Getting Buy-In: Coaching Through Resistance in the Age of AI
What happens when the people you’re trying to support resist the very thing you’re there to do? This interactive workshop explores how instructional coaches and teacher-leaders can build buy-in, shift mindsets, and lead change in school cultures where AI, coaching, or collaboration are met with hesitation, or even outright resistance.
Drawing on real examples, including the rollout of AI literacy and Responsible Use Policies, this session explores the emotional, relational, and strategic aspects of navigating change. You’ll leave with tools to help you better listen, reframe resistance, identify levers of influence, and design invitations—not mandates—for innovation.
This workshop is especially useful for educators introducing AI, coaching programs, or other shifts in teaching practice that challenge “the way things have always been done.”
Facilitated By
Itzel Madero Hernandez
Technology Integration Coach K-12, The International School Yangon
Itzel is an international educator and instructional coach based at The International School Yangon, where she leads digital literacy and technology integration initiatives across PK–12. With over eight years of teaching experience in Mexico, Qatar, and Myanmar, she brings a grounded, classroom-informed perspective to her leadership work.
She recently completed her Certificate in Instructional Coaching and holds a Master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from SUNY Buffalo. At ISY, she co-developed the school’s Responsible Use Policy for AI, designs professional development aligned with ethical and developmentally appropriate AI use, and supports staff in navigating change with clarity and empathy. Her work focuses on helping educators build trust, respond to resistance, and lead innovation through collaborative coaching.
