During
one of my previous lives in a district-level position, my supervisor caught me
by surprise when, after a meeting with a group of decision-makers, he cautioned
me that I needed to take better care to “read the room.” What he meant was, I
needed to attend more to how people were responding, using their body language,
facial expressions, and tone of voice, in addition to the words that were said.
The
reason I was surprised by my supervisor’s suggestion is because I thought that
attending to these features was something I’d refined while coaching. I thought
I had learned to proceed with caution, listen for openings, and recognize what
was hidden. I thought I had learned to be totally present and give others my
full attention. I thought I had learned to use all my senses to guide me
through a conversation. As I reflected on my supervisor’s suggestion, I
realized that in my district position I often felt I had to fight for what I
believed in when it came to literacy instruction. I had gotten into the habit
of being on the offensive, and it had impacted my “listening” skills.
There
are so many roadblocks to reading the room. If my focus is on my own thinking
and opinion, I will miss too much. But if my focus is on another, I will notice
her eyes, her smile, and her posture. Her messages will speak loud and clear to
me, even if she is silent. And in that listening, I’ll find a way forward. If
the conversation is an instructional coaching one, that way forward will
improve teaching and learning.
Although
subtle, the ability to read a conversation with all of our senses is a valuable
coaching talent. As with any talent, it takes time and practice to develop. The
good news is, we probably have many opportunities daily to practice this
talent. Any conversation, in any context, can help us develop the full-body
listening skills that will make our coaching stronger.
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Fun
ideas for reading nooks (classroom construction is underway!):
Don’t
overdo it on classroom décor:
A Vote
for Tried-and-True Running Records (in case you have a few literacy battles of
your own to fight!):
Graphing
content-area word walls: What’s the coordinate?
And,
if you are drawn in (like I am) to all the conversation about Harper Lee’s
recently-released book, here are a couple of sites to check out:
Memories
of Harper Lee: a podcast
An
in-depth look at Harper Lee and Go Set a
Watchman:
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
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