What Do You Think?

“What do you think?”

It can be the perfect question to broaden thinking, expand options, and brainstorm solutions. It can also be the question that sinks the swimmer who is sending out an S.O.S.

This week, I talked with a novice teacher about help she was receiving. Although young in years, she was astute when articulating her needs. “When I’m stuck,” she said, “I want someone who can offer help and support.” She described an experience of feeling genuinely baffled, out of ideas and ready to throw up her hands. When she went to a mentor for help, she was met with the well-intentioned question, “What do you think?” This burgeoning teacher recognized the appropriateness of that question at times -- “if I’m at the cusp and need to push myself.” But when she felt she really didn’t know, she wanted to walk away with a solution. “I want an answer, eventually,” she said. She was looking for a recommendation rather than a question.

In coaching, there is tension between showing respect for the teacher’s own thinking and nudging her to new ideas. Between expressing empathy and challenging respectfully. Between experience in the field and contextually different realities. Finding balance amid these tensions is the finesse of coaching. Being both an expert and a sounding board, and picking which one to lean towards, depends on the teacher, the coach, the topic, and the timing. The Gradual Increase of Responsibility model, with moves that offer varying levels of support, can be a guide in navigating this tension. Having the five moves (model, recommend, question, affirm, and praise) ready in your head can help you know what to throw when you hear the SOS.

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

Thoughts about what shouldn’t be on classroom walls:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1975

Establishing expectations in the classroom:

http://www.corwin.com/highimpactinstruction/videos/v13.1.htm

Inviting one by one:

http://heatherrader.com/archives/996

School supplies are in the stores, so here’s a back-to-school podcast to share with parents:

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/gg_live/happiness_matters_podcast/podcast/back_to_school

Retelling rubric for vocabulary and figurative language:

http://chartchums.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/image.jpg

Why To Kill a Mockinhttp://heatherrader.com/archives/996gbird endures:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/high-school-english-teachers-on-why-to-kill-a-mockingbird-endures_55a02146e4b0ecec71bc269f?utm_source=Inbox+Issue+-+2015-07-14&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Inbox&

I can’t help it – another perspective on Go Set a Watchman:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/teachers-new-homework-a-watchman-plan-1436917909?utm_source=Inbox+Issue+-+2015-07-21&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Inbox

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!