Friday, March 3, 2017

Coaching: The Power of Conjunctions


Conjunction junction, what’s your function?”

Remember that line from the old Saturday morning cartoon break, Schoolhouse Rock?  The train conductor goes on to explain that three little words mostly get the job done: and, but, and or. These little words can pack a powerful punch in coaching, so they’re worth paying attention to.

First let’s look at “but.” A teacher says, “I felt like the lesson went very well. The kids were paying attention, so they did well on the quiz.”

If the coach responds, “Yes, but it asked many factual questions,” she immediately puts the teacher on the defensive. This can lead to unproductive conversations.  It feels like a door has been slammed in her face.

What happens with and? If the teacher says, “I felt like the lesson went very well. The kids were paying attention, so they did well on the quiz,” then the coach responds, “Yes, and it tested many factual questions,” she leaves the door open to conversation. The teacher might pick up the conversational thread and say, “I wonder how they did on the higher-level questions. Let’s take a look!” Or the coach might need to continue weaving the conversation with a question: “How did they do on the higher-level questions?”  There is incentive for ongoing conversation. Like the conjunction conductor says, “And is an additive.”  That’s the power of and.  Responding with, “Yes, and” rather than “Yes, but” is an invitation.

That third little conjunction, or, is handy, too, in coaching conversations.  Our friendly conductor reminds us that or signals choice, and choice supports change because teachers see that their role as decision-makers is valued. “Shall we look at the factual question responses or the responses to higher-level questions first?”  “Do you think Socratic Seminar or a debate would work better to support their understanding?”  Or can also push thinking: “I wonder whether this student response or that one shows more understanding?”  Comparing and contrasting move our thinking to higher levels.

Conjunctions hook up phrases in ways that hold subtle meaning. When used thoughtfully, conjunctions can lead to fruitful coaching conversations. What the conductor in Schoolhouse Rock said of conjunctions is true: “I’m going to get you there if you’re very careful.”


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

The problems of a “shut your door and teach” philosophy:



Blogging about reading: Platforms and considerations


Using anchor charts effectively:



Books for resistant middle-school readers:



Spotlight on personalized professional development:



That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!


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