Flexibility

Like the flexible acrobat who can reshape her body, coaches can reshape their viewpoint to consider instruction from multiple perspectives. Flexibility in perspective contributes to the effectiveness of your work as a coach.

Teaching is a complex, multi-dimensional activity, and effective coaches recognize and capitalize on this understanding.  This complexity means that any classroom observation can be viewed from multiple perspectives. As coaches, you may ask yourself: Should I focus on classroom management or discussion techniques? Grouping strategies or learning tasks? Because of your expertise and experience, you can flexibly re-view and think about a lesson you watched in a variety of ways. Determining which lens you should use to provide focus to a follow-up conversation is an important coaching decision.

This week I watched a novice teacher in action. Although her fourth-grade students were interested in the read aloud and in the writing activity that followed, a variety of issues impeded their learning. Students floundered with pre-writing because no structure was provided for this task – yet they were over-scaffolded on other parts of the assignment. Discussion was mostly surface-level and rapid-fire. Pacing was inconsistent. The teacher had to stop multiple times to clarify instructions, and the most frequent sound from her mouth was, “Shhhhhhhh!”

I had to decide what to focus on to make our coaching conversation most impactful. Fortunately, a question I asked before observing made that job easier: “Is there anything you’d like me to specifically observe during the lesson?”

The teacher’s response provided my re-viewing lens: “I’d like to know how well my classroom management is (or isn’t) working. I’d also like to know if I gave clear directions to the students. That   is something I am working on!” Using the lens of clear directions and classroom management, we were able to consider why the pre-writing task didn’t go well, when the lesson’s flow was uneven, and what expectations were unclear to students.

Coaches restructure their knowledge in response to “radically changing situational demands”* This ability has been described as cognitive flexibility. Coaches use a web of conceptual understanding as they consider how various aspects of the lesson impact one another.  They flexibly apply their knowledge, skllls, and understandings based on the coaching focus that has been selected. Choosing the right lens to use can make a big difference in how the coaching is taken up, so flexibility is an important coaching attribute!

Spiro, R.J. & Jehng, J. (1990). Cognitive flexibility and hypertext: Theory and technology for the non-linear and multidimensional traversal of complex subject matter.  In D. Nix & R. Spiro (eds.), Cognition, Education, and Multimedia. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, p. 165.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Last-minute gifts for those who love learning:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1098

Students are guided through creating a digital picture book – and they can even purchase a hardcopy at the end using this online tool:

http://www.storyjumper.com/

A blog post about acting out meaning. The idea of embodied cognition may sound complex, but the concept is powerful, and this explanation is practical:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-acting-out-in-school-boosts-learning/

An NPR podcast about books in infancy:

http://www.npr.org/2014/06/24/325229904/to-immunize-kids-against-illiteracy-break-out-a-book-in-infancy?utm_source=19966766&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=High+Road

A blog about using annotation in the history classroom:

http://www.middleweb.com/15673/annotation-year-lessons-learned/

And finally…..Dickens Christmas Carol in 6 minutes as seen through these British third-graders’ diorama play. Adorable!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfIY3bYX0uo

That’s it for this week. Happy coaching!

Co-teach or Not Co-Teach? That is the Question!

On the Conferring Guide (below), I list co-teaching as an option for modeling, the most scaffolded move on the GIR model. Observing co-teaching as a coaching move this week, I have reason to suggest caution in using this approach. Although I’ve seen co-teaching used seamlessly as a way to support both teachers and learners, this week I saw it backfire and am feeling a little leery about recommending its use.

In the perfect scenario of co-teaching, colleagues ping pong instruction back and forth – one asking a question, another following up to push students for deeper thinking; one at the document camera, another leaning in to support an individual student.  Teaming like this gives a coach a chance to be part of the action and demonstrate the nuances of an instructional approach with the teacher as an active participant. I love it when I see this enactment!

This week, however, I saw a co-teaching situation that seemed dismissive of the teacher’s knowledge and possibly undermined her relationship with students. I was in a first-grade classroom when this coaching occurred. The teacher introduced students to an activity, giving instructions that were, admittedly, a bit ambiguous. The coach, who had been observing, decided to step in and make it a co-teaching situation. She changed the task slightly as she gave students clearer directions about what to do. The teacher, in what appeared to be a face-saving attempt, reiterated to students what the coach had just said. Students started working and then the coach called for a mini-conference with the teacher. She whispered, “I wonder what would happen if…..” and then finished the sentence with a recommendation disguised as a question. The teacher nodded her head and complied, her feelings of self-efficacy ebbing before my eyes.

