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:
Routines for Writers Workshop:
Paper or e-book? What do Digital Natives
prefer?
Spotlight on PLC’s:
Benefits of co-teaching for ELL
students:
That’s it for this week. Happy
Coaching!
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