Affirmations Sweeten the Coaching Conversation

This week, I had a thought-filled conversation with Rachel, an experienced mentor who welcomes student-teaching interns into her classroom every year. Rachel wants to make sure she is developing a strong relationship with Anna, her current intern. This is one of Rachel’s areas of strength: she recognizes the necessity of strong relationships as a foundation for growth, and the value of affirmations in developing those relationships. So I wasn’t surprised about the notes that she had shared with Anna:
 
-started off with praise for students sitting correctly and attentively
-clarified expectations if students were confused
-”thank you to students who made the first sound”
-”good job” (reinforcement)
-”I want to see everyone_____” (explicitly stating expectations)
-”I need to see you participating” (redirecting attention and responding to misbehavior)
-clear instructions
-used visual representations (just make sure to think through the mirror aspect)
-”Ashton, would you like to participate with us? (student nods) I would love that too!” (invitation to participate and genuine excitement)
 
What a list of affirmations!  They are specific, including examples of the exact words that were used. Note the parentheticals that make explicit the verbal move the intern was making. Noticing and naming these specifics makes it more likely they’ll be repeated in the future.
 
Bounded by affirmation, a recommendation is also included in the list (“make sure to think through the mirror aspect”). This came up during the lesson when the intern didn’t think about the fact that students were seeing her actions as moving in the opposite direction (right to left instead of left to right). The mentor reinforced this and added that it would “get easier and feel more natural with practice as you gain more experience with managing the visual representations alongside the phonemic awareness skills.” Her message ended with another affirmation: “I noticed and appreciated your efforts to keep everyone engaged and on task.”
 
This mentor’s lesson follow-up demonstrates the affirmation sandwich: A recommendation surrounded by affirmations is usually well-received. Mary Poppin’s adage about the spoonful of sugar holds true. Affirmations sweeten a coaching conversation! 

This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Developing social and life skills (relevant to teachers of all grades):
 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2014/6/24/18570091/summer-school-teacher-essay-working-to-find-joy-in-kindergarten
 
 
Making sure students feel cared for:
 
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57646/how-unconditional-positive-regard-can-help-students-feel-cared-for
 
 
Creating affirmation stations:
 
https://blog.teachboost.com/build-a-culture-of-appreciation-with-affirmation-stations
 
 
Building relational energy:
 
https://barkleypd.com/blog/coaching-and-leading-with-relational-energy/
 
 
Using advertising to teach critical thinking:
 
http://www.middleweb.com/16528/close-reading-advertising/
 
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy coaching!
 
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