To Do: Making Positive Recommendations when Coaching

This week, the coaches I met with were grumbling a bit. Academic Year 3 of the pandemic is wearing us down, and we’re approaching October, which research suggests is a low month for teachers, so I understand where they were coming from. These weights were affecting our work, however, in a way that I felt we could easily change.
 
We were talking about the coaching move of making recommendations, and I noticed that most of the ideas for recommendations that were being shared were coming in the form of don’ts.
 
“Don’t call on a student before asking the question.”
 
“Stop reading from the teachers manual during the lesson.”
 
“Quit calling on the same student all the time.”
 
These recommendations were all in the negative: Things a teacher should stop, rather than things they should start. They were a “to don’t” list rather than a “to do” list.
 
What if instead we said:
 
“Ask everyone to get an answer in their head before you call on someone to respond.”
 
“It might be helpful to write key questions on sticky notes and put them in the book you’re going to be reading aloud.”
 
“The Dojo randomizer could help you get a variety of students talking.”
 
There may, of course, be times when something is happening that needs to be directly addressed; however, in most cases, we can avert a negative behavior by suggesting a positive one. In a coaching conversation, this keeps the tone more upbeat and the communication more collegial.
 
If you’re feeling frustrated with a teacher’s practice or just plain having a negative day, pay attention to your recommendations. Replace “stop” and “quit” with something the teacher could do instead. Creating a “to do” list rather than a “to don’t” list is more likely to support instructional improvement.

This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
This video about grouping to increase eye contact and learning:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/video/what-social-brain
 
 
4 steps to define your coaching purpose:
 
https://simplycoachingandteaching.com/blog/2021/09/08/coaching-purpose/
 
 
Pitfalls and pivots for instructional coaches:
 
https://www.edelements.com/blog/secret-lessons-and-common-pitfalls-from-a-former-instructional-coach
 
 
Picture books about worry:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/reassuring-worried-children-with-picture-books/
 
 
Supporting comprehension of ebooks:
 
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/teaching-interactive-picture-e-books-grades-k-6
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!
 
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