Coaching Attributes: Be Open

This week, as I was taking our dog for a walk, he went one way around a tree and I went the other. “Come on Jake,” I said, “You’re going the wrong way.” Then I caught myself. I’d probably gone his way around the same tree earlier that week. What made it the wrong way today? Simply that it was different from my way.
 
I wonder how often this happens in instructional coaching. Do we sometimes make recommendations or try to change practices just because they are different from our way? Are we valuing our own experience but sometimes ignoring important aspects of the current context? Have we dismissed a teacher’s idea because it didn’t align with our own? When this is true, it is a reminder to be more open.
 
Being open is another one of those coaching attributes we can work to develop in all areas of our lives. Then it will be an authentic part of who we are as we walk into any coaching opportunity.
 
When we are open, our mental models are temporary and flexible. A good conversation is one where we learn something, and what others say is always interesting. It means seeing our coaching work as full of possibility.
 
When we maintain open communication with teachers, we welcome their thoughts, worries, concerns, and celebrations. We establish a conversational tone where teachers feel free to talk about their thoughts and opinions.  Teachers know they can bring up both everyday issues and difficult topics. I’ve found that exploring ideas together leads to growth – for the teacher and for me.
 
Keeping the doors of the mind open means that we avoid criticizing or ignoring new ideas.  It means delaying judgment. It’s refreshing not to have to defend your own ideas, but rather to listen intently to others’.
 
Although there are definitely times when coaches should share their expertise, doing so with an open mindset brings a lightness to the conversation, affording teachers their agency and acknowledging their own professional judgment. 
When making a recommendation, acknowledging professional judgment invites a productive conversation. 
 
Teachers are more receptive when I list options rather than describe best practices.  The idea of options feels more open to teachers and is most likely to result in interest and application. Using phrases such as, “Here is one idea…” or “Another consideration might be…” helps to keep the conversation open.
 
When coaches have an open mindset, they are approachable.  Their posture, positioning, and facial expressions help teachers feel at ease. Some of us have to think intentionally about each of these things, but they tend to flow more naturally when we remind our brains to move our own ideas to the back burner for a minute and be open to the ideas of others.
 
Asking an open-ended question is one way to demonstrate an open mindset.  Starting a conversation with, “What’s on your mind?” is a useful open-ended question. It leaves the door wide-open for any topic of conversation.  It signals an open agenda rather than a pre-set coaching script. It cues reflection and sharing and sets you up for meaningful coaching work. 
 
Asking, “What else could you try?” suggests there are many possible solutions. Asking, “What makes you say so?” deepens the level of analysis in a conversation.  When we ask questions without having our own answer in mind, we are displaying an open mindset.
 
The next time I catch myself telling my dog he’s wrong (in addition to checking my sanity for having a conversation with my dog!), I’ll remind myself to be more open. I might even go his way around the tree.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Sharing young writers’ voices using QR codes:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/bringing-writers-voices-home-with-qr-codes/
 
 
Smoothing out the back-to-school transition:
 
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_make_this_hard_transition_back_to_school_with_your_students
 
 
Letters from home:  Letting family & friends teach us about students:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/letters-from-home-letting-families-and-friends-teach-us/
 
 
Managing classroom cell phone use:
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/free-videos/
 
 
The Bedley Brothers podcast on collaboration:
 
http://bedleybros.podomatic.com/entry/2015-05-30T01_00_00-07_00
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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Hooray!!! My book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: AUG2023 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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