My Coaches' Couch: Concerns to Questions

The group of kindergartners were compliant and busy throughout the lesson I observed. They counted the items in their boxes routinely, dutifully writing in their notebooks. They came to the carpet when called, sitting in orderly rows. They did what they had been asked to do. Is that where the problem lay?

As I reflected on the lesson, where kindergartners worked with a partner to count and record their thinking in their math notebooks, I was struck by how incredibly similar the lesson was to one I’d observed in that room months before. Students were more certain of the routine, to be sure, and that was part of the problem. They seemed to be going through the motions without much thought.

As I pondered the lesson and the debrief conversation I’d soon have with Bethany, several concerns came to mind. Students didn’t seem challenged. The lesson didn’t seem differentiated. The closing discussion seemed unintentional. Overall, the lesson seemed to lack a focus that would move students’ thinking forward.

Bethany and I had had many coaching conversations. I’d given recommendations, some of them about the very things that seemed to be troubling me. She was at a different place now in terms of her ability to reflect. She was more aware of how what she did as a teacher impacted what her students did as learners. I felt that asking questions would help her recognize her own intentions in the “counting collections” lesson that was repeated several times every week, with little evident variation.

So I looked back over my list of concerns and jotted down a question related to each. How were the objectives for this lesson different from the counting collections lesson a month ago? How did you decide which students would work together? Which box they would take? How did you determine which student examples to share during closure? How did students do with this activity – specifically? (What were the results?) I worked until I felt the questions were right and in the most logical order. Then I was ready for my meeting with Bethany.

The table below shows the concerns, questions, and outcomes of our conversation. As we talked, some of the questions fell flat. Others demonstrated Bethany’s forethought that hadn’t been evident to me; a pleasant surprise. Importantly, two questions provided “ah-hahs” that seem to continue to impact Bethany’s planning and teaching. Her take-aways, she said, were that she needed something to help her stick with her well-thought-out lesson plan (she determined to create PowerPoints to guide herself through the lesson). And, importantly, she wanted to be clearer, for both herself and her students, about learning outcomes---while she planned, while she taught, and while she evaluated student work.

Going into our debrief conversation, I hadn’t been sure what the outcomes would be, but Bethany’s responses to my questions illuminated for her where she wanted to turn her attention. I’m sometimes surprised, but usually pleased, when questions lead a coaching conversation!

Concern	Question	Outcome
Students know the routine but don’t seem challenged by the work.	How do objectives for this lesson differ from counting collection lessons a month ago? A week ago?	Teacher response: More focus on base 10. Coaching response: How did the students know?
There doesn’t seem to be intentional differentiation.	How did you decide which students would be working together?	Teacher response: Intentionally paired a lower and higher student.
Same as above.	How did Ss decide which box to take?	Teacher response: They chose. All sets are over 20. They are supposed to take a box they haven’t used yet.
It looks like teacher just shared whatever notebook was on the top of the pile. She doesn’t seem intentional about which work to show and what it will demonstrate.	How did you decide which student notebooks to show during discussion?	Teacher response: I could make a point based on any student’s work.
Same as above.	Why didn't you play the video you’d planned on you’d planned on to give you a chance to review student work?	Teacher response: (initially) Didn’t need to; (after thoughtful pause). It probably would have helped with the objective. There were other things in the lesson plan I left out, too.
Does not seem to have a focused objective.	Did you evaluate students based on whether they got the correct #? Results?	Teacher response: (Indirect; not sure she has checked students’ work)