I know the coach was acting out of two sincere desires: a desire for strong instruction for the students and a desire to help the teacher. But this co-teaching scenario backfired, illustrating some guiding principles for coaches:

1) Co-teaching works best as a planned experience, not as a response to ineffective instruction.

2) Correction-in-action can be hurtful to the teacher and can also undermine her relationship with her students. Ensure that words and actions convey respect.

3) Coach-to-teacher conversations shouldn’t interrupt the learning experience for students.

4) Disguised recommendations can feel demeaning. Make a clear distinction between recommendations and questions.

Co-teaching can be an effective coaching move, but it’s a risky one. The example above is extreme, but I’m sure I’ve made mistakes in my coaching that were similar in nature - it’s always easier to see it from the outside. I’m learning that giving myself time to think before reacting helps me choose words that respect the teacher’s intentions. Such recommendations are more likely to result in teacher change.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A video sharing a wonderful idea for developing emotional intelligence (this is a Pre-K example, but consider the power it might have at other grade levels!):

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/emotional-check-in/?utm_source=Teaching+Channel+Newsletter&utm_campaign=6ac570c4dc-Newsletter_September_06_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_23c3feb22a-6ac570c4dc-290610213

An article about writer’s workshop with young writers:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/07/16/writing-workshop-authors-930/

Videos about writer’s workshop in kindergarten:

http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/Books/BK566/instructional-videos?utm_source=earlylit2014&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=books

A podcast about student research:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1849

An online interactive to support comparing and contrasting:

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/compare-contrast-30066.html

That’s it for this week. Happy coaching!

The GIR Model: What's Missing?

It’s taken me several years to realize it, but one of the important things about the GIR model for coaching is something that is not there: correcting. Correcting might seem like a useful strategy when you are helping someone improve their practice, but it can often backfire, leaving the teacher you are working with feel unvalued and even disrespected.

This concept hit home to me this week when I was talking with a novice teacher who had not had a good experience with mentoring. The example she gave was with a simple teaching practice and an extreme situation, but it will serve to illustrate problems with using correcting as a coaching move.

The teacher was in a first-grade classroom, using a document camera to read a picture book. As the story began, the mentor said, “Stop!” and walked up to the front of the room. She rearranged the teacher’s desk, pointing out that she needed to be facing the students while using the document camera. The teacher quickly adjusted her position, refocused students on the book, and resumed reading.

You may be saying to yourself, “I would never do anything like that.” This is, admittedly, an extreme example. But correcting, even when carried out in contexts more thoughtful and with words less harsh, is still not an effective coaching move.

In situations where correcting seems needed, I try to figure out a corresponding, but more effective, coaching move from the GIR model. Often that move is a recommendation.  A recommendation is received differently than correction or its close associate, criticizing.  For illustration, let’s consider differences between criticizing and recommending. A criticism in the above example, given during a debrief conversation, might sound like:

“You shouldn’t have had your back to students while you used the document camera.”

A suggestion might sound like:

“You might want to rearrange your computer desk so that you can see students while you’re using the document camera.”

Correcting and criticism are not part of the research-based GIR model.  There’s a reason for that: the GIR model grew from careful study of effective coaches, examining what they did to support success. Correcting and criticizing don’t show up because they aren’t part of the repertoire of effective coaches.

Just like in football, what happens at the receiving end is critically important. If it’s not caught, even the most beautifully thrown pass does not result in a touchdown. This principle holds true in coaching: your understanding of expert instruction will only help improve another teacher’s instruction if the expertise you offer is received. Recommendations, rather than corrections, will be more likely to be a game-changer.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

This blog about what makes a good mentor:

http://www.teachingquality.org/content/why-mentorship-matters

Think time and collaborative work as tools for learning:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/independent-and-group-work?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

Busting myths about differentiated instruction:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-myths-and-truths-john-mccarthy

Lesson resources for teaching good grammar:

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jul/30/guardian-teacher-network-resources-grammar

A video showing retelling in 1^st-grade, offering students choice:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/academic-choice-lesson?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

That’s it for this week. Happy coaching!

User-Friendly Feedback

Have you ever given coaching feedback, felt like it was well-received, and then seen little change?  Unfortunately, a teacher’s acknowledgment of a problem doesn’t mean she can implement a solution. 

