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The Art of the Consultative Stance in Instructional Coaching

Writer's picture: Deborah MeisterDeborah Meister

Updated: Jan 24


If you're someone who coaches teachers, you have a point of view on instruction. You've been informed by your training, results with kids, and ongoing learning. But you also know that great coaches ask more than they tell, helping to draw out their coachees' skills and knowledge.


As coaches, we may often feel pulled between two truths: that we bring knowledge and experience to the table, AND that our job isn't necessarily to hold all the solutions. A teacher might come to us hoping for a quick answer, and we pause to question what direction to go in next - aware that simply giving a solution might not build capacity long-term, but also knowing that asking constructivist questions when someone needs concrete guidance can feel frustrating or even erode trust.


That's where the consultative stance comes in. This approach helps us balance being a thought partner while bringing in expertise and recommendations, without being prescriptive, and while empowering teachers in their solution-finding.


Rather than defaulting to one extreme of the directive-facilitative spectrum, this stance allows coaches to:


  • Ask thoughtful questions to surface and frame dilemmas


  • Clarify priorities and values that should inform potential solutions


  • Provide tailored suggestions that build teacher capacity while preserving choice and honoring practitioner expertise and knowledge


The consultative stance rejects the choice between holding back useful advice or dictating solutions, and instead promotes navigating the gray areas with intentionality and skill.


Bringing the Consultative Stance to Life


-Launching-


Start with Inquiry

When a teacher brings up a challenge, we can resist the urge to jump in with solutions immediately. As with any coaching approach, starting with inquiry can help ensure we've unpacked and defined the problem we're trying to solve. For example, depending on the urgency of the question and the timeline for solving it, we might ask:


“How do you understand the challenge?”


“What have you already tried, and how did it go?” -- A question like this can be great if you're pressed for time


“What’s most important to you in addressing this issue?”


These kinds of probing questions serve multiple purposes: they clarify the problem, surface the teacher’s values and priorities, and sometimes even lead to new insights or questions that must be answered before determining a direction for a solution.


Connect and Clarify

We can then reflect back what we're hearing to ensure shared understanding:


"So it sounds like the main challenge is getting students back on task after group work, especially in your afternoon classes. Is that right?"


This move often reveals new layers of the challenge, points for clarification or knowledge-building, and demonstrates active listening, while setting us up to offer more targeted support.


Name The Non-Negotiables and Choice Points

The consultative stance allows us to be clear about essential practices based on research or schoolwide expectations, while maintaining room for teacher agency. We might say:


"One key element that has to be in place for successful transitions is clear communication of expectations. We can explore different ways to make that work in your context. What methods do you think would resonate with your students to communicate expectations?"


-Responding-


Share Options, Drawing From Different Sources

When it's time to brainstorm or offer solutions, we can present options, rather than a single step-by-step prescription:


"Based on what you've shared, there are a few approaches we might explore. One option could be ... Another might be... A third could involve... Which of these feels most aligned with your classroom and goals?"


Other ways of using options in a consultative stance include sharing examples of:

  • How different teachers have approached these types of situations

  • How different authors and researchers recommend addressing similar challenges

  • Frameworks that can be used in arriving at solutions


OR


Share Ways of Thinking About This Type of Challenge

Consider this the "teach a person to fish" approach. Rather than giving a single solution or list of recommendations, we back up a level to offer ways of thinking about this type of problem, beyond the challenge that's right in front of them. We can offer frameworks, the types of questions we might ask ourselves, and "rules of thumb" that successful teachers or researchers recommend when considering solutions to this category of challenges.


Often when I'm working with teachers on transitions we think about several components. For example, we look at questions related to the root cause of the challenge, like, "What might be causing students to struggle with this transition? How do we know? What are we hearing or noticing?". We also consider the routines and procedures of the transition itself, like, "Do we have a clear attention-getter signal?", "Do students know what is expected during the transition, and what makes us say that?" We also think about the task design, and whether the task before the transition and the next task are set up for student success. What's coming to mind as you hear that?


OR


Inform the Decision-Making When Faced With Choices

If a teachers asks, "Do you think I should ____? Or should I ___?", we first want to dig a little deeper into the source of the indecision (going back to "Start With Inquiry"). Then, provide information or considerations to support selection between (or expansion beyond) the choices.


"If you [Option A], it can be important to keep in mind that... Successful teachers who [employ Option A] often... [do this, plan this, and don't do this]. The advantage of [Option A] is... The challenge with [Option A] can be... With [Option B] your students can ... but you'll probably want to account for... [etc]...Where's your thinking with those considerations in mind?"



But Watch Out for These Pitfalls

Overuse or misapplication of the consultative stance can include:

  • Assuming a teacher or certain teachers need us to show up with a consultative approach in the first place (is there a need for it?)

  • Assuming we know the solution and becoming prescriptive

  • Jumping to solutions when we haven't fully understood the problem

  • Employing this stance inequitably to different subgroups of teachers (i.e. using a consultative approach more frequently with teachers of color while assuming more expertise, background knowledge, or self-sufficiency with white teachers)

  • Avoiding the consultative stance or giving recommendations altogether for fear of imposing expertise or falling out of coach position


Final thoughts

Using a consultative stance skillfully helps us move beyond the false choice between "telling" and "asking." It creates space for both coach and teacher expertise to inform solutions. And it helps build teacher capacity while maintaining the trust and partnership essential for meaningful coaching relationships. Just as great teachers ensure that students are the ones doing the cognitive work without withholding key guidance or information, instructional coaches can hold a consultative stance with teachers skillfully with some principles and key moves.


What approaches have you found helpful in balancing guidance with inquiry in your coaching conversations?


Note: Like any coaching move, the consultative stance should flex based on context, teacher needs, and school priorities. The key is using it intentionally to support teacher and student growth.



Instructional Coaching Resources, Tips, and Advice


©2023 by Deborah Meister Coaching

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