Instructional Coaching in Canada
Research-based professional learning for schools and districts
Partner with our Licensed Canadian Partner - SP Coaching
What is SP Coaching?
Across Canada, educators face growing complexity. Improving learning, supporting wellbeing, and preparing students for a connected world requires more than new programs. It requires better ways of learning together.
SP Coaching partners with schools and systems to build coaching-focused professional learning that strengthens both teaching and leadership. As a licensed provider of the Instructional Coaching Group, we bring Jim Knight’s research-based work to Canadian contexts in practical, sustainable ways.
We believe better conversations lead to better learning. By combining instructional and leadership coaching, we help schools build cultures that support meaningful, lasting growth so every learner can thrive.
Meet Sonja Pullen
Sonja is an experienced Elementary teacher, school leader, and coach who has supported students and educators across Canada, Ethiopia, and Australia for more than 15 years. Based in Toronto, she is the Founder of SP Coaching and is the first licensed provider of The Instructional Coaching Group (ICG). Through this exciting partnership, she offers ICG courses across Canada with the goal of making high-quality professional learning more accessible and feasible to schools in Canada. She also works as an independent consultant with ICG supporting schools and school districts in the United States.
A certified coach with Growth Coaching International, Sonja holds the European Mentoring and Coaching Council’s Global Accreditation at the Practitioner level. She is a Senior Mentor Coach and facilitator with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Mentorship Program at the University of Toronto.
Having personally experienced the power of coaching as both a teacher and a school leader, Sonja saw the positive impact it had on her and those she supported. She is dedicated to advancing coaching and effective professional learning in education so that students, teachers, and school leaders everywhere have the support they need to flourish.
Guided by values of respect, kindness, and empathy, Sonja sees the best in others and believes in the limitless potential of every individual she serves. Outside of work, she volunteers for issues of social justice, loves pickleball and fitness, time with family and friends, cheering on local sports teams, and is on a mission to keep her plants alive!
Course Offerings
Exploring the Seven Success Factors of Instructional Coaching
Learn the essential factors that make instructional coaching effective and how to implement them for real impact.
Better Conversations
Develop the communication skills needed to build trust, foster dialogue, and lead meaningful, growth-focused conversations.
The Impact Cycle
Master a simple, powerful coaching framework that helps teachers set goals, learn strategies, and improve practice.
System Support: What Administrators Need to Know about Coaching
Understand how to create the conditions, structures, and support systems that allow coaching to thrive in your school.
Introduction to Leadership Coaching
Explore how coaching principles can strengthen leadership, improve decision-making, and support adult learning.
Managing Challenging Conversations
Gain practical tools to navigate difficult conversations with clarity, confidence, and respect.
Why Coaching Matters in Schools
For students to grow, the adults who support them must grow. Coaching is one of the most effective ways to make that happen.
When done well, coaching helps teachers refine their practice, leaders strengthen their impact, and students experience stronger learning and wellbeing.
Our approach brings together two key drivers of improvement:
- Instructional Coaching strengthens teaching by helping educators set goals, apply strategies, and monitor progress to improve student outcomes.
- Leadership Coaching supports leaders to think clearly, act with confidence, and create the conditions for high-quality teaching and learning.
Together, they build a culture of continuous growth. Coaching also strengthens trust, collaboration, and professional dialogue across a school.
When schools invest in coaching, they invest in their people and in the success of every student.
What Our Partners Are Saying
Denise, Mathematics Consultant
George Singfield, Director General, Western Québec School Board
Lorne, Director of Middle & Senior School - Miss. Edgar's and Miss Cramp's School
Matt, Teacher and Instructional Coach at Pontiac High School
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Working with Sonja helped me better understand how the Partnership Principles can guide our interactions with staff. By approaching conversations with equality, respect, and curiosity, we are able to create a space where teachers feel empowered to reflect, problem-solve, and make informed decisions about their practice.
The biggest impact for me was learning how powerful coaching conversations can be when they are focused on reflection rather than direction. This shift helps teachers take greater ownership of their professional learning.
After learning about the Impact Cycle, I have begun to think more intentionally about how we support teachers in identifying clear goals, implementing strategies, and reflecting on the impact on student learning.
The most valuable takeaway from my sessions with Sonja and Jim was learning how small shifts in how we listen and ask questions can lead to deeper professional dialogue and more meaningful instructional improvement.
I used to think that supporting teachers meant providing answers or solutions. Now I think that the most powerful support often comes from asking the right questions and guiding teachers to discover solutions that work best for their classrooms.
Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in this valuable learning experience.
Erick Tremblay
Principal, South Hull Elementary School
Sonja helped me become more confident in using a checklist during classroom observations and coaching conversations. Seeing it used in real time helped me better understand its value and the clarity it can bring to discussions. I believe it helps keep conversations more focused, open, and engaged, with attention placed on what really matters for teaching and learning. This approach can make feedback more meaningful and practical, and it supports more productive professional dialogue. The biggest impact on me/ our team/ school/ board was…
After learning about the ‘Impact Cycle’ and seeing how it can work in practice, I felt encouraged to try it myself right away. I know how important it is to set clear goals and to choose strategies that really respond to students’ needs. Just as important is taking the time to come back and reflect on what we tried, to see if those strategies are actually helping students move forward.
The most valuable takeaway from my session with Sonja was the idea that coaching works best when it feels like a real partnership in the learning process. Both people are on equal footing, in a space built on trust, where they can learn and reflect together. No matter the role, everyone has something to learn from each situation and at any moment. When there are clear goals and strong strategies guiding the work, everyone involved benefits, from the teachers to the students.
I used to think coaching was mostly about sharing ideas, offering suggestions or advice when needed, having meaningful discussions, and building a relationship based on trust where equality and choice are present. Now I see it as a broader process where other important elements can also be included, such as asking the right questions based on the situations teachers bring forward and engaging in a dialogical process. In this way, teachers are supported to reflect and discover solutions that make sense for their own classrooms.
Roxana Tiron-Baleanu
French Immersion Teacher at South Hull Elementary and Mentor Coach Teacher
A Word from Jim Knight
“I’m pleased to share that The Instructional Coaching Group is expanding into Canada through a partnership with SP Coaching, led by Sonja Pullen.
This partnership has personal meaning for me. The foundations of our work were formed when I was living in Toronto and studying at the University of Toronto. During that time, many of the ideas that later became central to our approach to instructional coaching began to take shape. For years, I have wanted to build a strong partnership in Canada so these ideas could be shared more widely with Canadian educators.
Sonja is an excellent partner for this work. She is certified through the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, and she brings a deep commitment to helping students succeed. She approaches coaching in a way that respects teachers as professionals and values collaboration. Her work reflects the same beliefs that guide ours about student success and professional partnership.
As someone who grew up in Canada, I have always cared about contributing to Canadian schools. I am grateful that this next phase of our work will take place in collaboration with Sonja. Through this partnership, instructional coaching will become more accessible to schools across Canada, and I look forward to the positive impact it will have for educators and students.”
Connect with Sonja
If you’re interested in exploring professional learning options with Sonja, either virtually or in person, fill out this form.
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