Be an Educational First Responder

Are you a first responder for the teachers you work with?  Today more than ever, teachers benefit from having a responsive coach.  “Responsiveness” is a term that is used across many industries and professions, and I think it’s helpful to look at how this term is used in other situations.

In computer science, “responsiveness” is the ability of an electronic device to complete a task  within a specified period of time.  Similarly, within business organizations, it’s the ability to provide follow-up to peers’ requests for information or assistance without delay.  Timeliness is the key. I’ve been working on giving quick responses to emails and on fulfilling obligations soon after I make the commitment.  Even if it’s a small thing, I think my quick responses give teachers the assurance that I’m there for them. It’s one less thing for them to be wondering about in their currently over-occupied brains. 

In machinery, responsiveness is the ability of a machine or system to  adjust quickly to suddenly altered external conditions,  as of speed, load, or temperature, and to resume stable operation without undue delay.  When I read that definition, I thought how appropriate it is for our current situation.  We are helping teachers make hoped for plans, but we are also talking with them about how they might pivot as circumstances change – with a student, a lesson, or the format of instruction.

In customer service, responsiveness is the quality of  reacting both quickly and positively.  This emphasis on positivity is a valuable consideration for coaching. The word “react” implies an automatic or intuitive response, a reflexive move. Because we have to be ready to respond positively in the moment, coaches must care for their own mental and emotional states.  If a coach feels worried or overwhelmed, it’s unlikely that her automatic response will show the needed positivity.

In education, responsive teaching is the ability to observe students and turn instruction in the direction that learners lead.  It is stepping in and out of a learning activity to support the learner’s individual needs and growing independence. It involves  careful observation,  figuring out where a learner is going, and helping them to get there.*  Responsive coaching also involves careful observation – not just of a teacher teaching, but also observation of the teacher as he plans and reflects.  Responsive coaching means figuring out where the teacher is going on his professional journey and helping him get there. It means determining how much support would be helpful and offering not too much and not too little.  (Using the GIR Model can help.)

Now more than ever, teachers need coaches who are first responders, who act quickly and positively, adjust flexibly, and observe carefully to determine needs. Like firemen and healthcare workers, instructional coaches need to be prepared for a wide array of potential situations and uncertainty.  Coaching is profoundly relational work that requires responsiveness.

*From https://fpblog.fountasandpinnell.com/what-is-responsive-teaching.

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

A podcast describing 9 ways online teaching should be different:

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/9-ways-online-teaching/


Teaching high-frequency words authentically:

https://twowritingteachers.org/2019/02/27/hfw/           

Helping students find their voice:

https://ccira.blog/2020/07/07/the-journey-to-becoming-well-spoken/

6 beginning-of-school messages for students:

https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/6-messages-every-student-hear-first-day-school/

Using language that parents understand:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/less-jargon-more-grace-using-language-parents-understand

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Look into My Eyes

A teacher friend recently talked to me about the challenges of teaching with a mask on. Before school started, he said he hadn’t had a mask on for longer than a quick run into the grocery store. Now he was talking loudly and expressively and wearing the mask for hours!  It was a big adjustment, and he was often out of breath. After getting the right mask and building his stamina, he’s finding his stride. But being a mask-wearing teacher is hard work!  As it turns out, coaching a mask-wearing teacher has its challenges, too.

Coaching is profoundly relational work. We “read” a teacher’s needs by attending to their words, their body language, and their facial expressions. And there’s the rub!  With a mask on, 2/3 of the face is hidden!  We can’t see whether the corners of the mouth turn up or down. It’s harder to read a teacher’s mood and response. Thankfully, however, “the eyes are the windows to the soul.”

Research psychologists have found evidence that this old proverb is true.  The eyes can illuminate emotions, conveying what is invisible behind the mask.  For example, narrowed eyes might be related to skepticism or suspicion, whereas wide-open eyes could be curiosity or awe. Blinking fast may be a sign of stress. Lowering the eyelids shows discomfort.  Large pupils indicate happiness – you like what you see!  Raised eyebrows could be curiosity or surprise.  These clues in the eyes can help us decide whether to elaborate, celebrate, or change courses in a coaching conversation.

