Modeling for Ownership

Today I was reading a blog post where the author was metaphorically comparing her mastery of a favorite family recipe to teaching.*  Of course, I was comparing it, in my mind, to coaching and mentoring.  So when I got to this sentence, I stopped:
“She modeled so that I understood each part of the process well enough to make moves of my own.”
 
What does it look like to model so that the teacher you are working with understands each part of the process well enough to make moves on their own? 
 
When I think about modelling for a teacher, I sometimes just think about doing what I’d normally do, with someone watching.  But when I stop to think about how I model for students, I realize that it’s actually a lot more than that.
 
When I model for students, I stop all along the way and explain what I am doing and why I am doing it.
 
When I model for a teacher, I need to also take the chance to explain what I am doing and why I am doing it. Because instruction for my students is the first priority for both of us, I don’t stop in the middle of a lesson to do this. Instead, I spread the explaining over our planning and reflecting conversations. 
 
When I model for students, I usually give visual or verbal reminders of the process.  I might have a list of steps on a slide, or we may make an anchor chart together.
 
When I model for a teacher, I might give her a list of steps or ask her to jot down notes while I talk the process through in advance. Then she can follow that procedures list as she later observes the lesson.
 
When I model for students, I zoom in on the parts they are ready for.  If it’s a writing assignment, for example, I might think aloud only about my supporting evidence, not saying much about the other parts of the essay.
 
When I model for a teacher, I need to think about what she’s ready to notice. There’s so much happening in any one lesson. What’s most important for her to notice now?  What is she ready to take in?
 
The last part of that statement seems important, too: “She modeled so that I understood each part of the process well enough to make moves of my own.”
 
This phrase implies that we aren’t modelling with the expectation of duplication. Yes, there are important aspects of the teaching to attend to – the ingredients we must get right – but there is also room for ingenuity: a little more of this, a little less of that, and a pinch of something new.   We aren’t expecting a clone.
 
Another phrase stood out from the blog about the family recipe: “She gave me the opportunity to make something that mattered to me.”
 
The family recipe mattered. The lesson that will be taught matters.  If our conversations have focused attention on important ingredients of the process that the teacher is ready to notice, she will be ready to make it her own.  Teachers don’t need a precise recipe; they need a guide who is willing to demonstrate and a process that is open to possibilities.  

*https://choiceliteracy.com/article/january-8-2021-empowering-choice/

This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Humor writing for teens:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/humor-writing-with-teens/
 

Tips for work-life balance:
 
https://cmha.ca/resources/work-life-balance-make-it-your-business
 

SEL Connections to academic standards in 4 subjects:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/connecting-sel-academic-outcomes
 

“One little word” resolutions for students (I’m still pondering my one word!):
 
https://kidblog.org/home/one-little-word/
or
https://ourclasswrites.com/2012/01/08/one-little-word-one-big-idea/
 
 
This podcast that describes 9 top EdTech apps in 10 minutes:
 
https://www.coolcatteacher.com/9-edtech-ideas-to-use-now/
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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