Reserving Judgment

"Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope."

F. Scott Fitzgerald, in The Great Gatsby

Following classroom observations, it’s easy to judge and recommend. And there are times when a recommendation is the “just right” coaching move. But frequently, asking a question is a more cognitively engaging approach. I love the Fitzgerald quote, above, because it demonstrates positive assumptions. Rather than judging, I can ask a question that helps me understand a teacher’s thinking. And that thinking might be brilliant!

The chart below lists some things I saw during a recent observation. I noted these in all caps in my notes so that I would be sure to address them during our debrief. (I’ve found that hitting the “caps lock” key is the quickest way to emphasize something while I script a lesson.) When planning for our conference, I crafted the questions to the right.

When I saw this…..	I asked this….
On lesson plans, an objective was to use the associative property, but during the lesson students were encouraged to use grouping to multiply.	Where were you expecting students to use the associative property?
Teacher asked students to rewrite their solution to the math problem on the board to show their thinking to the class.	Why did you use the board instead of the document camera to show student work?
A student who had used an efficient strategy that wasn’t noted by the teacher during whole group discussion.	Did you see Adrian's thinking?
A star on the paper of a student who had an incorrect answer.	What does it mean when you put a star on a student’s paper?
Some students not working, some finished; teacher gives class more time to work.	Why did you give students more time to work?

What follows these questions might be a recommendation, but often the act of questioning prompts an insightful explanation or the teacher’s own appropriate adaptations or next steps. For example, when I asked the question about the associative property, the teacher realized on her own that she was mislabeling the strategy. My question about the document camera was a bit of a disguised recommendation, but I honestly thought she might have a specific reason for the recopying. Instead, my question led her to revise her approach to having students share their work, using the document camera to save time and enhance visibility. My question about Adrian led to a discussion of not only this student, but how others might benefit from a differentiated assignment. That’s not where I expected that question to go, but it made an excellent area of focus as the teacher planned an upcoming lesson.

Restraining judgement and, instead, asking questions can reap rewards, encouraging teachers to take an active role during debrief conversations.

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

Coaching for differentiation:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1020

Measuring student engagement with an “engagometer”:

https://studysites.corwin.com/highimpactinstruction/videos/v12.2.htm

Ed Week special issue on writing: Ideas for developing students' analytical skills and the role of creative writing in the classroom:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-Writing-Instruction-Sponsored.pdf

This video on station rotations and other approaches to blended learning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY5iXxqe_WU&list=PLYmYDLb2oJqGQOvjZHPhO4ulIuiUvNYNS&index=3

Content-area literacy or disciplinary literacy – what’s the shift and how does it look across disciplines:

http://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/2016/10/13/disciplinary-literacy-and-the-value-of-making-connections?utm_source=TW-10252016&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ThisWeek&utm_content=Story-1

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Two Ways to Mirror

Coaching begins with understanding and being understood. One of the subtle ways we feel understood is when our thinking partner mirrors our body language. For example, this week, a frustrated teacher came to me with a problem. She was agitated, speaking quick and high, leaning forward. I responded in like – an urgency in my voice and a posture that matched her own. Even though she likely couldn’t have said why, this teacher felt understood.

But I realized that her agitated state didn’t lend itself to thoughtful consideration. So after initially mirroring her body language, I recognized the need for a shift, and I sat back in my chair. I rested my arms on the arm rests and slowed the cadence of my speech. My body language became a model for the teacher to mirror, and her agitation ebbed. Soon, we were ready for dialogue that led to potential solutions.

This situation demonstrates two examples of mirroring. When I mirrored the teacher’s emotions, she felt she had a partner in her problem-solving venture. When I provided a posture she could mirror, she calmed, and we were able to approach the situation from a more productive stance.

Although words are a coach’s primary tool, don’t underestimate the role that body language, pace, and tone play in the coaching scenario. Mirrors can work both ways.