This week I had a conversation with a coach who was feeling frustrated with the results of her efforts. She had been giving detailed, specific feedback but seeing no changes in instruction! What could be going wrong?

I asked her to tell me more.

During a grammar lesson, it quickly became apparent that the approach the teacher had planned wasn’t working. Students did not understand.  Later, when the coach brought this up, the teacher readily agreed and recognized she should have been flexible and changed something in the middle of the lesson. The problem was, the teacher didn’t know what that something was. Even though the feedback had included detailed examples of students’ misunderstanding, it didn’t lead to a better next lesson.

The coach gave another example.  During an observation, this coach had taken careful notes and chosen some details to share with the teacher.  For example, she’d noted that many students were off-task and did not appear to be engaged. That was a problem!  The teacher’s reply was that yes – she had noticed they weren’t engaged. She was aware of the problem.

It was a problem, however, that the teacher didn’t seem equipped to solve. She needed specific recommendations. She needed to hear something like:

“When planning your lesson, think about how you can incorporate students’ interests. For example, Thanksgiving is coming up and they’ve been talking about that turkey dinner! You could center their math problem around a shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner and how much of each item they might buy if they have $60 to spend. Making the problem relevant to their experience will increase engagement.”

I reminded the coach of the recommendation equation we’d discussed earlier: Feedback + Advice = Recommendation.  The coach realized she had left out the “advice” portion of the equation.

Sometimes teachers take feedback well – they nod and agree when a problem is identified. But there are times when they can’t take it from there without your help. User-friendly feedback at these times includes recommendations. Without the recommendation, the feedback isn’t useful. In fact, it is frustrating.

A novice teacher who is just beginning to build a teaching repertoire may need support in using your feedback.  They need you to figuratively hold their hand and turn the feedback into a recommendation.  A recommendation that can be put into action will make direct feedback welcome and user-friendly.

This week, you might want to take a look at this potpourri of ideas and resources:

Using music parodies to teach history:

http://www.middleweb.com/18597/parody-synthesis-class-say/

4 minutes of movement increases students’ attention:

http://www.medicaldaily.com/fun-exercise-boost-kids-attention-school-performance-all-it-takes-4-minutes-308922

Executive function (mental processes that help us plan, organize, control emotions, and manage time) in teens is intermittent; here are some suggestions for improving it:

http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/Teaching/TeaDet/TabId/203/ArtMID/833/ArticleID/298/Looking-at-Executive-Function.aspx

11 Tips for Teaching about Theme:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/WP-GreatBooks-11_Tips_for_Teaching.pdf

Read the blog post, “Dipsticks” for ideas to share about formative assessment (includes 53 ways to check for understanding!):

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/dipsticks-to-check-for-understanding-todd-finley

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Time Out for Coaching

Football season is upon us, but it’s more than just athletes who need a Time Out! With high-stakes testing and merit pay, teaching has never been a more stressful profession.  And ongoing stress has serious consequences, affecting the area of our brain responsible for memory and learning.

When stress is high and seems to be getting in the way of your coaching efforts, you might try some of the following to get both you and the teacher you are working with ready for a productive coaching session.

1) Take a deep breath.  You might even close your eyes while you do it. Don’t hide your attempt from the teacher you are working with. Our brains subconsciously mirror the emotions of others. As you relax, the teacher you are working with is likely to relax, too. You may even see the exhale.

2) Drop and relax your shoulders. We carry a lot of tension there! Rotate your shoulder blades and imagine the stress going down your arms and out of your fingertips.

3) Laugh out loud – it lowers stress hormones and boosts feel-good endorphins. You don’t have to be a stand-up comedian to bring out a chuckle!  Slip a comic strip in the front of your clear-view binder or save a story from the school-day that made you smile. Lightening the mood can increase the effectiveness of your coaching.

4) Add calming images, sounds, or scents. In your classroom or office, a photo or sound of waves washing up on the beach can foster relaxation. Bird song, music, lavender, the scent of pine trees, the sound of rain, or the image of a sunset are some other possibilities. Invite your senses to take you to a relaxing place. It will ease the way for an open conversation and make others feel good, too!

5) Chew gum.  A few minutes of chewing can actually reduce anxiety. So offer a minty stick when you sense tension.

6) Offer lotion. Our hands also carry a lot of stress, and applying lotion provides a mini hand-massage for instant relaxation.

7) Squeeze a stress ball. It’s a portable way to reduce tension.

8) Head outside. If it’s a sunny day, an outdoor walk-and-talk will lift your spirits and inspire new ideas.