The direction of eye gaze also gives clues. Some research suggests that looking up and to the left is a reflective glance – the teacher may be accessing visual recall of a situation. I know that’s my remembering spot!  Up and to the right is visual creation, indicating planning or forecasting.  More horizontal glances could indicate recall and rehearsal of sounds. Downward glances might indicate that someone is accessing emotional memory or engaging in internal dialogue. Overall, you can think about glances to the right as remembering and glances to the left as constructing. Paying attention to these clues helps me respond patiently to the inner work a teacher is doing while we talk.

For now, while most of a colleagues’ face is covered, we can attend to the subtle clues in their mind’s “windows,”  Even when you can’t see a nose wrinkled in confusion or a mouth open in surprise, you can get a lot of coaching cues about someone’s mental state or their reaction to your ideas when you look into their eyes.

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

A test on your ability to distinguish emotions from the eyes: 

http://socialintelligence.labinthewild.org/mite/

Why self-care is so important for educators – and how to do it:

https://inservice.ascd.org/educators-support-your-own-bandwidth-first/

Reader response activities as background for conferring:

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/reader-response-as-an-entry-to-conferring/

A podcost on creating your coaching personality:

http://buzzingwithmsb.blogspot.com/2020/07/creating-your-coaching-personality-ep.html

Preparing for the new version of school:

https://www.teachthought.com/education/mission-questions-self-criticism-leads-school-improvement/

That’s it for this week.  Happy coaching!

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“Way of Being” for Coaches

What’s your “way of being” as a coach? The mindsets or attitudes we carry into a
coaching conversation drive its outcomes.

Have Positive Assumptions

Psychologist Carl Rogers advocated a person-centered approach that is relevant to coaching.  He acknowledged the continually-changing world of individual experience and based his life’s work on a belief in the potential for growth within this whirl of change.  Rogers believed in an innate human desire to grow toward our own best selves, like a plant growing toward the light. Do you share Roger’s belief, centering your conversations in positive assumptions about a teacher’s desire to do and be her best?

In a positive coaching relationship, the coach’s regard for the teacher is unconditional. Regardless of what the teacher might say or do in a particular situation, the effective coach has positive assumptions about a teacher’s intent. The teacher gets respect no matter her behavior, simply on account of their relationship and their shared humanity.

Show Empathy 

An effective coach’s mindset also includes empathy.  She demonstrates empathy for a teacher’s current experience. Only the teacher knows what she is going through. One of Roger’s basic tenets is that the best vantage point for understanding behavior is from the internal frame of reference of the individual.  People are their own best experts. They know themselves better than others can. We can’t change or wish away a person’s experience, but we can listen and acknowledge. Only when we understand the why’s of current choices can we support growth to a better place. Like the potted plant that needs a quarter turn to reach toward the light, we can guide a change that will lean a teacher in a positive direction if we acknowledge where they currently are from their own perspective.

That’s because, according to Rogers, people behave in ways consistent with their concept of self. Behaviors not consistent with self-concept are not “owned” by the individual.  A teacher may outwardly comply, but a change is unlikely to stick if it’s inconsistent with her perceptions. So positive change starts with recognizing current realities. Changes happen when they can be assimilated into a teacher’s current concept of self.

The opposite happens when there is what Rogers calls “perceived threat.”  When a person feels coerced or intimidated, this often results in rigid attempts to maintain self. When threat is low, people are more likely to perceive and examine experiences and revise their self-perceptions in ways consistent with the new experiences.  They are more likely to change.

