Questioning toward Tangible Feedback

Last week’s post focused on the benefits of focusing on tangible feedback from students during a debrief conversation. Looking at student work and students at work provides data about whether the lesson’s objectives were achieved. Kid-watching is an important part of a coach’s job!

Ultimately, the teacher should automatically focus her attention on this tangible feedback, but initially the coach might support such reflection through her recommendations. What  bridges the gap between the coach making recommendations about feedback and the teacher independently taking this action? As with other teaching moves we are trying to develop, asking questions helps build that independence.

This week, as I met with a teacher to reflect on a lesson I’d observed. I started by asking, “What do you think went really well during that lesson?” She said she thought the students really “got it” – she felt they had achieved the lesson objective - understanding about numbers between zero and one on a number line.

Next, I asked, “How did you know they got it?” She said when she looked at their work she could see most of them understood the concept. Because the teacher hadn’t brought student work to our meeting, I pulled up some photos of student work that I had taken while observing.

“What do you see in Steven’s work that shows his understanding?” I asked. We followed this pattern while looking at several other examples of students work.

Then I asked, “What are you thinking now about students’ understanding and about your next steps?”

The teacher gave a thoughtful summary that included implications for follow-up lessons. Focusing on the tangible feedback provided by students’ work helped her see what had fallen through the cracks. Even though she had “taught” it, some students hadn’t “caught” it. Shifting her focus from what she was doing to what the students were doing had made a difference in how this teacher thought about her work.

Asking questions encourages teachers to put their analytic skills to work as they reflect ways to improve their own instruction.

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

Favorite books for seasons & holidays:

https://booksavors.wordpress.com/seasons/

Tips for meeting with worried parents:

https://leadliteracy.com/articles/106

Seven Cs of Effective Argumentation:

http://www.zaner-bloser.com/seven-cs-effective-argumentation

Great non-fiction read-alouds:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=459

Life as a small-town teacher:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/03/31/396394922/live-from-small-town-america-teachers-who-blog-to-stay-in-touch

That’s it for this week. Happy coaching!

Like on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!

Tangible Feedback

When a tennis player lofts the ball, she gets immediate feedback: it either stays in bounds or it is out. Similarly, teachers get immediate feedback on their instruction: whether or not their students are learning is an indication of their success. Some teachers are very tuned in to this feedback, but others need a nudge to shift their attention from what they are doing to what their students are doing.

Whether it’s the little things (like a blank stare after new content has been explained) or bigger things (like a masterfully-completed project), helping teachers tune in to the tangible feedback given directly by students is more important in the long run than the indirect feedback they might occasionally get from us.

When I’m observing a teacher, I’ve noticed that I have to remind myself, too, to shift my focus regularly to what the students are doing. It’s easy to get comfortable in the chair at the back table and take notes on what the teacher is doing. But I don’t really know how effective the lesson is until I get up, walk around the room, and see what the students are doing.

Lately, I’ve taken to walking around the classroom with my phone, because a photo can provide tangible evidence of instructional success. Looking at a few photos of student work or students at work is tangible feedback that helps us focus on whether the lesson’s objectives were achieved.

Encouraging teachers to bring their pile of student work to our debrief conversation is another way to put the focus on direct feedback from students. As we sift, sort, and comb through the work, we learn a lot about the teaching, too.

As clearly as a ball bouncing out of bounds, students are providing tangible feedback about the effectiveness of instruction. Although at times it’s useful to talk about the position of the racket, it’s always important to note the outcome.

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

Using humor and laughter to boost retention (for learners of all ages):

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/laughter-learning-humor-boosts-retention-sarah-henderson

Have you seen this TED talk about the power of introverts? Consider the assets they bring to a classroom or staff:

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts

And speaking of TED Talks – Check out these ideas about creating TED Talks as a way for students to share their thinking:

http://readwriteinspire.blogspot.com/2014/12/ted-style-talks-with-22-voices-strong.html

What is coding? And should it have a place in the curriculum? Explore these questions here:

http://www.slj.com/2015/05/technology/coding-skills-empower-us-all-the-maker-issue/#_

Lessons about having a growth mindset from learning to code:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/learning-to-code-learning-to-learn-gerard-dawson

How can art create synergy between subjects?

http://phys.org/news/2015-05-probing-art-essential-school-subject.html

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

Like on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!

The “Just Right” Recommendation

As a coach or mentor, it feels good to make a recommendation that is just right for the teacher and comes at just the right time. Even better is seeing that the suggestion is actually implemented and moves the teacher’s learning forward! In previous posts we’ve talked about ways for increasing the likeliness of this outcome; for example, being specific and offering choice can increase the uptake on your recommendations. Another way to increase implementation is to make the recommendations part of a conversation.

When conferring with a teacher who might benefit from your suggestions, it helps to frame the recommendation within a comfortable context. For example, I’ve been talking with Kate about writing conferences, but writing isn’t Kate’s strong suit. She has a math brain and is a natural problem-solver. So it helped when I began our conversation about writing conferences by thinking with her about how she provides feedback in math. “I love trying to figure out what they’re doing,” she said. “If the answer isn’t right, it’s like solving a puzzle to figure out what went wrong.”

“So think about using the same approach in a writing conference,” I said. “Just like when you’re scaffolding in math, you’ll have to first figure out where the writing process has broken down. Once you solve that puzzle, you can figure out the support that’s needed.”

I noted how the light went on in Kate’s eyes when I said the word “puzzle.” It was an aha moment for her. My recommendation helped her connect with successful past experiences. Couching the suggestion in a conversation about content Kate was comfortable with made a difference.

A recommending conversation will also be more successful if dialogue continues beyond the initial suggestion. After making a recommendation (or offering a couple of recommendations as options), let the thoughts simmer for a bit; 20 seconds of silent think-time goes a long way! Then find out how the recommendation is sitting by giving the teacher a chance to respond. With a thoughtful look and openness in my voice, I’ll often ask, “What are you thinking about how those ideas might work with your kids?”

Making suggestions part of a conversation, with a comfortable context and the chance for dialogue, can create more Goldilocks moments in coaching, where the recommendation feels just right!

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

Tips about coaching language that builds buy-in:

http://smartblogs.com/education/2015/03/17/watch-your-language-how-to-talk-so-teachers-actually-listen/?utm_source=brief

Pictures books about the writing process:

https://leadliteracy.com/articles/190

Apps that support STEM lessons:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/02/26/five-space-apps-843/

How to make way for play (in kindergarten and beyond):

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=461

Play in 5^th Grade:

http://catchingreaders.com/2012/05/08/playing-in-5th-grade/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

Like on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!