What Does an Instructional Coach Do? The Role in Action

Once you understand what instructional coaching is, the next step is to get clear on what the role looks like in action. This is where things often get messy. Teachers may wonder if you are there to evaluate them. Administrators might see you as a problem-solver for anything that comes up. And you may find yourself pulled into tasks that are never coaching at all.

In my own experience, every building I coached in was different. Some years I was expected to lead professional development almost every week. In other buildings, I spent most of my time modeling lessons and co-teaching. The expectations shifted, but what stayed the same was that I had to learn how to adapt. That is why having language around the different hats instructional coaches wear has been so helpful to me.

Joellen Killion describes ten specific roles that instructional coaches take on. Think of these roles as hats you put on and take off depending on the need. You may wear several in a single day, sometimes even in the same coaching conversation.

What does the role of an instructional coach look like?

Instructional coaching is never one job. It is ten interconnected roles that you rotate between, and each role has a purpose and creates a different type of support for teachers.

These roles are practical, never just theory on a page. In fact, when I look back over my 11 years of coaching, I can name seasons where one of these roles became my main focus. For example, in one school, I spent a lot of time as a learning facilitator, planning PD sessions and leading book studies. In another school, I lived most of my time in classrooms as a classroom supporter, modeling lessons and co-teaching side by side with teachers. The flexibility of the coaching role is what makes it so valuable, and also what makes it challenging.

Here is a quick picture of the ten hats. The data coach sits with a grade-level team after a benchmark assessment and finds the gaps. The resource provider shares tools and materials teachers may not find on their own. The mentor listens to and encourages teachers new to the profession or the building, and I have seen this role keep teachers in the profession who might otherwise have left. The curriculum specialist makes sense of standards, pacing guides, and assessments so they become practical planning tools. The instructional specialist tailors strategies to student needs. The classroom supporter steps in to co-teach, model, or take a quick, focused snapshot of teaching and learning. The learning facilitator designs and leads professional learning. The school leader partners with administrators so coaching supports the school’s broader vision, which has nothing to do with being an assistant principal. The catalyst for change pushes for growth, and that takes courage and strong relationships. And the learner models what it looks like to grow, because teachers notice when you take learning seriously.

Why naming the coaching roles changes what happens in classrooms

When you can name the hats you wear, you can:

• Communicate clearly with teachers about what you do and do not do
• Align with administrators so your time is spent on the work that counts most
• Build trust by being transparent about your role
• Reflect on which roles you lean on and which ones you need to strengthen

When you can flex between roles intentionally, coaching becomes more than a task list. It becomes a system of support that helps teachers feel capable, leaders feel supported, and students benefit from stronger instruction. A coach who knows which hat they are wearing in a given conversation is a coach the building can count on.

How do you use the 10 hats of instructional coaching?

Think about which of these hats you naturally reach for, and which ones you tend to avoid. The download gives you an example of each role in action, a set of reflection prompts, and one question to take to your administrator that can clear up a lot of confusion for the year.

The role is many things

The role of an instructional coach is never one thing. It is many things, and your job is to know which hat to wear, when to wear it, and how to use it to help teachers and students grow.