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

This video about building trust with students:

https://studysites.corwin.com/highimpactinstruction/videos/v11.2.htm

Candyland and class rules:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=821

Listen to this podcast for ideas to teach students through play:

https://www.jackstreet.com/jackstreet/WECM.Prater.cfm

A Pinterest board with picture books for teaching punctuation:

https://www.pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/mentor-texts-for-teaching-punctuation/

Content-area literacy or disciplinary literacy – what’s the shift and how does it look across disciplines:

http://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/2016/10/13/disciplinary-literacy-and-the-value-of-making-connections?utm_source=TW-10252016&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ThisWeek&utm_content=Story-1

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

Beneath the Mask

A few years ago, I did coaching work in a district that had coaches in every building and a strict policy for their coaches: No coaching on classroom management. Although this seemed harsh, I suspect it helped coaches and teachers look beneath the mask and find out what may have been causing those concerns about behavior.

A coaching situation this week reminded me of this policy. I observed a lesson where the teacher, Amanda, was frequently asking for students’ attention and repeating herself when students couldn’t answer her questions. Just before our debrief conversation, I silently repeated this mantra: “This conversation will not be about classroom management; this conversation will not be about classroom management; this conversation will not be about classroom management!” I was afraid that the most obvious features of the lesson would distract our discussion from what was really going on.

I’d worked with Amanda before, and after chatting briefly about what she felt was successful in the lesson, I ventured a query: “What’s something you’d like to focus on in the coming weeks?” I braced myself and mentally prepared for a redirecting follow-up question so that our talk wouldn’t center around student behavior issues. But I was pleasantly surprised when Amanda replied, “I want to work on student engagement.”

Amanda had pushed herself to look beneath the mask of student misbehavior and figure out what was really happening. She brought up concerns about pacing and questioning, and we talked about differentiation and all-respond techniques. In the end, she decided to focus on making sure explanations of content and directions for activities were clear. She has a plan for modeling and providing shared practice.

I’m looking forward to my next chance to be in Amanda’s classroom. Because she was able to look beneath the mask of classroom management and create a plan for bringing more clarity to her teaching, I’m confident student engagement, and consequently student learning, will increase. Although student behaviors and misbehaviors may be staring you in the face, classroom management, most importantly, is about pedagogy.

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

The writing notebook as a lifeline for writers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9Lhln1QzPU

Towards data-informed (not data-drive) instruction:

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-10-25-not-just-numbers-how-educators-are-using-data-in-the-classroom

Students in countries with high math performance memorize less:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2016/10/math_students_from_high-performing_countries_memorization_pisa.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+10142016

Tips for helping students pick a just-right book:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1773

Why students can’t Google their way to the truth:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/11/02/why-students-cant-google-their-way-to.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+11042016

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

Mistakes Worth Making

Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.

                                                                                                    Sophia Loren, actress

In the classroom, there’s an interesting relationship between control and intellectual challenge. Tasks that are easy to control often have a low cognitive load. For example, twenty-five students sitting in rows working independently to complete a worksheet might be orderly and compliant, but the intellectual work they are doing could be quite minimal. On the other hand, groups of students gathered in pockets around the room reenacting the rotation of the earth around the sun might look a bit messy, but there’s probably a lot of learning going on.

Researchers have found a correlation between a teacher’s ability to manage a classroom flexibly and that teacher’s ability to teach in an intellectually challenging way. I’m sure it’s not a direct correlation, but it seems to me that during instruction, the more control of the task the teacher has, the less students are learning. I’m not advocating chaos, but I am hoping for classrooms where students have the opportunity to own their learning.

Right now I’m working with a novice teacher who is not afraid to take risks. I observed the earth rotation activity, described above, in her classroom. I also watched when groups of students were sprawled on the floor with markers and big sheets of bulletin board paper, demonstrating their math methodology and promoting their strategy as the one that should be highlighted by the group. There were lots of problems with that lesson – not only from a management perspective, but also with formative assessment and communication of content. But when we got together to debrief, I started with applause. Applause for taking the risk and teaching a lesson that was harder to control. Applause for modelling the courteous dialogue she expected. Applause for the critical thinking students were doing as they compared their problem-solving strategy with their peers.

