About Steve

Steve Barkley, Chief Learning Officer and Executive Vice-President of PLS 3rd Learning,
is internationally recognized for his ability to facilitate change through his teaching and
coaching. He is skilled in guiding systems and teams through the process of continuous
improvement with coaching, mentoring, and professional learning communities. Most
recently, Steve has concentrated his efforts on working with several districts in
leadership training, coaching skills, and establishing teacher professional development
goals, often focused on efficacy, agency, and accelerated learning. His dynamic energy
and focus, provide a model for the skills necessary for effective change in individual
teachers, teams, schools, and school systems.

He began his career in education more than 45 years ago as an elementary school
teacher. For the past 30+ years he has served as a consultant to school districts,
teacher organizations, state departments of education, and colleges and universities
both nationally and internationally. His development of strategies to connect with clients
virtually has greatly increased his availability for personalized facilitation and coaching.

Steve is a master teacher-of-educators, a highly motivational and riveting speaker who
is extraordinarily knowledgeable about life in schools. A catalyst for growth, he is a true
role model who practices what he teaches.

Keynote Address

Lassoing Success: Harnessing the Power of Peer Coaching 

At its core, a coaching culture in a school embodies a commitment to growth, collaboration, and personalized professional development – all focused on maximizing student success. Coaching extends beyond mere skill development to unleashing potential by guiding individuals and teams to explore and expand their capabilities.

Instructional coaches, partnering with school leaders, should build coachability and a coaching culture throughout our schools. Steve will share his insights from four decades of focusing on coaching as a gift that all educators deserve.

Breakout Session

Asking Effective Questions: A Coach’s Superpower

Asking the right questions at the right time can spark the reflective process that maximizes the coached teacher’s payoff for the time and vulnerability invested in coaching. The coach’s listening and observing skills help guide finding those impactful questions. Interest, curiosity, and authenticity of purpose undergird a coach’s questioning practices. Steve will provide a framework for designing questions that focus on the coachee’s insights and decisions.