I
have an adorable little grandson……don’t you agree? Indulge me for a moment, there really is a
purpose to mentioning him in the blog!
The last time he came to visit, Jude was just figuring out how to
walk. So of course he led me around the
house, holding tightly to my index finger.
I was happy to provide all the support he needed. Holding onto my finger, he could toddle
anywhere he wanted to go – over to see the puppies, to the toy box, across the
room to look out the window. As long as
he had my finger, he was in his comfort zone.
But the minute my finger slipped away, he quickly sat down on his
diaper, not having the confidence to take another step.
Sometimes
our coaching is like that. We provide so
much support that our teachers are dependent upon us. Take away the support, and their new-found
skills disappear. Then the teacher is
right back where she was at the beginning of the coaching cycle – crawling, as
it were, when she was almost ready to walk alone. What could we have done differently? That is what the Gradual Increase of
Responsibility model is all about – the letting go.
On
the last day of my grandson’s visit, we were all so hoping that he would take
his first unassisted steps. We were sitting
on the carpeted floor not long before leaving for the airport. My husband had our grandson on his lap. He picked him up, set him squarely on his
feet and let go – and the baby took five running steps, unassisted, and then
landed in his mother’s open arms. He had
done it! He had walked! What made the difference? Instead of offering the same assistance we
had been providing day in and day out, my husband recognized what our grandson
needed – a firm foundation – and then sent him on his way.
Similarly, after we have done all the hand-holding that is needed, we can remind teachers of what they know and then let go. They may wobble a bit, but that is what it takes to learn. Coaches adapt the scaffolding they provide based on the experiences and needs of their teachers. By doing so, they respond to the dynamic nature of a teacher’s zone of proximal development (ZPD). The concept of the ZPD is to provide just enough support so that the learner is stretched to do something she previously could not. Coaches leverage teachers’ abilities by providing progressive scaffolding – just enough support to match teachers’ escalating zones of proximal development. In the GIR model, this flexible support is represented by the squiggly line, a reminder that the path toward interdependence may be a meandering one, and that the coach should consistently assess and address teachers’ changing needs. A little modeling, a little recommending, some questions mixed in, and praise and affirmation along the way. It’s not about using just one type of coaching move at a time, but rather finding the right balance, and shifting that balance, so that the teacher moves forward and can stand on her own two feet with an increased instructional repertoire and enough confidence so that she will continue to use it once your steadying hand is gone.
As
the school year winds down and you think about honing your own craft over the
summer, you might want to take a look at:
The
coach in this video confirms and collaborates.
Take a look at the great interdisciplinary lesson that results to teach
first graders about light:
For
more ideas with a science twist, check out this video about teaching science
vocabulary:
For
those of you who still have a little time left in the school year, check out
these ideas to prepare students for summer reading:
This
one will make you smile – a video about high-school students using online media
to share the smiles:
That’s
it for this week. Happy coaching – or
happy start to the summer break!
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