Because
the end of the school year is approaching, some coaching cycles may be forced
to an early close. Even where additional support might be warranted, affirming
and praising can be effective in providing closure to a coaching cycle. When
the inclination to recommend or question is still strong but time is running
short, I encourage coaches to swallow the recommendation (which would not have
time to take root) and instead consider newly-emerging practices they want to
reinforce.
This
week, I talked with Nicole’s coach, who had recommendations regarding a recent
lesson she’d observed. Although the recommendations were well-founded, the fact
that her upcoming coaching meeting would be the final one for the year meant
that there would be little opportunity for uptake and follow-through with the recommendation.
Instead, I encouraged the coach to consider areas Nicole had improved during
recent lessons. “Nicole’s transitions have gotten so much better,” she exclaimed.
“Why?” I asked. “Well, her instructions are more specific,” the coach replied. I explained that affirming or praising this specific
change would encourage the clear instructions to continue.
Another
coach described her concern that Beth, a novice teacher, wasn’t really
listening to students’ responses and building on their current understanding.
This was a topic they’d discussed before, but it seemed hard for Beth to wrap
her head around how this change would look. I wondered if there was any
evidence of this kind of thinking in recent lessons. So together the coach and
I looked over the lesson plan Beth had provided for a recent observation. I
asked about a formative assessment that was included. Had Beth been responsive
to students’ current level of understanding as reflected in that assessment?
The coach felt there was some evidence that she had, and highlighted examples
in her observational notes to share with Beth. By praising these actions, we
hoped that Beth would be even more responsive in the future.
When
coaching cycles end prematurely, affirming instructional practices that are
just beginning to emerge can encourage their ongoing development.
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Collaborative inquiry as professional
development:
A Pinterest Board about technology
learning:
Empowering
students to try and read that which feels unreadable:
Thoughts about conferring:
What do you want to read about today?
Googling as intervention:
That’s it for this week. Happy
Coaching!
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