Teaching
and coaching are complex acts. That’s because our work is with humans, and each
is unique. Some professionals work with computers or other equipment, which
tend to respond in consistent and predictable ways. Humans, however, are inconsistent
and unpredictable. We are spontaneous, whimsical, and variable. That makes
teaching and coaching both joyful and challenging! Adam
Grant said, “The complexity of reality can seem like an inconvenient
truth."* In teaching, the reality of teaching complexity may be masked by
scripted curricula that expect uniformity. But the real work of teaching is seeing
students one-by-one. That’s hard to do when they come 30 at a time, but
possible, if teachers are open to the complexity.
The
Complexity of Teaching
Teaching can be an enormously rewarding
activity and an enormously challenging one. It can also be an activity that
calls upon all of our mental faculties, an enormous intellectual experience. A
high-school teacher may find their content mentally engaging; a kindergarten
teacher may not be challenged by the simple mathematical knowledge his students
are acquiring, but the pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge
necessary for optimal learning are immense.
Teaching is a complex, contextualized
activity requiring multi-factor decision-making. Planning an effective lesson
requires understanding; adjusting that plan appropriately as the lesson unfolds
requires insight and flexibility. Because Instruction and learning are complicated,
it isn’t possible to have a pre-packaged description of how to respond in every
situation. The nuances of moment-by-moment instructional decision-making offer
opportunities to enact a vision for effective instruction.
Teaching is complex and messy because teachers
and students are unique. There will never be a perfect lesson plan or a
perfectly-taught lesson. Teaching is improvable, but not perfectible because classrooms
are complex contexts. Improvement in the complicated work of student learning
occurs only when teachers are empowered to discover and discern. Privileging
examination of teachers’ own practice as a way to improve instruction values
teachers and teaching and the work they do every day.The
Complexity of Coaching
Because classrooms and schools are complex,
coaches can’t provide lessons that can be lifted and used “as is” in the
classroom. They can’t provide one-size-fits-all solutions to gnarly problems. Instead,
coaches provide guidance for developing best practices and for maintaining a
stance of flexibility and responsiveness. Instructional coaching improves the
complex and contextual work of teaching through sustained engagement that uses
and grows insider expertise. Coaching provides
a space for teachers to unpack experiences and think about both the observable
and the inner work of teaching.
Coaching includes considerations about
teaching, learning, relationships, and the change process. Successful coaches
adjust based on the complexity and difficulty of the task, as well as teachers’
experience. The Gradual Increase of Responsibility (GIR) model, pictured below,
provides a vision for differentiating coaching work. The GIR model is
conceptually simple. In practice, however, each of the five coaching approaches
is complex and nuanced.
When coaches model (the most
supportive GIR coaching move), teachers observe real students in the complex
chemistry of a classroom. They are freed from the ongoing, intensive brainwork
of teaching and can give their energy to watching and listening. They can
notice the nuances of student and teacher actions and
interactions, allowing them the freedom to consider
both teacher and student responses in a way that would have been difficult had they
been the one teaching the lesson. Coaches
and teachers dissect these intricacies together through conversations before
and after the observation.
Whether it is the coach or the teacher who
has taught a lesson, a post-observation conversation can be anchored in observations
that are objective and specific, revealing nuances of practice that enhance
teachers’ learning.
To promote learning, coaches model
decision-making, elicit teachers’ thinking, encourage inquiry, guide teachers
to focus on evidence of student learning, and support reflection. By bringing
focus to complex, open-ended pedagogical issues, coaches position teachers to
inquire and learn.
Because of the complexity of the learning
process, teachers may benefit when coaches make specific recommendations
about how instruction should change over time to support students’ development.
Our precise questions can invite precise responses and express
our genuine curiosity about the complexity of teaching.
Coaches also offer guidance through affirmation
and praise. Practices that teachers know are working become polar stars
to help them navigate the demands of their classrooms.
Growth, Not Perfection
As coaches and teachers unpack the complexities
of instruction, Insight and power are gained by working together. We can adjust
and apply what we learn about teaching and coaching in varied and unique
situations. In complex, real-world circumstances, answers do not come neatly
packaged; knowledge and skills are insufficient. When confronted with new
challenges and contexts, insight guides effective response. This includes how
we respond as coaches to our own complex work.
Recognizing
complexity, we know there is no quick fix that is true for every classroom or
coaching quandary. No one will every know all there is to know about either. No
one will do it perfectly. But there’s some free-ness I knowing that you’ll
never know it all, that you’ll never do it perfectly. We just jump in and give
it our best go. And then we reflect and learn something from the experience,
and maybe we’ll do it a little better the next time around – or maybe not.
Because teaching and coaching are complex. No two days, no two students, no two
teachers are ever the same. Hopefully, that variability will keep us coming
back for more!