Then we talked about what a great opportunity the lesson provided for us to see some things that needed work. Students completing a page of math problem might have looked like impressive classroom management and appropriate skills practice, but it wouldn’t have opened windows of opportunity for us to dig in deeply together about the complexities of formative assessment that reared their ugly heads because of the flexibility of the work students were doing.

I’m always grateful for teachers who are willing to take a risk and exchange control for challenge. And I know it’s an extra risk to teach such a lesson when I’m there observing. But there is so much more grist for the mill from open-ended, complex tasks than from lessons that keep kids working quietly. I’ve sat through many an expressive read-aloud, with students sitting quietly, that provided little fodder for coaching conversation. Exchanging control for challenge means taking a risk. Taking a risk leads to mistakes. And mistakes can be the path to learning and growth, for both students and teachers.

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

Intensive coaching is important for new teachers:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/10/05/new-teachers-make-up-a-significant-segment.html?r=706216455&cmp=eml-eb-popweek+10142016

Twitter-style exit tickets:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/quick-student-assessment/?utm_source=newsletter20161008/

Sharable articles on the research that should guide literacy instruction:

https://threeteacherstalk.com/2016/06/28/try-it-tuesday-cite-the-research-that-drives-your-practice/

Three questions to determine importance in a text:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/simple-reading-strategy/?utm_source=newsletter20161015/

Show and Tell: How important objects inspire personal narrative:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=899

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Checking Back

Today’s post-holiday message is short and simple: We show we care by checking back.

If a teacher has opened up and shared a frustration, we show we care about her well-being by checking back to see if the situation has changed.

If we have planned a lesson together with a teacher, we show we care by checking back about how the lesson worked for students.

If we have come up with an intervention plan for a hard-to-reach student, we show we care by checking back on how the plan is going.

If we had a painful debrief session that revealed that few students achieved a lesson’s goal, we check back to praise potential solutions.

And lest it appear that checking back only applies to negative situations:

If we have recently discussed instructional improvements, interventions that are closing the gap, or higher student achievement, we check back for additional celebration!

Checking back can be peeking your head in the door during passing period, tucking a note of encouragement in a teacher’s box, or a quick email at the end of the day. “How’s it going?” is a simple question that subtly says, “I remember what we talked about, and I’m still here!” Checking back puts into action our concern for teachers and their success. It only takes a moment and is an easy way to show you care. Showing you care builds relationships, and relationships are at the heart of coaching.

Happy Thanksgiving to coaches and their families. There’s so much to be thankful for!

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

Choose a spot and pour out a puddle of imaginary glue – one of the great ideas from this article about building young readers’ stamina:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2320

Stretching students’ ability to focus:

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/teaching-students-to-stay-focused/

This how-to site, full of interesting mentor texts for procedural writing:

http://www.wonderhowto.com/

The case against management systems:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2014

Differentiating with learning menus:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/differentiating-instruction-strategy

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

Teach the Teacher

Writing teacher Donald Graves suggests that teachers of writing “teach the writer, not the writing.” He is cautioning us that our focus in what we teach should be on something students will be able to transfer to the rest of their work. I’ve been thinking about how this tenet applies to coaching.

In writing, it’s ineffective to talk about writer’s craft absent of student writing. For example, talking about sensory details without having students look at the details they’ve included in their own writing would be unlikely to improve their future prose. But it’s also ineffective to be so focused on the student’s current writing work that the learning doesn’t transcend beyond this particular piece. There’s a tension here between the specific and the generalizable, and it’s important to find the right balance.

This same principle plays out in coaching. I initially cringed when I thought about coaching the teacher rather than the teaching. When coaching, we often deflect attention from the teacher to provide a safe space for conversations about the art and craft of teaching. Those safe spaces are important, but ultimately, improving instruction is about the teacher: the things she does, whether behind the scenes or in the midst of student learning. We must focus on the teacher, but this focus requires a careful balance between specific examples and generalizable principles.

