Supporting
reflection is one of the most impactful instructional coaching practices. In
their busy days, with their many roles and responsibilities, teachers benefit
from time specifically set aside for reflection.
To
make the most of reflective conversations, it’s helpful to have a clear
understanding of what reflection is. I like this equation:
Reflecting
= Remembering + Learning
Remembering is pulling
something out of memory. Reminiscing is nostalgic recollection – it is
thinking back. Reflection is purposeful recalling – it is thinking
forward. Reflection supports action: How will teachers plan, prepare, and enact
instruction differently next time because of what they noticed
about last time?
Time
for such consideration is an important element provided by a coaching
conversation. Coaches can further support reflection through asking questions, offering
objective observations, and modeling a reflective stance.
Asking
Questions to Support Reflection
After a lesson, using questions
intentionally can give the teacher opportunities to gain her own insights
through reflection. Questions can guide reflection on fleeting thoughts from a
lesson.
Reflection-supporting
questions can begin broad:
What
stands out for you from that lesson?
What
did you notice?
What
do you want to celebrate?
Then
they can get narrower:
What
stands out for you about their partner talk?
What
did you notice about students’ responses to the read-aloud?
Were
there times during the lesson when students seemed disengaged?
When a teacher expressed frustration during
a coaching conversation saying, “They just don’t get it,” the coach followed up
with the probing question of, “What are some examples of students’ confusion?”
By asking this question, the coach moved the conversation in a productive
direction. She encouraged a closer look at evidence that could pinpoint
students’ confusions or misconceptions—information that was helpful as they
considered plans for re-teaching.
When
supporting a teacher who was experienced in leading whole-group discussions, another
coach posed the thought-provoking question: “How do you choose who to ask?” Her
question prompted reflection on the part of the teacher – introspection that
led her to refine this decision-making process that happens almost
instantaneously.
Reflective questions lead to deeper,
richer, and more thoughtful coaching conversations. Asking questions builds the
teacher’s capacity as a reflective practitioner.
Offering
Observations to Support Reflection
If a coach has had the opportunity to
observe a lesson in a teacher’s classroom, she can support reflection by sharing
snippets from her objective notes. This is especially helpful when the coach’s questions
don’t initially evoke meaningful reflection.
The details matter, and careful notes can
support productive reflection. Recording exact words and noticing actions and even
facial expressions is revealing. For
example, noticing
the affective responses of students could give us clues about the fit between
the lesson and students’ culture. Noting the “aha” expressions and the looks of
confusion can give us a sense of whether the lesson is successfully building on
students’ background knowledge.
Pinning the reflective conference on
observations that are objective and specific, rather than evaluative or
general, is likely to reveal nuances of practice that enhance the learning
experience.
Modelling Reflection
When coaches have the opportunity to teach
a lesson, we can encourage the teacher to take objective notes that will offer
insight later. A simple T-chart, with steps of the lesson listed on the left,
and observations (what is seen and heard) added on the right during the lesson
can be an effective structure to keep notes organized as the lesson moves
quickly forward.
After the lesson, we can model reflection
as we look back together. We can encourage the teacher to share her noticings.
We can demonstrate how drawing on these details helps us revise our
instructional plans so that things go better the next time. We can model the
notion that being a good teacher is about being able to reflect and
adjust.
Teachers need to see how other teachers
respond when things don’t go as planned. As we model a cycle of teaching,
reflection, and revision, we can be open about perceived missteps, demonstrating
that teaching requires us to be pliable, and that both successes and challenges
offer insight to guide future instruction.
Questioning, Observing, and Modeling to Support
Reflection
We all learn as we go by reflecting on successes and
less-successful aspects of lessons. Through
dialogue, coaches encourage flexible and appropriate use of teaching practices
and improve the effectiveness of teachers’ reflection.
Coaches’
questions encourage teachers to reflect on students’ needs and how their
practice is supporting those needs, to analyze their own assumptions about
learning, and to consider options for how to move forward. Objective
observations add details that enrich reflection. When coaches model reflection
on a lesson they’ve taught, teachers can hone a vision for their own reflective
practice.
Reflecting together helps teachers
recognize not just what they did, but why they did it. Looking at underlying assumptions and beliefs
makes teachers more intentional in their future decision-making. Reflection
maximizes the construction of meaning and is a critical step for improving
instruction.
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
