On Your Side

2016 5 13 On Your Side   24862 - 24225 = 637

Each coaching cycle is a journey. Often, it takes unexpected turns, but the hope is that each coaching excursion ends in a collaborative place. The GIR model begins with dependence – the teacher depends on the coach for ideas and advice. But over time, the relationship grows and changes to one of interdependence and collaboration. Offering praise can be an important final step in that journey.

When I talked this week with a teacher about the coaching she’d received, she mentioned that praise “encouraged me to keep trying harder.” Similarly, another teacher talked about how praise made her want to improve. “When you have someone who is on your side,” she said, “You are going to want to grow as a teacher and as a professional.”

When someone is “on your side” they are helping you when you are trying to achieve something. They support you. They believe in what you are doing. They are your champion and cheerleader. So, they are going to recognize and acknowledge what you are doing well. As a coach, you play that cheerleader role when you praise the good things that are happening.

Another aspect of having someone “on your side” is that they are there beside you, working with you. As a coaching cycle nears its end, you and the teacher are  pulling together as a team. Margaret Carty sums this up well: “The nice thing about teamwork,” she said, “is that you always have others on your side.”

When your coach is “on your side,” you feel supported in moving forward. When your coach is “by your side” you know you are not alone. Praise is a tool coaches can use intentionally so that teachers recognize they have companions on their journey for instructional improvement.

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

Suggestions for encouraging reluctant teachers to embrace innovative ways:

https://leadliteracy.com/articles/145

Offering effective feedback to students:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2015/11/18/hacking-feedback-the-bookends/

Use ideas in this article to revise your classroom library or share the link with a new teacher just creating her library:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=758

Ten ideas to promote summer reading:

https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/top-10-ideas-to-promote-summer-reading-by-clare-landrigan-and-tammy-mulligan/

Harnessing the power of the adolescent brain:

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/12/21/harnessing-the-incredible-learning-potential-of-the-adolescent-brain/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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