It’s ineffective to talk about improving instruction without tying it to real work with students. For example, talking about asking effective questions without considering the questions a teacher is posing to her students would be unlikely to improve future teaching. But it’s also ineffective to be so focused on the questions for a single lesson that the learning doesn’t transcend beyond this particular lesson. Examples from the teaching are used in the service of highlighting generalizable principles for the teacher.

Observing in a teacher’s classroom can provide specific examples that illustrate principles of effective instruction. In planning for a debrief conversation, it’s helpful to envision the teacher during a future lesson. What is it that could change to make the teaching more effective? Find that focus first, then look back to the lesson for specific examples. Are there positive examples of that practice that could be highlighted? For example, if asking high-level questions is an appropriate focus, was there an excellent question posed? Finding a positive example and talking together about students’ responses to that question goes a long way toward encouraging expansion of that practice.

You might also ask the teacher to reflect on times during the lesson that questioning was less effective. Having her bring up those examples herself maintains safety for the teacher in the conversation and provides opportunities for close examination of practice. If she can’t readily recall less-effective examples, however, you can bring up these examples safely by focusing first on students’ responses. This can lead to a cause-effect explanation of less-effective segments of the lesson.

A specific focus on the teaching that has already occurred creates opportunities to discuss the teacher’s application of her craft. The goal of discussing these specific examples is to develop an understanding of the craft of effective teaching. “Teach the writer, not the writing” translates to “coach the teacher, not the teaching.” Using specific examples from instruction helps us strike a balance that can lead to change.  

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

Humor can be a safe place for students to share their voices and express their fears. Here’s a site for creating comics:

http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/games-tools/comic-creator-a-30237.html

Silent signals to increase cognitive engagement:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-silent-signals/?utm_source=newsletter20161015/

Ideas for writing conferences about conventions:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1400

Teaching students to self-monitor their behavior:

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/teaching-children-to-check-their-own-behavior/

Students in countries with high math performance memorize less:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2016/10/math_students_from_high-performing_countries_memorization_pisa.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+10142016

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

Letting Go of Pride

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.”

~C.S. Lewis

What does humility have to do with coaching? To move forward in a coaching cycle, I have to shift the focus from me and what I know to the teacher and what she knows. It’s not hard to make a recommendation when a teacher asks for support. It’s much harder to hold my tongue and instead of sharing my wisdom, ask a question that allows a teacher to share hers. She doesn’t need to know how smart I am; she needs to know how smart she is. My questions can help her realize that she really does have the answers.

If I ask, “What else have you been considering?” my question affirms the teacher as one who thoughtfully deliberates her decisions.

If I ask, “What did you notice about students’ thinking?” my question recognizes her thoughtful observations.

Questions like these that hold positive assumptions of teachers’ actions and abilities build teachers’ confidence and encourage ongoing use of the attributes that have been noted.

I’m always humbled when a teacher extends or accepts an invitation for us to work together. It takes courage to open your practice and your thinking to a colleague. When a teacher is courageous enough to speak openly of her concerns and questions, I tread lightly on that space. Posing questions acknowledges the teacher’s willingness to inspect her practice. When my questions are answered with thoughtful noticings and ponderings, my role is to be a sounding board and a supporter. These are signals that we are successfully moving through the GIR cycle, with an increase in teacher responsibility and independence.

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

A colorful way to reinforce word knowledge - vocabulary paint chips:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/build-student-vocabulary/?utm_source=newsletter20161015/

Why online communities boost our teaching confidence:

http://smartbrief.com/original/2016/10/teaching-well-virtual-networks?utm_source=brief

This handy checklist for proofreading your students’ writing – or your own:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist

The importance of non-academic, social-emotional learning:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-Social-Emotional-Learning-Sponsored.pdf

Teaching students to self-monitor their behavior:

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/teaching-children-to-check-their-own-behavior/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Questioning for Planning & Reflection

Good teaching requires an understanding of the kids, the content, and the pedagogy. As coaches, we often work with teachers who have a solid grasp on the first two elements – the kids and the content – but we are trying to support new thinking about the pedagogy.

