What if “we learn from our mistakes” is only half true? In this episode of Coaching the Whole Educator, Becca Silver talks with Dr. Doug Fisher, professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College, about success-oriented learning and what it means for instructional coaching. We’ve all heard that mistakes are opportunities for learning. But making a mistake doesn’t automatically mean we learn from it. And when failures keep piling up, especially in a public space like a classroom, students can become discouraged, disengaged, and less willing to try. Doug shares why experiencing success matters for learning, motivation, and confidence, and how his school is putting that into practice. Through incremental success criteria, teachers chunk each hour of class into at least four checkpoints, giving students frequent opportunities to recognize their progress and experience success. What started in ninth grade a couple of years ago is now school-wide. Then Becca and Doug turn the conversation to instructional coaching. Full-cycle coaching (pre-observation, observation, debrief) has its place. But when it’s the only model a school uses, coaches run out of time to support the range of teachers, it can feel like evaluation when a leader runs it, and it reduces how often coaches are in classrooms. Doug introduces two alternatives: short-cycle (goal-driven) coaching, built around a shared goal over two to four weeks, and micro-coaching, including his Notice → Name → Nudge approach for helping teachers recognize what they’re doing well and consider a small next step. Becca makes the case that walkthrough forms are a data tool, not a coaching tool. When every visit turns into a laundry list, teachers walk away feeling like they’re never doing enough. And when teachers are stuck, experiencing resistance, or facing a lot to change, another full coaching cycle is often the opposite of what they need. The place to start is small, quick wins. Because recognizing what needs to change is one thing. Believing you can change it is another. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why learning from mistakes isn’t enough, and how small successes help build confidence and momentumWhat the Eighty Five Percent Rule suggests about balancing challenge and successHow incremental success criteria create frequent opportunities for students to recognize progressHow remembering previous successes can support persistence with challenging tasksThe differences between full-cycle, short-cycle, and micro-coachingHow to use Notice → Name → Nudge to offer focused feedback without overwhelming teachersWhy walkthrough forms shouldn’t be your default tool for every coaching conversationHow frequent peer observations can help build a culture of coachingWhy collective efficacy depends on experiencing success, not team buildingWho this episode is for: Instructional coaches, teacher leaders, principals, and district leaders who want practical coaching approaches that build teacher efficacy, treat resistance as information, and help educators experience meaningful progress. Resources mentioned: The Art and Science of Teacher Coaching by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode, and Toni Osborn Faddis (Corwin, 2026)Fisher and Frey: fisherandfrey.comConnect with Doug Fisher on LinkedIn: Douglas FisherThe Eighty Five Percent Rule for Optimal Learning (Wilson et al., 2019, Nature Communications)Related research: Not Learning From Failure: The Greatest Failure of All (Eskreis-Winkler & Fishbach, 2019, Psychological Science)Keep the conversation going: Get The Resistance Solution by Becca Silver: https://amzn.to/4pRCaa5Lead your team through it with Book Study Facilitator Training: https://www.thewholeeducator.com/book-study-facilitator-trainingLet's Stay Connected! www.thewholeeducator.com | info@thewholeeducator.com