9) Journal. Writing about what’s stressing you can make emotions less intimidating. In addition to reducing stress, taking a few minutes to write at the beginning of a coaching session builds in reflection time and can provide a springboard for discussion. Those two or three minutes for reflection feel like a luxury in our fast-paced days.

10) Food for thought: although complex carbs create a more lasting stream of serotonin, simple carbs, like sweets, produce a spike in the hormone that can get the brain in gear for productive conversation.  My favorite research about stress is that dark chocolate regulates the stress hormone, so now I have an excuse for my addiction!

Of course, you won’t try all of these at once. One or two will likely do the job, releasing helpful hormones that chase away the ill-effects of stress. Decide whether or not to explicitly mention the stress and what you are doing to relieve it based on the context, the people you are working with, and your relationship to them. 

The quick-fix stress-reducers mentioned above set the stage for the coaching conversation – which could be another stress reducer.  Talking about stressful situations to a calm listener relieves, relaxes, and creates opportunities for problem solving.  

Try a few of these suggestions yourself to get ready for the day. You’ve earned that time out!

 

This week, you might want to take a look at:

An article about the value of reading for pleasure:

http://www.reading.org/reading-today/post/engage/2014/02/27/reading-pleasure-central-to-practice?utm_source=Inspire-1014&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Inspire

In this video, a middle school National Teacher of the Year finalist shows how she develops writing confidence in English Language Learners:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/meet-dorina-sackman-2014-ntoy-finalist?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

An article about using memorabilia as writing prompts:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=348

An online app for Venn diagrams:

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/mobile-apps/venn-diagram-a-30994.html

 

Get convinced about the power of collaboration:

https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-08-09-say-yolo-to-studying-solo-the-power-of-collaborative-learning

 

That’s it for this week. Happy coaching!

 

Conversational Courage

Do you really want to improve student learning?  In many situations, focusing on student work will help you get directly to the need. This is especially true if the conversation is with the student – the learner doing that work.

At other times, however, a conversation about instruction will be more effective.  This is often true if the conversation is with the teacher – the one doing that work.

Talking about teaching head-on might require conversational courage.  For coaches, conversational courage is a type of relationship courage: the courage to engage in meaningful conversations about the work.  

Here are some suggestions to lay the groundwork for courageous conversations: 

*Give ample time for the teacher to explain her ideas without judgment.

 *Speak less and listen more so that you can understand the teacher’s perspective.

*Ask open-ended questions (it helps to have a couple of those ready in advance).

These practices build a trusting, open atmosphere and enrich your understanding of the situation.  After a thoughtful pause (giving yourself time to synthesize this new information), you can speak honestly, providing recommendations that are more likely to hit the mark because of the perspective you’ve gained.  Interestingly, there’s some brain chemistry behind this.  Listening thoughtfully stimulates your prefrontal cortex, allowing you to access more sophisticated strategies.  You can then respond intelligently and creatively, offering recommendations that are likely to improve instruction. And, importantly, the teachers’ “mirror neurons” will reflect the empathy you’ve shown, and she’ll feel understood and more open to influence.

Having conversational courage, foregrounded with empathic listening, helps you talk about teaching with the one doing that work. It’s an indirect way to get at student learning, but it targets aspects of the work that the teacher has the most control over.  Although it may take conversational courage to make recommendations about instruction, specific suggestions are sometimes the shortest route to improved student learning.

As the Wizard of Oz taught, wisdom and courage should work together. So couple your recommendations with conversational courage.  Conversational courage is a coaching tool that can get you to the heart of effective instruction. 

 

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Commentary about working together for school improvement:

http://www.itemonline.com/news/everyone-is-working-together-to-make-mance-park-the-best/article_4276988c-62d4-11e4-a3fe-d75a26b714d2.html

 

The importance of trusts in PLCs:

http://www.teachingquality.org/content/blogs/kim-worth/building-plc-possibilities-four-tenets-trust

 

This video showing debrief circles in math:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/students-reflect-on-learning-exl?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

 

A video with suggestions for talking about texts:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzing-text-as-a-group

 

A podcast:  Why do inquiry:

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/why-do-inquiry

 

That’s it for this week.  Happy coaching!

Get It While It's Hot!