 Our focus on the pedagogy may begin with modelling a new approach or making recommendations about how that approach can be applied. Once the teacher has increased knowledge of the practice, how can we encourage thoughtful planning and insightful reflection around its use? The GIR model suggests that asking questions can support teachers’ internalization of these new practices.

For example, if I’m working with a social studies teacher who wants to increase opportunities for academic writing in her next unit, I might ask probing questions such as the following to support her planning:

·         What important concepts are you hoping your students will take away from the unit?

·         How have you assessed students’ understanding of these concepts in the past?

·         What types of writing might help you assess your students’ understanding of these concepts?

·         What support might your students need to be successful with these types of writing?

Questions like these encourage thoughtful lesson design by backwards planning from the big ideas that are hoped-for outcomes. In response, teachers draw on their knowledge about the content and their students and apply it to their planning as the implement the new pedagogical approach.

Asking questions can also support reflection that leads to improved instruction. With my social studies teacher friend, I’ll move beyond the generic “How did it go?” and model asking the kinds of questions I ask myself after a lesson:

·         What did students learn? How do I know?

·         Were their times when students seemed lost? What did I do about it?

·         When were students less attentive? Why? What needs to change?

·         When were students most engaged? What caused it?

·         What do I want to be sure to do during the next lesson?

When a coach continues asking questions like these, she is modeling characteristics of effective reflection. If a teacher hasn’t already developed these attributes, she will internalize such questions over time and become more self-reflective.

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely been the recipient of brief responses if you asked the general question, “How was your day?” when greeting your child after school. Similarly, to get past the knee-jerk response (“Fine”) when we check in with teachers, we’ll want to hone our questions. The questions we ask influence the responses we get. This is an obvious, but important, connection. The questions we ask as coaches help our teachers apply the knowledge they have of students and content to new pedagogical approaches so that their planning and reflecting result in improved instruction.

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

This handy, one-page description of Pearson & Gallagher’s Gradual Release of Responsibility Model:

http://www.sjboces.org/doc/Gifted/GradualReleaseResponsibilityJan08.pdf

What to think about when arranging (or rearranging) the classroom:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/seating-arrangements

No matter what grade-level you teach, it’s helpful to consider what college Freshman know (or don’t know) about argumentative writing:

https://writing-speech.dartmouth.edu/teaching/first-year-writing-pedagogies-methods-design/teaching-argument

Spotlight on Literacy Instruction:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-LiteracyInstruction-Sponsored.pdf

The power of ambiguity in the math classroom:

http://www.nctm.org/Publications/Teaching-Children-Mathematics/Blog/The-power-of-having-more-than-one-right-answer_-Ambiguity-in-math-class/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

Coming Undone

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”

~Cynthia Ocelli

Sometimes, change and growth are miniscule and incremental. We hardly know they are happening. Looking back on where we were, we are surprised at what we’ve now become. But sometimes, sometimes growth is like Ocelli’s quote, above. Sometimes, change and growth look like destruction. Sometimes we feel cracked. Sometimes, everything spills out before change and growth occur. Sometimes it has to be that way.

As coaches, we are agents of change and growth. Sometimes, we work with teachers whose incremental growth gradually moves them to become better than they were. Some teachers, though, seem stuck in their shell. Familiar routines and practices are comfortable and protective. Their shell seems hard, until one day, somehow, it comes undone.

Lynn was a confident teacher who planned great lessons and executed them with precision—whether or not her students were following along. She was focused on her teaching, rather than on her students’ learning. Frankly, it surprised me to see this. She’d always sounded so confident in describing her lessons and sharing her insights, I figured her teaching lived up to these descriptions. And in her mind, it did. That was what made change so difficult. But somehow, after lots of talk about student needs, formative assessment, and differentiation, the shell cracked and she came completely undone. It was heart-wrenching, really, as she realized that she was not quite the teacher she thought she was. But with her characteristic determination, she made dramatic changes to her teaching within a short time. Coming undone was what it took to get the work done.

