I’m
a proponent of giving teachers the opportunity to get into each other’s
classrooms. Structures like lab
visits and lesson study create an open culture for sharing.
However, sometimes sharing leads to comparing, and that can be toxic.
Problems with Comparison
Perhaps it’s human nature to compare
ourselves to others. Comparison seems to
give us a yardstick for how we are doing.
However, no two situations are the same.
Schools are complex environments that don’t create level playing fields. Teachers may beat themselves up for not
working hard enough if they compare themselves unfavorably to others, even when
hard work couldn’t make up the difference.
Comparison is unhealthy when it’s a self-to-other
comparison. Even if a teacher compares
and finds herself the “better” teacher, no one wins. Mental arithmetic that pits teacher against
teacher using comparatives and superlatives depletes teams of the energy needed
for their joint work. Better,
best, worse, and worst are energy-draining words that
create a demoralizing contest.
Comparisons turn allies into
rivals. When teachers use other teachers
as benchmarks to evaluate themselves, it’s hard to avoid envy and to celebrate and
learn from the good others do.
Healthier Comparisons
If comparisons come up in one-on-one
coaching sessions, it can be helpful to initially redirect a conversation to
strengths and successes. It’s impossible to be best at everything, but everyone
has teaching talents and past successes that can be remembered. Specific affirmations
(that don’t compare to others) can help a comparing conversation take a more
constructive course. What we’re good at
can lead to appropriate goals.
Reflecting on practices within
one’s own teaching can lead to helpful targets for improvement. Helping teachers focus on one instructional
feature in past, present, and future lessons is a healthy comparison. When teachers thoughtfully compete against
their past selves, they are likely to win – and wins are measured in
instructional improvement, not personal attributes. Having a clear idea of what they have been
doing, what they are now doing, and what they hope to do can help teachers take
realistic steps toward reaching their goals.
How Connections Help
So what is the role of peer
observation and collaboration? How can
we invite teachers to connect without promoting unhealthy comparison?
One benefit of observation is the new
perspective provided. When a teacher
determines a very narrow focus for observation, watching becomes an exercise in
learning about a practice rather than making unhelpful personal
comparisons. Your comments as a coach
can encourage teachers to be observant and thoughtful rather than
judgmental.
When meeting with a teaching team, we
can encourage this kind of helpful conversation by modeling concrete
descriptions of what was observed. Although you
will sometimes talk about what you saw and heard the teacher do, it can be
helpful to focus on students’
responses (rather than what the teacher was doing) during a
post-observation conversation. Insights
about how students responded to the lesson will guide instructional
improvement.
Encouraging teachers to ask one
another for recommendations sends a message that we are all in this
together. When teachers move from self-comparison
to connection, everyone benefits. As success builds on success, teachers can
achieve their individual instructional goals. Colleagues who support one another create ongoing
upward movement. Teacher collaboration
is an example of the Quaker proverb: “Thee lift me and I’ll lift thee and we’ll
ascend together.”
This week, you
might want to take a look at:
Books and
ideas about bravery:
Lots of great
tips for promoting your coaching role:
Evaluating tasks
for higher-order thinking (read or listen here):
Are teachers
you work with struggling with negative emotions? Here’s some constructive support:
Tips for
Peaceful Classrooms:
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This week we started
a Facebook group study of my book, Collaborative
Lesson Study. For
a free, downloadable Quickstart Guide to
Lesson Study and an invitation to join the closed Facebook group, go here.
Each
week between now and March 27 we’ll discuss one chapter (and I’ll add a quick
video). Read or comment as much or as
little as you’d like.
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That’s all for
this week. Happy Coaching!
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