This week was a busy one – I observed in classrooms but had no time to debrief.  I didn’t want the feedback to get cold, so I sent brief e-mails that highlighted successes but also provided a quick recommendation.  Here are two excerpts:

“Thanks for inviting me to your class today! It was exciting to see students making connections with previous learning!  The opportunities for kinesthetic engagement support students’ concept formation, and providing students time to reflect on what they had learned gave both you and them formative information.  One thing you might consider focusing on is listening to and building from student comments. Continue to build a culture where students feel comfortable sharing what they know and their own experiences. Students’ own comments provide wonderful opportunities for authentic discussion that will build understanding - not just knowledge.”

“I enjoyed being with you and your students today! Using the 10-Frames supported students’ understanding of place value.  Having students share divergent solutions also supported their concept development – it was so helpful for them to think about different representations for the numbers.  I was also impressed with your flexibility in the face of technology blips!  Can you send me a quick response regarding where this lesson is going?  Keeping a clear focus on the big understanding and how each lesson you are teaching fits with future learning will be a guide for both you and your students.” 

Although providing feedback via e-mail isn’t my preferred mode (no opportunity to construct meaning together!), I decided it was important for these teachers to get the feedback while it was still “hot.”  When too much time passes between observation and recommendation, the teacher has a harder time making use of suggestions.  She is no longer in that moment.  A day or two later, although she’ll likely remember what she and the students did, she may find it hard to remember her reasoning.  And impacting decision-making is where coaches get the most bang for their buck. 

Good recommendations are timely.  Our work as coaches is more effective when instruction is still fresh in teachers’ minds.  They need to get it while it’s hot!
 

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A video with ideas for using hand signals to encourage active listening:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-strategy-active-listening

 

An article about making the Common Core text exemplars accessible to middle school students:

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/sites/default/files/making-the-ccss-text-exemplars-accessible_vm.pdf

 

Ideas for a close reading of Hamlet:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1910

A video with a quick and thoughtful approach to annotating while reading:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-annotated-reading-strategy

 

Research that describes how learning music closes the achievement gap in reading:

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8472/20140809/music-training-improves-memory-reading-skills-children.htm

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Equation for a Recommendation

Want recommendations that work?  Follow this equation:

Evidence + Advice = Recommendation

Making recommendations is a frequent and effective coaching tool.  However, the effectiveness of coaching recommendations rests on the teacher’s perception of their relevance.  Unless the reason for the recommendation is clear, there’s little chance that the suggestion will be used. 

Here’s an example:  In a debrief session after observing a very limited classroom discussion, the coach offered this advice:  “You might try using sticks with students’ names or some other random name generator to call on students.”  What made the recommendation effective, however, was the evidence that preceded it:  “When you called on only students with their hands raised, most of the students didn’t contribute to the conversation.”  This evidence provided the warrant for the recommendation.  The teacher first saw the need, then heard a possible solution. 

In our recommendation equation, evidence is information about how the teacher is doing.  The evidence is most effective when tied with student outcomes rather than being focused solely on the teacher.  Such feedback is deliberate, explicit, and opens the door for a recommendation. 

Rather than including an evaluative comment, information that lays the groundwork for a recommendation is provided In a non-judgmental way.  It awakens awareness of the need for change and increases the teacher’s receptiveness to advice.  Providing neutral, goal related facts* about performance in relation to a goal is an important “part one” of a recommendation.  Effective coaching begins with careful observation that yields evidence of the effectiveness of instruction. 

Evidence + Advice = Recommendation

*Wiggins, G. (2012).  Seven keys to effective feedback. Feedback for Learning, 70(1), 10-16.

 

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A video with tips for teaching oral language skills:

http://my.hrw.com/content/hmof/language_arts/hmhcollections/resources/common/videoPlayer/index.html?shortvid=V_FLLIT_0303

 

Advice for having students document their learning while reading chapter books (includes photos of model charts that could be created with the class):

http://chartchums.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/so-your-students-are-starting-to-read-chapter-books/

 

A video with Carol Dweck on the importance of letting kids struggle:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/embracing-struggle-exl?utm_source=Teaching+Channel+Newsletter&utm_campaign=26366d3783-Newsletter_June_14_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_23c3feb22a-26366d3783-290610213

 

An infographic about remodeling literacy learning:

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/sites/default/files/remodeling-together-infographic.pdf

Tips for creating digital citizenship:

http://plpnetwork.com/2014/06/26/primary-kids-digital-citizenship-skills/?utm_source=19966766&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=High+Road

 

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

A Solid Game Plan: Recommending

It’s football season again, and in pre-game interviews with coaches, there’s lots of talk about the game plan for each particular match-up.  Being flexible and responsive is an important attribute for any coach, but it’s also helpful to go into a coaching situation with a well-reasoned game plan. As an instructional coach, having a plan in mind will strengthen your performance in a coaching conversation. Important to the coaching plan is not only the content that you’ll be discussing but also the coaching move you’ll predominantly use. I asked several coaches their reasons for choosing the coaching move of making recommendations.  Here’s what they said:

·         She is starting a new unit.  She needed to understand the unit goal and steps to reach it.

