As you think about the school year
that is about to get underway, you may want to consider how asynchronous
coaching could make your work more effective.
Coaching using email or other forms of digital communication allows for
conversations that can happen at the convenience of the coach and teacher. Because schedules are often hard to align,
this can be a real advantage, giving everyone the chance for unhurried dialogue.
Below are tips and cautions for using
this mode of interaction as a coaching tool.
Establish
Relationships First
I’ve found that email is not a good
first encounter for coaching.
Face-to-face conversations allow me to read the situation and the
teacher’s reactions so that I can respond in ways that build trust. If I’m well into a coaching cycle, or have a
previously-established relationship with a teacher, email can be an efficient
way to move some parts of the coaching process along.
Set
an Informal Tone
Because an email may not be perceived
as personal, use a casual, relaxed tone. Reread and revise to make your written
words sound like talk so that your email will feel more approachable. Review to take out any sting. Having the opportunity to carefully construct
our messages and rethink how they might be perceived is an advantage of
asynchronous communication.
Ask
Questions
Email is a good venue for posing
questions; the teacher has the opportunity to respond thoughtfully, and you won’t
come off as overbearing if your email is asking for their views.
To open a conversation, you might ask:
*What’s the unit you’re working on?
*What are you noticing about students’
work?
*What are you wondering about?
If you’re emailing after a lesson has
been taught, you might ask questions like:
*What did you learn about your students
today?
*What did you notice today about how
the sequence of instruction affected students’ thinking?
*What do you envision happening next?
Follow
Up Face-to-Face
Although good conversation can happen
through back-and-forth email exchanges, build in opportunities for
face-to-face, even with teachers you know well. Being in the teacher’s classroom gives deeper
insights about what goes on there.
In-person meeting are usually less formal, so you might get more
information, hearing opinions and the inside story. And we all benefit from the assurance of a
smile.
Trying to fit coaching conversations
into overlapping niches of school schedules can be challenging. Asynchronous communication can increase our
coaching impact when our tone, questions, and follow-up demonstrate the faith
and trust we have developed.
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
Launching the year in math:
How
an offer to help reorganize a classroom library leads to a coaching
opportunity:
Be your own mentor – Tips to pass along
to new teachers:
Make a memory box to save special
moments in the classroom:
A podcast on mentoring new teachers: supporting
students’ social-emotional learning:
That’s
it for this week. Happy Coaching!
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