Change is Gradual

This week, it was beautifully autumn. I walked among trees in various stages of change: some with their branches bare and their leaves crackling underfoot; some ablaze with red or yellow; some whose green leaves were tinged with color on the fringes, and some still stubbornly green. I pulled a leave from a low-hanging branch to take a closer look. It was already mostly red, but some green hung on, tinged with yellow. Change is like that – partial, gradual.
 
Purposeful change for educators is gradual, too.
 
My Gradual Increase of Responsibility model for instructional coaching is a visual for that gradual change, representing an ongoing increase of teachers’ agency and efficacy. Keeping that upward-trending, squiggly line in mind moves change forward. It helps coaches purposefully adjust their approach over time to increase teacher autonomy. Effective mentors and coaches draw on all five coaching moves throughout the coaching cycle, intentionally shifting responsibility to the teacher. To determine the level of support, they ask: “What will the teacher be needing most?”
 
When coaching with the GIR model, we are always thinking about what the teacher needs. We’ll offer to model if that might be helpful. But if I model beyond the time that it is needed, I’m doing too much and inhibiting the teacher’s growth. Instead, recommendations might be a useful nudge.
 
Shifting from recommending to questioning when the time is ripe encourages teachers to draw from their own well of knowledge and experience; asking questions shifts the thinking to teachers. Then asking, “What else?” or saying, “Tell me more about that,” changes the talk ratio, creating space for the teacher to explore what she knows. We affirm and praise all along the way, but these coaching moves dominate as the need for more-supportive moves drops away. The important thing to keep in mind is the movement implied by the GIR model – always shifting toward increased responsibility for the teacher you are working with as she needs less and less support from you. The five moves described in the GIR model are things many coaches do automatically. But there’s a benefit to being intentional about the shift.
 
Knowing when to shift is a matter of paying careful attention to context. What could the teacher now be carrying? How much support is needed for students’ learning to move smoothly forward? Keeping these factors in mind will help you have the right timing for shifting coaching moves.
 
Consider the varying needs of the teachers you are supporting. Then consider the level of support provided by each coaching move. Finding the right match, and shifting when appropriate, will keep everyone moving forward. When one move doesn’t bear fruit, we can lean back and try an approach that provides more scaffolding. Being intentional about our shifts adds efficiency and effectiveness to the coaching process.
 
The image of the GIR model nudges us to keep moving, choosing and using less-supportive moves as coaching continues. As we decrease support, we empower teachers and help them see the impact of their contributions, increasing their confidence. When teachers feel confident, they are willing to continue taking risks and making change.
 
Just like the leaves in autumn, teachers are not all in the same place, and change is gradual.  

 
This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
How to eliminate overwhelm (in this 25 second video!):
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPNb7pemWfs
 
 
Creating belonging in a school community:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/belonging-in-a-school-community/
 
 
Engaging students through play-based learning (not just for the little ones!):
 
http://www.thegeniusofplay.org/genius/expert-advice/articles/the-best-way-to-engage-students-today-introduce-play-based-learning-into-your-school.aspx
 
 
A podcast on dealing with student grammar errors:
 
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/grammar-spelling-errors/
 
 
Teaching children to fail well:
 
http://time.com/4025350/brene-brown-on-teaching-kids-to-fail-well/
 
 
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 and Twitter and Instagram @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com
 
---------------------------------
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! TODAY you can use the code: NOV2023 for 20% off. 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!