Sharing “Noticings:” A Post-Modeling Coaching Conversation

When coaches model, they demonstrate techniques and instructional practices to scaffold implementation. Modeling, the most supportive coaching move in the GIR model, is recognized by teachers, researchers, and professional organizations as a valuable practice.
 
According to Reeves, “Observing professional practice in action has been a missing link in professional development,”* and it is a link that can sharpen teachers’ attention to student learning and broaden their instructional repertoire.  Modeling provides this link. Modeling should not stand alone, however. The post-modeling coaching conversation holds the power to support lasting change.
 
Time to Reflect
 
Schedules may pose constraints, but it’s helpful to have a debrief conversation as soon as possible after the lesson is taught. Immediacy keeps reflections more grounded in details rather than in latent memories of the lesson. Whenever the conversation occurs, however, starting with a few quiet moments to review notes and highlight things that seem important will help the teacher who observed recall what he saw and reflect on aspects of the lesson that address his personal learning target. Although teachers are often encouraged to reflect, they are seldom given the time to do so within their workday, so guard these uninterrupted moments!
 
The quiet time before beginning the conversation is also a good time for the teacher who observed to write down any questions he has about the planning, on-the-spot decision making, and instruction. While the teacher reviews and makes notes, I usually make a few for myself so that I can capture fleeting ideas and noticings that crossed my mind during the hustle of the lesson.
 
Sharing Noticings
 
After this quiet think-time, invite your observer to share a “noticing” (something he saw or heard) and the “so what” (why he feels that this is important). Your primary job is to listen while the observer unfolds his thinking. Once the initial noticing has borne fruit, encourage another “noticing” or two, probing as needed to make sure the “so what” is fleshed out in a way that enables the teacher to apply this new learning in his classroom. This process works equally well when a small group of teachers has observed; they take turns sharing their noticings.
 
Using the sentence stem, “I saw” or “I heard” can keep the conversation focused on evidence of student learning.  Connecting these noticings to statements of importance (What did I notice and why does this matter?) helps us link our noticings to practice. For example, we might notice, “I saw that when students were standing up around their table during the small group work, they moved the manipulatives more.”  Our “Why does this matter?” might be: “Students are more interactive when they are standing.” These statements of importance require us to make inferences. Our noticings about student learning usually signal aspects of effective instruction that transcend the specific lesson – generalizable take-aways that the teacher can use again and again.
 
*Reeves, D. (2010) Transforming professional development into student results. ASCD, p. 81.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Sometimes doing better means doing less:
 
https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/do-less/
 
 
Supporting students on independent writing projects:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/independent-project-hiccups/
 
 
Do you ever feel lonely as a coach?  Here are some ideas for combatting that loneliness:
 
https://blog.teachboost.com/the-loneliness-of-coaching
 
 
Science and poetry that celebrates skin tone:
 
https://www.rethinkingschools.org/articles/celebrating-skin-tone
 
 
A stance of confident humility:
 
https://barkleypd.com/blog/confident-humility-and-coaching/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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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!