Just the Facts

There’s a clip from an old TV police series that shows up in my Facebook feed from time to time. It says, “Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.” As I prepare for a coaching session, I realize that is sometimes good advice for myself.

When teachers have a broad repertoire of effective instructional strategies, asking a question often provides just the nudge needed for effective planning or reflection. But sometimes a teacher needs even less than that. All I have to do is state a fact, and the teacher is off on a reflective or planning journey. Drawing a detail to her attention gets her moving in a productive direction.

For example, I began a reflective discussion with, “Students took turns sharing the floor during the discussion. Twelve of them participated.” Andi quickly reflected, “I wonder how I could get the other 12 participating?” Her self-reflective question led to effective planning for the discussion the next day.

During a planning conversation, when I said, “Six students didn’t get completely finished with the problem,” Natalie said, “I noticed several students using inefficient strategies. I’m thinking I need to model additional approaches – or, better yet, have the students who used efficient strategies demonstrate their work.” The fact I provided focused Natalie’s attention on needed interventions.

When teachers have experience with the content and pedagogy, they are often self-reflective and recognize areas of need on their own. But a coach can draw attention to something that may be overlooked by stating “just the facts.”

I’ve also used the “just the facts” approach with teachers who tend to take a defensive stance. When planning for a coaching conversation with these teachers, I sometimes pull an important fact from the data or observation. A fact calls for a response but, if worded in an objective way, it doesn’t set the teacher up to be protective. Saying, “Johnny’s independent DRA score is 40,” can elicit explanation and exploration rather than justification.

Stating a fact is a coaching strategy that works, especially with defensive or self-reflective teachers. Whether it’s a tense coaching situation or an accomplished teacher who needs just a little nudge, “just the facts” is a useful tool in the coach’s toolbox.

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

Coaching for when to use open and closed questions:

https://studysites.corwin.com/highimpactinstruction/videos/v6.1.htm

Routines for Writers Workshop:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2259

Paper or e-book? What do Digital Natives prefer?

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/11/09/do-digital-natives-prefer-paper-books-to.html

Spotlight on PLC’s:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-Professional-Learning-Communities-2017-Sponsored.pdf

Benefits of co-teaching for ELL students:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2017/01/20/benefits-of-co-teaching-for-ells/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

The Power of Not Being There

Although there are lots of benefits to classroom observations, sometimes coaches’ goals are furthered by not being there.

Reflective teaching is a powerful tool for teachers. Reflection helps teachers recognize not just what they did, but why they did it. Taking a look at underlying assumptions and beliefs helps teachers be more intentional in their decision-making. This is important, since teachers make hundreds of instructional decisions daily, many of them on the fly, with literally trillions of options to choose from.  Reflection has many benefits, and some teachers seem to be natural reflectors. Those are the easy ones to coach.  For some teachers, however, reflection doesn’t seem to come naturally. For these teachers, questions like, “What did you notice during the lesson,” seem to fall flat.

When I am trying to build teachers’ capacity for reflection, I’ve found it is sometimes helpful for us to talk about a lesson for which I wasn’t present. My questions come across as more authentic. When I ask, “How did students respond when…..” the teacher digs into her memory so that she can give me the picture. I follow up with specific questions about the whys and hows that help us examine and evaluate the learning.

As teachers become more reflective, they feel more powerful about their practice. They realize the agency they have to exercise expertise through thoughtful decision-making.  Changes in attitude and awareness lead to changes in practice.  Reflective teaching supports teachers’ professional development.

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

Advice about balancing demands as teacher leaders:

http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/01/16/caught-between-worlds-balancing-classroom-teaching-with.html

A podcast about what makes lesson planning work:

https://www.jackstreet.com/jackstreet/WEDC.Chat11-29-16.cfm

This video reminds us what it’s like to be a new teacher (and includes thoughts on mentoring):

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/mentoring-for-new-teachers

Sticky notes and reading comprehension:

http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2016/09/still-learning-to-read-sticky-notes.html

“Concept attainment” is a widely-applicable instructional strategy. Check out a description and example here:

https://www.middleweb.com/33825/why-i-love-this-strategy-to-introduce-concepts/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

How Do You Slice Your Coaching Pie?

Coaches are instructional experts who may find themselves pulled in many directions as part of their job description. They continually update their knowledge through professional reading, attending conferences, and participating in professional development. They lead and attend meetings with teachers and administrators. They are data analysts, instructional specialists, and resource providers. In all of these ways, instructional coaches are catalysts for change. With all the jobs on your plate, how do you, as an instructional coach, slice your coaching pie? Consider the following suggestions, which are grounded in research about effective coaching:

There are no positive effects for time that coaches spend on school management or administrative tasks. In fact, these activities negatively impact coaching.¹

Not surprisingly, it is the time that coaches spend working directly with teachers that matters. Time with teachers predicts not only teachers’ perceptions about coaching but also increases in student achievement.^1,2   As coaches spend time with teachers, teachers believe their coach understands their needs and can help solve their instructional problems. They also see coaches as a support for aiding struggling students.

Let’s slice the pie a little thinner. When you’re spending time with teachers, what should you do? Modelling and observing both have impact.^{3, 4} Conferring is also an effective practice. Time for professional conversation is so limited in teachers’ professional lives that they usually respond positively to this opportunity. As coaches confer with teachers, time spent focused on effective instruction produces results, as does time spent discussing assessments.³   Sharing professional literature also has value and can result in changes in beliefs and practices. ^2,5

When coaches spend time with teachers, modeling, observing, and conferring, student achievement increases and teachers feel empowered to take risks and try new teaching practices.