Over the years, as I’ve worked with other “hard-shelled” teachers, I’ve reflected on my experience with Lynn. There’s no formula for cracking the shell. Just as seeds have different conditions required for growth (planting depth, watering, days to germination), the needs of these teachers differ. Remembering Lynn gives me the courage and determination to push a little harder or stay with it a little longer—and to tolerate and even push for the “undoing,” as hard as it may be. “To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” Having walked the path with Lynn and others, I am coming to understand this type of hard-won growth a little better.

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

Get your students ready for National Novel Writing Month:

http://blog.stenhouse.com/archives/2016/10/19/get-your-students-writing-for-nanowrimo/

https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

Ideas about ensuring the ESSA is not a replication of failed reforms:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/WP-SolutionTree--ESSA_An_Opportunity_for_American_Educators.pdf

Spotlight on Writing Instruction:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-Writing-Instruction-Sponsored.pdf

Play is children’s work:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/work-time-as-play?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

Questions to guide guided reading:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1178

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

Working with “Pumpkin Patch Teachers”

Are you working with a teacher who is desperately hanging on to old ways of doing things? Jennifer Schwanke calls these teachers “Pumpkin Patch Teachers,” referencing a social studies teacher she knew who, every year around Halloween, made each student buy a pumpkin and dress it up as a character from American history…..even after American history was no longer part of her grade level standards. The project should have disappeared, but didn’t, because it was fun, easy, and enjoyed by both the teacher and her students.

Working with Pumpkin Patch teachers can be discouraging. Over the years I’ve noticed a few coaching strategies that encourage reluctant teachers to embrace innovation—or at least try something new! Here are a few ideas you might consider when working with reluctant teachers:

I frequently espouse the merits of modeling, and this coaching move can encourage change with teachers who are highly-invested in the status quo. Seeing a strategy work, especially in her own class with her own students, can nudge a teacher in a new direction.

Providing opportunities for peers to share ideas with one another about implementing a new strategy can also be helpful. Sometimes hearing about something in a slightly different way makes it resonate. And colleagues often share similar contexts and concerns, making their insights especially helpful.

Finding a way to provide resources can also move the change process along. What teacher doesn’t like new stuff for her classroom? Beg, borrow, and reallocate to get materials into the hands of reluctant teachers. Then review the new resources with the teacher so they don’t end up gathering dust on a shelf.

Offer time. That is one thing teachers never have enough of. For hard-to-reach teachers, covering her class (by teaching yourself or, better yet, arranging for a sub) can give the teacher time to plan for implementing new ideas. If you are not able to be with the teacher during this released time, provide structures that will support planning, and then follow up.

Asking questions can provide a segue into non-threatening suggestions. If you observe, ask questions afterward about instructional decisions. The teacher’s responses will give you insight about her purposes and open opportunities for offering recommendations in ways that are more likely to be welcomed.

Offer support. “Would you like me to look for resources for you?” “Do you have a unit coming up that you’d like help revising?” Specific offers of help are less likely to be turned away than more general overtures.

Pumpkin patch teachers may require some extra effort on the front end, but with support they’re likely to become just as loyal to the new ideas as they were to the old!

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

Praising the process and goal-setting to develop a growth mindset:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/praise-the-process-perts?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

This long but important article about how educators talk to parents. Scroll down to the “we have to” section that starts with the bolded: Drop the Educational Lingo. Share #1, #2, & #4 before parent teacher conferences. Please!

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2016/10/poverty_matters_but_not_the_way_you_think.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+10142016

Reports and blogs on the National Day on Writing will inspire you to inspire others:

http://whyiwrite.us/?roi=echo4-36369004880-91155018-97d2ff4d397ed520ba8b59926fb28154&utm_source=57615835&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=General

Better services for ELLs under ESSA?

http://www.educationdive.com/news/4-ways-essa-will-change-how-schools-serve-ell-students/428266/

Making sure asking: “Does it make sense?” makes sense:

http://assessmentinperspective.com/?p=2285

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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