Coaching In and Across Time

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Are you at NCTE? Stop by the Teachers College Press Booth (801) Sunday at 9:30 am. I'll be there with my new coaching book, and I'd love to meet you!

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In 1983, Pearson & Gallagher proposed the Gradual Increase of Responsibility (GRR) Model as a guide for teaching reading comprehension. Modeling is the first stage, followed by guided practice and then individual application. Although this framework was initially proposed to describe changes in support over time, I’ve often seen it used as an outline for a single lesson. Teacher start the lesson by modeling, then included some guided practice (usually whole group). Then teachers turn students loose to try it on their own. This works. Sometimes. But it isn’t always the right structure for a lesson. For example, if we want students to take an inquiry stance in a lesson, modeling exactly what to do won’t yield the hoped-for results – students may just go through the motions without curiosity and exploration. The point I want to make here is that the GRR model does not always support the learning we want when applied within a single lesson. It is, more appropriately, a description of change over time, particularly when applied to a skill – such as its intended use for teaching reading comprehension.
 
Similarly, my Gradual Increase of Responsibility Model’s intended use is longitudinal. It was developed based on research on mentoring and coaching and depicts change over time. The GIR framework demonstrates how the five coaching moves (model, recommend, question, affirm, and praise) change across a coaching cycle. Although all of these moves might be used in a single conversation, the dominant move – the one that gets the most bang for your buck – should change over time, moving toward a less-supportive coaching stance.  We want to keep that GIR visual in mind, moving toward increased teacher responsibility.
 
Remembering that the GIR model represents a gradual shift toward increased teacher responsibility, it can also be helpful to consider how the five moves might be used within a single coaching conversation. Our dialogue in one discussion will likely not follow the progression identified in the GIR model (model à recommend à question à affirm à praise).
 
For example, even when I have recommending in mind as the dominant coaching move, I’ll usually open a debrief conversation with a question like, “As you think back on that lesson, what stands out for you?” When the teacher mentions something in the lesson that she feels worked well, I’ll affirm that teaching move, knowing that affirmations can build a positive, trusting climate for coaching interactions and add emotional capital to the relationship. I might get around to recommending if the teacher expresses a concern or frustration and if the questions I’m asking are coming up empty.  I would call recommending the dominant move in this conversation, because it is the one that will (hopefully!) support growth. But other moves also played a role.
 
Like the initial intentions of Pearson and Gallagher’s popular GRR model, the GIR model describes movement over prolonged interactions. Still, we can be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the moves in the model as we navigate individual coaching conversations.

This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Using tech to help students learn from one another:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/the-good-part-of-tech/
 
 
Teachers and peers can use this tool to provide audio feedback on Google docs:
 
https://www.kaizena.com/
 
 
Discipline-specific literacy strategies:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-to-work-literacy-instruction-into-all-content-areas
 
 
5 straightforward strategies to get students reading and writing:
 
https://www.learnersedge.com/blog/5-strategies-to-get-your-students-reading-and-writing
 
 
Teaching students to self-monitor their behavior:
 
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/teaching-children-to-check-their-own-behavior/
 
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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Hooray!!! My new book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is a fall release from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! During November, you can use the code: NOV2022 for 15% off plus FREE SHIPPING. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!
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