·         As students’ levels became apparent, we needed to talk about how to meet their needs.

·         Most of the time she is asking questions about how I decide to do this or that. 

·         She needed to understand the importance of using a “turn and talk” to help students process what was just learned.

·         To share what I’ve noticed about kids and think about how to plan and guide the instruction they need in their current stage. 

·         I moved to recommending because she needs to be intentional about what she is teaching and why she is teaching it, as well as how she will be structuring her lesson.

·         When we are planning lessons I do more recommending. 

·         I think it’s important to provide support to her as she plans lessons.  For example, how I do it, where I look for resources, what I consider, etc.

As these coaches’ comments illustrate, recommendations can focus on teaching strategies, the content or skills being taught, developmental processes, or standards and curriculum.  As you think about your game plan for an upcoming coaching conversation, what will your move be?  If recommending is called for, the above illustrations might be helpful as you visualize the conversation.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

This blog about the effective vertical team meetings:

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/vignette/something-talk-about-teacher-led-vertical-teams-work

 

An article about how acting boosts learning:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-acting-out-in-school-boosts-learning/

 

Want to encourage differentiation?  Read this blog myth-busting differentiated instruction:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-myths-and-truths-john-mccarthy

 

A video showing how to use student-generated questions in a literary discussion:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/12th-grade-text-analysis-lesson

 

Two banks of ratio & proportion problems:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjIqyKM9d7ZYdEhtR3BJMmdBWnM2YWxWYVM1UWowTEE#gid=0

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkLk45wwjYBudG9LeXRad0lHM0E0VFRyOEtRckVvM1E#gid=0

 

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Take a Very Close Look

If you want to ask good questions during coaching conversations, take a very close look during instruction.  Ground your observations in the specifics of what you see and hear.  Get right in the center of the learning.  Lean in to hear student conversations and interactions between teacher and student.  Look closely at student work.  What does that work tell you about the student’s understanding?  Does the student work look much the same, regardless of students’ ability level?  Are there common errors across student work?  Patterns of misunderstanding?  Is the teacher giving feedback that is general (“Great job!”) or specific (“Drawing the diagram really helped you solve that problem!”)?  Can students explain to you why they are doing what they’re doing?  Who is answering the teacher’s questions?  Gathering information during observations that is concrete and specific will provide food for thought.

After observing but before sitting down with the teacher, take some time to review your notes.  Highlight things that stand out to you.  What seems important?  Zero in on one or two ideas and craft thoughtful, open-ended questions to generate meaningful dialogue.  For example, if you decide to discuss teacher feedback, you might ask the teacher, “What aspects of the work were you focusing on when checking in with students?”  A discussion of patterns of student response might ensue from the question, “How did you decide who would answer your questions?”  Your question isn’t meant to be a “gotcha,” but rather an honest inquiry into the teacher’s decision-making processes.  Be careful that your tone and wording carry that positive, supportive message.

One or two thoughtful questions, if explored deeply, will provide the fuel for a meaningful coaching conversation.  Allowing ample processing time will increase the depth of teacher responses.  Then listen hard to the teacher’s answer, because you’ll want to carry that thread of conversation forward. 

Discussions that are grounded in insightful observation and careful analysis of classroom interactions are likely to be rich and meaningful.  Your insightful observations will help you and the teacher figure out together how to make instruction stronger. 

 

This week, you might want to take a look at:

This video about an end-of-class formative assessment – the stop light method:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/daily-lesson-assessment

 

A video about effective systems for coaching:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/district-wide-coaching-system?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

 

10 Tips for Professional Development:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/10-tips-delivering-awesome-professional-development-elena-aguilar

 

10 technology-enhanced alternatives to book reports:

http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8529-10-technology-enhanced-alternatives-to-book-reports

 

Strategies for great student discussions about math:

http://www.nctm.org/uploadedFiles/Research_News_and_Advocacy/Research/Clips_and_Briefs/research%20brief%2020%20-%20strategies%20of%20discussion.pdf

 

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!