Be Authentic

Another coaching “mindset” is to bring your real self to a conversation.  This one can be tricky, because it involves vulnerability.  I want to be authentic, so I share how I’m learning and growing.  But I also want teachers to feel that I won’t steer them wrong (and I do make recommendations), so they need to trust my competence.  This is a tricky walk, but in the end, I find that if I’m sincere, we have positive, productive interactions.  I can sincerely share my own struggles and I can also sincerely share what I’ve learned along the way.  I can’t be pretentious.  I have to be show up as me. 

Sincerity can’t be bluffed; insincerity is easily perceived and unveiled.  Even little children recognize a phony, and teachers will, too. So how do you really and truly center yourself in positive assumptions and empathize with teachers in their current place?

I recently caught myself making negative assumptions when one of my college students (I’ll call her Angie) didn’t turn on her camera during remote teaching.  I had thoughts that she was stubborn or that she was hiding a lack of full participation.  When I listened with empathy, however, I learned that she is a non-traditional student with a full-time job as a caregiver. Our hybrid class (students could choose whether to be face-to-face or remote) gave her the chance to take a course. She kept the video off to protect her elderly client. As I connected with her on a more personal level, my admiration for her showed in our conversations. Angie did, eventually, find opportunities to share her screen and we developed a relationship that was beneficial for teaching and learning. Although this wasn’t a coaching situation, it demonstrates Roger’s principles of a person-centered approach.  I was glad I scrutinized my negative assumptions so that we could move toward positive change.

Change is a mind game. If shifts in practice are not accompanied by shifts in attitudes, they aren’t likely to stick. That can mean wasted effort for a teacher and coach and negative outcomes for students. Developing a coaching “way of being” that includes positive regard, empathy, and authentic interaction can help teachers lean in to change that is likely to last.

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

Five-minute Coronavirus stress resets (I like #1 & #3):

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/well/mind/five-minute-coronavirus-stress-resets.html?smid=tw-share

 

Using students’ expertise to support each other:

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/expert-students/

 

Valuing read alouds during remote learning:

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55694/how-online-book-read-alouds-can-help-students-literacy-and-connection-during-social-distancing

 

Teacher relationships and expectations at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year:

https://barkleypd.com/blog/relationships-and-expectations-keys-to-increasing-student-success/

 

This story-in-a-bag idea sounds fun and helpful (f2f or remote):

https://www.middleweb.com/43403/staging-story-in-a-bag-in-your-room-or-online/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

 

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Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch or Twitter @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com

 

Coaching Team Leaders

Are you and the teachers you work with feeling a bit overwhelmed by the novelty of the new school year? As we prepare to jump in, whether virtual or face-to-face, there are new guidelines to navigate along with our new students. Yesterday, I got two consecutive emails about reopening procedures – long emails with embedded links that took me to even longer documents.  I had to close my inbox and take a deep breath. It was just too much for that moment.

How will you manage the newness?  How will you facilitate all the upcoming team meetings and still manage to do anything else? One of the ways we can deal with overwhelm is through delegation – handing it over and then letting go.  If your school is organized in teams, you already have structures in place for delegation. Part of your role as coach is to coach team leaders.

Think of how a team leader meeting could serve you, your teams, and your school at the onset of the year. Not only is it a time to share information that can’t be digested through an email, it is a time to model facilitation practices, be transparent about what you do, and share a bit of coaching wisdom.

For example, if you have a “Return to School” document, at a meeting with team or department leads, you could jigsaw the document and have the “expert groups” who read each section create an infographic using Pictochart or Visual.ly.  Team leads may be excited that they have these infographics to share with their teams – but point out that it was the process of creating and sharing them, not the product, that got them familiar with the “Return to School” document.  Being transparent about why you do the things you do during a meeting is an important part of your work with team leaders. Encourage them to “go and do” what they have seen and done. Sharing structures for facilitation empowers team leaders to work effectively in your absence.

Your work preparing team leaders can also include coaching about coaching!  What coaching practices have you found to be most effective when working with teams?  Do you make an effort to listen more than you talk? To ask open-ended questions? To affirm worthwhile ideas that may otherwise be lost in the shuffle?  Modeling and being transparent about these practices is important, but, just like in the classroom, explicit instruction and opportunities to practice will bring the point home. 

