No Disguises! Make Coaching Recommendations the Real Deal

October has arrived, and with it, fun thoughts of masks and costumes! However, when it comes to coaching, disguises don’t pay off. So be on the alert for your own disguises as you ask questions during a coaching conversation.
 
Making recommendations seems to come easily to most coaches, and as we work to incorporate questioning as a coaching move, sometimes there’s a temptation to ask questions that are actually thinly-masked recommendations.  Consider the following coaching language:
 
Recommendation:
 
“You could have students use the rubric to assess their own papers.”
 
Recommendation disguised as a question:
 
“What would happen if students used a rubric to assess their own work?”
 
Question:
 
“What would have to change for students to work more for themselves and less for you?”
 
If a coach asks, “What would happen if students used a rubric to assess their own work?” this thinly-disguised recommendation could feel disingenuous, because the coach isn’t really looking for input. If a recommendation is needed, give it. 
 
However, if the teacher is ready to take on more responsibility, ask a question.  When the coach asks, “What would have to change….,” she is genuinely looking for ideas from the teacher.  The question opens the teacher’s thinking to new possibilities rather than funneling her thinking to a single, pre-determined choice.  Authentic questions like these help teachers think flexibly about the decisions they make as they design instruction.  Questions can shake us from our comfort zones as we ponder present practices together and discover new ways to think about our work.  Asking questions creates thoughtful conversations that can lead to lasting change and professional growth.  When a recommendation is called for, share it clearly; a recommendation disguised as a question feels like a trick, not a treat.

This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Beyond universal screeners: anecdotal records as data:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/balancing-assessments-through-better-classroom-notes/
 
 
Read this to consider: why it’s helpful to do assignments before assigning them and all the places for agency and professionalism in what you think might be a complete, packaged curriculum!
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/doing-the-writing-in-a-unit/
 
 
This learning/PD/collaboration tool – Box It Out:
 
https://www.thecoachingsketchnotebook.com/2021/09/a-new-tool-for-pd-box-it-out.html
 
Secondary students describe what makes a good teacher:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHapv0Tv7vM
 
 
5 steps for fact-checking:
 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5-steps-to-fact-checking-digital-literacy-in-action/id1201263130?i=1000527085151
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!
 
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