questions on LinkedIn: How do you collect data to demonstrate the impact of your coaching program? What methods have you found effective, especially in showing improvement in areas like instructional design or student learning? As instructional coaches, these are the questions we must answer to advocate…


  • Transform Your Instructional and EdTech Coaching with I Do, We Do, & You Do

    Instructional coaching plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between innovative tools and effective classroom implementation. One proven strategy that involves rehearsal within instructional coaching is the I Do, We Do, & You Do (similar to when we use this same strategy in a classroom) for delivering instructional coaching within a formal coaching cycle.…


  • Launch of 25 Tips for Coaches Website

    I am thrilled to officially launch a new website, 25tipsforcoaches.com, as a hub for all things instructional coaching and leadership. This website has been designed with a dual purpose: to celebrate and share insights from my upcoming book, Crush It from the Start: 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders, and to provide a space…


  • The Modern Instructional Coach

    In today’s ever-changing classrooms and schools, teachers find themselves at the crossroads of traditional teaching methods and the emerging challenges of the 21st-century classroom. Teachers are tasked with utilizing high-impact instructional strategies, integrating technology, adapting to diverse learning needs, and managing an array of behavioral dynamics, all while striving to maintain academic rigor and meet state…