So how do you slice your coaching pie? A generous helping of time with teachers yields best results!

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¹Bean, R.M. Draper, J.A., Hall, V., Vandermolen, J. & Zigmond, N. (2010). Coaches and coaching in Reading First schools: A reality check. The Elementary School Journal, 111(1), 87-114.

² Vanderburg, M. & Stephens, D. (2010). The impact of literacy coaches: What teachers value and how teachers change. The Elementary School Journal, 111(1), 141-163.

³ Elish-Piper, L., & L’Allier, S.K. (2011). Examining the relationship between literacy coaching and student reading gains in grades K-3. The Elementary School Journal, 112(1), 83-106.

⁴ Collet, V.S. (2012). The Gradual Increase of Responsibility Model: Coaching for teacher change.  Literacy Research and Instruction, 51:1, 27-47.

⁵ Stephens, D. Morgan, D.N., DeFord, D.E. et. al. (2011). The impact of literacy coaches on teachers’ beliefs and practices. Journal of Literacy Research, 43(3), 215-249.

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

Why a veteran teacher works with a coach:

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/blog/because-mirrors-have-bias-why-veteran-teacher-works-literacy-coach

Reading to children from birth – as important as vaccinations, according to the American Pediatrics Association:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865665532/Storytimes-hidden-power-How-reading-transforms-more-than-language-skills.html

Mastering the teacher look (I suggest less smirk):

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/getting-students-back-on-track

Thoughts about what makes a book “Just Right””

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2173

8 Reasons why I teach, by Starr Sackstein:

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/work_in_progress/2017/01/why_teach.html

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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

Coaching: How Transparent?

Today I had the chance to share the GIR model with a group made up mostly of instructional coaches. Afterward, the one teacher in the crowd came forward with her story. “I came from a school where coaching was a really negative thing,” she said. “But now I’m at a school where coaching is positive.” She continued, “I feel like I could buy into it more if I understood more about coaching.” Her comment got me thinking: How transparent are we about our coaching? How transparent should we be?

Honesty is the best policy, of course. That old adage holds true. I thought about how I’ve often shared my GIR conferencing form (see below) with the teachers I’m working with. I thought about how we have sometimes co-planned our work using Sweeney’s Results-Based Coaching Tool. Teachers have responded positively to being in-the-know about our goals and the process for our work together. But I couldn’t help but think of other times when I’ve been less transparent.

I thought about my work facilitating professional learning for teachers in Haiti. One of my colleagues had the idea of having teachers chart a list of challenges they were facing related to student learning, and then having them brainstorm solutions. She tried it and complained that it didn’t work well. The problems they wrote down weren’t vexing enough and the group conversation was unengaging. I asked her whether they knew they were going to be the ones solving the problems. “Yes,” she said. “I want them to recognize that they can solve their own problems. I suggested that we try it differently with the next group of teachers. “Don’t tell them in advance that they will be the ones coming up with the solutions,” I suggested. When we asked these teachers to list their challenges, each group charted serious concerns. “Now,” I said, “come up with two or three possible solutions for each problem.” Their eyes widened. “You want us to come up with these solutions?” they asked. “Yes! You are the ones best suited to solve these problems. You know your kids, you know your contexts, and you know your resources.” It was challenging work, but they put their minds to it. Almost every group came up with solutions they felt were viable. Later, a teacher told me about the shift that happened for him during that exercise, when he felt empowered to solve the difficult problems before him. Not letting on at the beginning that they were going to be the ones solving the problems led to serious questions and serious solutions.

Another time, I was working with a group of teachers in a very high-pressure context. Their test scores were low and they were getting new mandates and requirements every time they turned around. As I began to work with them, I felt the Lesson Study structure might be a useful approach. But coming in with a template and telling these teachers the step-by-step process we were going to take to improve student achievement would not have gone over well. Instead, I listened, listened, listened, and then, when the time seemed right, tested the waters to see how they felt about step one of the process. Later, it seemed like step two would work, so I asked them about it. We proceeded this way through the Lesson Study process, and our work felt like it was growing organically from the needs we were seeing. Although we ended up following the Lesson Study procedures pretty nearly as outlined in the book, taking a more casual approach to introducing these ideas worked better in this context.

Thinking about the teacher in my session today, I wonder how much transparency she would want, and how she would respond to it.  How transparent should we be about our coaching?  Take a moment to think about the coaching climate in your school. Would more transparency make coaching more effective? With whom? When? Why? Answers to these questions will vary with the work you are taking up.  As is the case with almost everything in education, “It depends.” As is the case with almost everything in education, context matters. It matters a great deal.

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

An interesting perspective: Aren’t we all ELLs?

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/blog/arent-we-all-ells

Creating digital citizens:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-digital-citizenship

“Making” poetry before writing it:

http://tworeflectiveteachers.blogspot.com/2016/07/collaborative-poetry-post-from-guest.html

Are parent teacher conferences coming up? A video for students (and teachers!) about what to say in a conference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4m43lJRIrM

Seeing the world through a child’s eyes. This website has videos, simulations, and information that help you get the picture of what it’s like for children who struggle (personalizable by age and area of need):

https://www.understood.org/en/tools/through-your-childs-eyes

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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