If you know
four notes, teach someone who knows three.
Dan
Berkowitz
Sharing our repertoire is the common
lot of coaches. We recommend based on what we have seen, read, and
experienced. When teachers lack
knowledge and experience in an area where coaches have expertise, recommending
can be an effective move. Using a mental checklist of “3 C’s for Recommending”
can improve the impact of recommendations. As you purposefully plan for
feedback conversations, seek to be clear,
concise, and conversational.
Be
Clear
Although there are times when
questioning to prompt or probe is effective, if there is a suggestion you plan
to make, say it. Don’t make a recommendation disguised as
a question, and don’t rely on buzzwords. Describe what it is you think could happen in
concrete, actionable terms. What will it look like when the suggestion has been
implemented?
For recommendations, target something
that can make a short-term, noticeable difference. Of course, it has to be implementable
– by this teacher, at this time. It
needs to be something that the teacher is ready to do; adjust recommendations
based on the teacher’s level of experience and expertise. You can work out
together how she will apply the new strategy in her own instruction.
To support implementation of the
suggestion, it’s important to have the necessary resources. Recommendations
might be accompanied by materials, video clips, or suggestions about someone at
the school with expertise in the area.
When recommendations come with commensurate resources – the necessary knowledge
and materials to support them – teachers are more likely to see recommendations
as a creative challenge to which they can rise.
Be
Concise
As you consider recommendations,
prioritize one area for improvement. Having a narrow area of focus builds self-efficacy,
where a laundry list of suggestions would be daunting, deflating, and perhaps
defeating. What’s motivating is to have
an actionable task that can be implemented in a short period of time.
After choosing an area for
improvement, narrow to a specific recommendation. For recommendations to be actionable,
they need to be focused. A narrow
recommendation feels helpful; a broad one may feel evaluative.** For example, saying, “It might be helpful to
put sticky notes with your pre-planned questions on the pages of the read-aloud
book,” could be a helpful comment. Saying, “You should ask more high-level
questions,” feels judgmental.
Keep the recommending conversation
brief. Although coaches often complain that it’s hard to find time for a
substantive coaching conversation, brevity can be used to advantage when making
recommendations. Keeping the conversation
succinct makes the focus clear.
Be
Conversational
A casual tone puts the teacher at
ease, lower defenses, and makes conversations more productive. Consider the
temperament (and current situation) of the teacher. You’ll recommend
differently to an easy-going teacher than to a defensive one. It’s always wise
to listen respectfully and have positive assumptions, but these are especially
important if the teacher feels vulnerable.
Give recommendations as part of a dialogue.
The recommendation is not the first sentence in the conversation or the last.
It helps to lead in with positive comments and follow-up by asking the teacher’s
thoughts about the recommendation. An exchange of ideas solidifies the
recommendation.
The recommendation should be a “special
delivery.” Give consideration to body language, word choice, and seating
arrangement. Nod. Make eye contact. Sit side by side. Recognize
the teacher’s point of view. The way that a recommendation is given makes
almost as much difference as its content. Aim for collaboration during the
recommending conversation.
All
the Right Moves
Recommending isn’t always the right
move; sometimes it’s more helpful to model, question, affirm, or praise. But when
a suggestion is called for, being clear, concise, and conversational can
encourage uptake and increase coaches’ effectiveness.
*Berkowitz, D. (2013). Spirit
Magazine, March 2013, p. 67.
**Archer, J. Cantrell, S. Holtzman,
S., Joe, J., Tocci, C., & Wood, J. (2016). Better feedback for better
teaching: A practical guide to improving classroom observations. San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass.
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
Building vocabulary in a blended
classroom with “Word Sneak”:
A podcast on mentoring new teachers on
social-emotional learning:
Avoiding isolation as an instructional
coach:
I love the idea of jot lots as a
formative assessment tool. I bet you can
come up with ideas for use in addition to theses:
Give students and teachers the
opportunity to write themselves into new ways of being:
That’s
it for this week. Happy Coaching!
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