My husband recently bought two new cameras, reinvigorating his interest in amateur photography. While on our walk, he paused and looked down the nearby street, grabbed a camera from his pocket, and framed a photo of colorful fall trees. He wore a smile as he tucked his camera back into his pocket, and I thought to myself, “It’s good to be looking for beautiful things in this world.”
Coaches, too, can be looking for beautiful things. During observations and subsequent debriefs, a strengths-based approach can go a long way. Sometimes teachers dread coaching and even come to dislike reflection because there is a “fix-it” mentality. A fix-it approach focuses on what went wrong and brainstorms ways to correct it. In contrast, a strengths-based approach focuses on what went right and looks for ways to increase it.
Positive psychology suggests this is a helpful approach. Positivity boosts creativity. Building on strengths, rather than focusing on deficiencies, promotes confidence and resilience.
Unfortunately, humans tend to have a negativity bias, remembering unfavorable experiences more than positive ones. This has some disadvantages, Negative emotions consume energy and can lead to worrying, uncertainty, and a narrowed view of options.
In today’s educational climate, we need practices that increase energy and creativity. Decision fatigue and all the extra to-do’s because of the pandemic are weighing teachers down. So it seems the right time for a strengths-based coaching focus.
I had this on my mind as I met with Andrea last week. I had spent some time in her classroom and seen so many positive things! Even though technology failed, she didn’t miss a beat! But when I asked what stood out for her with the lesson, she said, “It was a disaster!” It took some doing to pull her back to talking about things that went well. But we ended up focusing our conversation on the open-ended questions she asked her students throughout the lesson and how students responded to them. I had specific examples in my notes, and reflecting on the higher-level thinking students were doing was encouraging. A focus on this positive outcome brought enthusiasm as she thought of specific questions to include in an upcoming lesson.
At a time in world history when it feels there is much to drag us down, a strengths-based coaching approach can renew energy and optimism. By understanding their strengths, teachers can more easily create successful learning experiences for their students.
This week, you might want to take a look at:
The role of skillful noticing:
http://www.growthcoaching.com.au/articles-new/noticing-a-key-coaching-skill
Problems and solutions when teaching with a mask:
https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-connecticut-archive-52b44eed118bc03579c41795637e9b86
Instant mood-boosters:
https://aestheticsofjoy.com/2020/10/17/8-quick-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-boost-your-mood/
How to set up virtual book clubs:
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-set-virtual-book-club-students
This podcast episode about the classroom as a place of joy:
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
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