Coaching
is a cross-professional enterprise. In addition to teachers, surgeons, CEOs,
and athletes benefit from having a personal coach. The point guard on your
favorite NBA team likely
In
addition to asking good questions that support reflection (discussed in
previous posts), coaches can assist already-skillful teachers by confirming
what is working in their classrooms and by verifying the potential of
innovative practices they’re ready to try. These affirming practices recognize the
assets that teachers bring to the table and encourage continuous improvement.
Affirming gives teachers the chance to deepen already-strong practices.
When
I talked with a group of coaches recently, here are some assets they were
affirming:
*When
I looked over lesson plans, I noticed that she had planned out questions in
advance!
*The
discussion bookmark is really working – I suggested she keep using it.
*She
draws the weaker students out in the discussions in a very supportive and
positive way. That deserved acknowledgement!
*She
was thinking about a service learning project at an assisted living center as a
final project in the history unit. What a great idea! We talked through some
details and she’s ready to give it a try!
*I
love how she assessed students’ understanding during buddy reading and
recognized that the material was too difficult for most of the class, so she
adjusted the lesson on the spot! She was a little uncomfortable that she had
scrapped the lesson plan, but as we talked she recognized it was definitely the
right move.
These
examples demonstrate the power of affirmation. When a coach concurs that an
instructional move is valuable, it’s not only a pat on the back but also nudge
forward.
Everyone
can benefit from a coach. Coaching is not about intervention or remediation; it
is about finding the right level of support based on specific needs and
contexts. Whether you are working with an expert or a novice, using the Gradual
Increase of Responsibility model can help you find that level.
This week, you might want to take
a look at:
Whether
answering questions on standardized tests or in a more authentic environment,
QAR (Question Answer Relationship) is a good way choose a strategy for
answering. Check out these QAR ideas on
Pinterest:
Ideas for keeping students on-track for graduation, including the cultivation of character traits such as persistence, grit, and self-control (browse different sections of the report that meet your interests):
Videos
about a variety of instructional topics:
Success
stories for getting students to read at home:
What
is a paideia? (and how many vowels does it have?!?) Find out in this blog post that includes
videos and links to paideia lesson plans:
That’s it for this week. Happy
coaching!
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