Friday, February 7, 2014

Modeling the Intangibles

Charlotte Danielson, whose work on teacher effectiveness has been widely acknowledged throughout the country, describes an intangible classroom element that is crucial to engagement and meaningful learning:

Teachers whose classrooms constitute a safe and challenging environment for student learning have artfully combined challenge with support.  This teaching is not formulaic; it is a high-level professional enterprise in which teachers know when to cajole, when to reteach, when to praise, and when to enlist the participation of other students, all in the service of high-level learning.*

Establishing a learning environment like the one Danielson describes is an important goal that can be embedded in coaching work.  No matter what the coaching focus you’ve selected, the teacher you are working with can simultaneously consider her teaching disposition and how her values are reflected continuously in classroom interactions.  Teaching dispositions include characteristics such as:

---Fostering supportive relationships (teacher-student and student-student)
---Respecting diversity
---Holding high expectations for students

Coaches tell me that modeling is an effective way to draw attention to these attributes.  One coach said, “It’s about how I speak to kids.  That’s another part of modeling – the rapport she sees, the relationships with kids, the way I respond, the way I react to student behavior.  It’s a big part of the modeling.”  Another said, “She sees what my expectations are, what is acceptable, what is not.”  Coaches point out that these intangibles get noticed during modeling.  And often the teacher brings them up unsolicited during a debrief conversation.  One coach noted, “I model respect for the kids, and she has commented on that.  I don’t raise my voice.  Just my demeanor.  I think maybe that set her at ease, too.”

The same dispositions that made you an effective teacher constitute your effectiveness as a coach.  The supportive relationships you established in your classroom are critical in your coaching.  The high-expectations you had for your students are also needed for the teachers you are working with.  Display these attributes in your work with teachers and draw attention to them when you model in the classroom.  Your work and the work of teachers you coach will profit from an increased emphasis on the intangibles that create a respectful learning environment. 

*Danielson, C. (2009).  Talk About Teaching, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, p. 58. 


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

A coaching blog about examining the impact of where you sit during a coaching conversation:


A podcast on making formative assessment useful:



An inspiring video, “What Teachers Make”:


A video on mirror neurons that will give food for thought about establishing rapport:


Tried-and-true protocols for professional conversations:



That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

                                                            

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