Recently, I had a discussion with a
now-expert teacher about her past experience as a student teaching intern. She told me about a time when her university
supervisor had arrived unannounced. She
said, “The feeling I had when she walked into the room……My heart stopped. Not that she caught me doing something I
shouldn’t be doing. It wasn’t like I was
showing a movie or something and thought, ‘Oh, no, she’ll think I show movies
all the time.’ It wasn’t like I was
slacking off. I was doing what I should
be doing - teaching.”
This heart-sinking feeling is not
uncommon for a teacher when a supervisor walks in. Charlotte Danielson points out that even
tenured teachers may feel, “a tightening of the stomach, a visceral fear, that
the supervisor will observe something not to her liking” (Danielson, 2009, p.
2). How much more troubling, then, is
this situation for a student teacher who is a novice and vulnerable in so many
ways?
Probing my now-teacher friend for why
she had this strong negative reaction when her university supervisor walked in,
it came down to two things: lack of trust and knowing what was coming. From past experience, she knew that these
unplanned pop-ins would mean a lunch-time debrief – during the time she had planned
to make needed copies for the afternoon, get materials laid out for small-group
activities, and take a much-needed brain break.
She also tensed up at the thought of
the feedback the debrief session would include.
She said the supervisor was, “general with praise and specific with
criticism.” And that is what her
recommendations always felt like – criticism, not suggestions. She said the feedback came like a spraying
fire hose, not giving her an opportunity to say much. And when she did get to talk, she felt there
were expected responses – something she was supposed to say, a scripted answer
that she didn’t quite know.
Even though this situation involved a
university supervisor, there is much that coaches can take from it regarding
making recommendations. Previous posts
have described the importance of establishing a trusting relationship and how
that might be done; the situation described above underscores its
importance. Another insight from this
scenario is that it’s helpful to consider the timing of your
recommendations. When you have important
recommendations to make, offer them at a time and in a context where they can
be received with thoughtfulness. The
teaching day is packed with need-to-dos; there is no empty time. Making sure that lengthier conversations are
planned for can provide a context more conducive to learning.
Being specific with both praise and
recommendations is another important consideration. I like to use the “sandwich” technique,
making sure recommendations are preceded with and followed by specific
praise.
Another important aspect of making
recommendations that this situation points out is the need to limit the number
of recommendations given at once. Avoid
the “spraying fire hose” approach!
Although you may see many things that should be changed, the reality is
that a teacher can only bring focus to a few things at a time. Giving multiple recommendations could put her
in information overload mode!
Finally, make sure that recommendations
are given as part of a two-way conversation.
Danielson points out that “the experience of listening to
suggestions….is a completely passive one” (2009, p. 4). A monologue
of recommendations is unlikely to engender change. Instead, create a dialogue about the pedagogy you’re suggesting. Recommending as part of a conversation about
practice allows important learning to emerge.
Because learning occurs as part of an active intellectual process,
inviting your student teacher to weigh in about the recommendations increases
the chance that there will be transfer.
Open the conversation to questions about the nuances of what you are
suggesting. Ask her questions to help
her think about possibilities.
By planning the context and timing of
your recommendations, serving up praise along with suggestions, limiting the
number of recommendations, and opening opportunities for dialogue, your
recommendations will be more welcome and effective, and hopefully you can abate
heart-stopping, stomach-tightening experiences for the teachers you are working
with!
This week, you might want to take a look at:
This
link about the language of recommendations.
It’s written for the world of business, but you can think about how the
suggestions might apply to coaching:
This
story about supporting student teachers:
Game
templates for content review:
A video about using
advertisements to teach analysis:
And
finally, a three-minute video on the benefits of instructional coaching: (you
could ask your principal to show this!)
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