Saturday, March 10, 2018

Sidebar Modeling



Modeling is a powerful coaching tool, and we can get even more bang for our buck when we are intentional about it.  If possible, take the opportunity to observe a bit as you begin a coaching cycle.  Watching the teaching and learning in a classroom usually reveals aspects of instruction that can be improved, even if the teacher is an experienced expert.  There is just so much going on that it’s handy to have an extra pair of eyes and ears on the job!

As you launch a coaching cycle, you’ll probably sit down with the teacher and select a learning target for your work together. That will be the main focus, and your initial modeling will center around that goal.  However, you may also be able to incorporate other instructional features as sidebars.

I talked this week with Sherri, an experienced coach who is working with first-grade-teacher Sarah on pacing. Sarah’s internal teaching clock is not yet well-developed, so she often ends up with too much or not enough time available as a lesson draws to a close. Last week she gave all the instructions for a hands-on math activity only to realize that it was time to line up for lunch!  So Sherri and Sarah have chosen pacing as an appropriate coaching goal, and Sherri will be modeling a lesson.  She’ll ask Sarah to notice the choices she makes that affect the lesson’s pacing. For example she’ll ask her to pay attention to how she guides and manages student discussion so that the time is productive.  But Sherri told me she’ll also be doing some sidebar modelling.

“When I’m making my lesson plans, if I see something they aren’t doing, then I try to make sure I include that,” she said. Sherri then talked about the element of silliness, fun, and energy on the teacher’s part that enhances students’ participation.  An engaging teacher can increase the odds of students’ participation and cognitive engagement.  Sherri believes this element enhances the culture of the classroom, too, and she felt Sarah and her students would both enjoy their learning more if they were having more fun together.  So she planned to make this element clear in her modeling and then “pull out things where I discuss that energy piece” during the debrief conversation.

Through purposeful planning and intentional modeling, Sherri, and coaches like her, increase the impact of a coaching cycle.

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

A podcast on listening (my favorite quote: “Listening—to loved ones, strangers, faraway places—is an act of generosity and a source of discovery.”)


 March madness with a book twist: 



It’s not too late to join the Slice-of-Life Story Challenge for teachers:



Differences between collaboration and cooperation:



Picture book biographies with older students in mind (introduce scientists, artists, and historical figures in a friendly way!):


That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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