The start of the school year is an important time to meet with team leaders, and it can also be a good time to get additional meetings on the calendar. Quarterly meetings with team leads, with follow-up individual check-ins along the way, are opportunities to multiply your efforts.  Although you’re not trying to create a bunch of “mini-me’s” in the building, supporting the efforts of team and department leaders empowers teacher leaders to get their jobs done.

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

This podcast describes why it’s important to prepare for the upcoming school year by shoring yourself up mentally, emotionally, and physically:

https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/my-manifesto-for-the-coming-school-year/

 

Getting the most from virtual author visits:

https://ccira.blog/2020/07/21/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-a-virtual-author-visit/

Heard about bitmoji?  Here are the basics:

https://blog.teachboost.com/getting-started-with-bitmoji-classrooms

 

Here are some bitmoji ideas for instructional coaches:

https://www.kathyperret.org/2020/06/16/bitmoji-ideas-for-instructional-coaches/

Books about preserving memories (students have some unique ones to capture this year!): 

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/closing-the-year-and-making-space-to-remember/

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Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch or Twitter @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips! You can also find me at VickiCollet.com

 

Delegation: Who’s Bringing the Ice Cream?

Many years ago, a friend and his wife were asked to bring ice cream to the church social. Not just a gallon – their job was to pick up all of the ice cream for the group from the local creamery. Although they were planning to visit relatives in another town that day, the young couple planned their schedule around returning early enough to get the ice cream to the park before the party.  When they arrived at the creamery, however, they were told that the ice cream had already been picked up.  The leader who had given them the assignment, knowing they were out of town, had taken care of this errand.

Maybe my friend and his wife should have felt grateful that someone had their back. Instead, they felt frustrated that their carefully-planned return trip was in vain.  They felt deflated that the leader who gave them the assignment didn’t believe they would carry it out.  They wondered if they had a part to play.  The sting, and the lesson, lingered.  Over subsequent decades, whenever they have conversations about delegating tasks, they’ll ask, “Who’s bringing the ice cream?”  This question serves not only to divvy up the work, but also to remind them to give ownership for a task to the one who it’s been delegated to.

Coaches can sometime act as “saviors,” prepared to jump in and save the day when someone is off their game. While it’s important that we ensure the final outcome is effective instruction for students, taking up the slack too often can backfire, reducing teachers’ preparation and motivation.

It may be tempting to keep a few tricks up your sleeve that you can pull out in the time of need. But if a teacher said she’d bring that research article to share with the group, let her do it. And if she forgets this time and the group doesn’t have what they need, she’ll probably be more likely to be prepared the next time around. If the data that’s needed for a decision is the responsibility of the classroom teacher, don’t bring the data yourself.  An email reminder beforehand could be appropriate, but “bringing the ice cream” is not.

I’m a firm believer that people rise to the expectations we have for them. Expect that teachers will live up to their commitments.  Expect that they will follow through.  Occasionally, the group may have to do without the ice cream, but the expectations and responsibility that are built will be worth the lack of dessert.

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

Five reasons remote learning did not meet the needs of learners:

https://katielmartin.com/2020/07/12/5-reasons-distance-learning-did-not-meet-the-needs-of-learners/

10 SEL learning strategies:

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/10-social-and-emotional-learning-strategies-for-responding-to-covid-19

Writing-at-Home resources for young children 4 – 8 (great share for parents):

https://kidwriting.nwp.org/

A 3-minute listen on the court’s decision that students have a right to learn to read:

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/27/845595380/court-rules-detroit-students-have-constitutional-right-to-an-education

6 Co-Teaching models:

https://barkleypd.com/blog/coaching-co-teaching/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Use code TCP2020 during checkout for free shipping on my book, Collaborative Lesson Study at tcpress.com.  

Was this helpful?  Please share!

Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)

Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch or Twitter @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com