Overcoming the Culture of Nice

Instructional coaching is built on trust and positive relationships. We want to affirm the good things that are happening and build on them. But that doesn’t mean we can’t also be a critical friend who thinks through – and sometimes points out – challenges. We can both affirm AND recommend. However, this might feel uncomfortable. It means overcoming an established “culture of nice” that researchers recognize as dominant in school settings.
 
The coaching culture at your school is rooted in the broader culture of teaching, which tends to value norms of privacy, individualism, politeness, and non-interference. This culture of nice reflects a preference for congeniality over critical colleagueship. Teachers are likely to experience feelings of vulnerability in a coaching situation (with escalated feelings of vulnerability for novice teachers). It’s appropriate that coaches want teachers to feel comfortable, safe, and successful, but that doesn’t mean we have to avoid saying or doing anything that might cause feelings of discomfort. Change requires discomfort. Growth requires discomfort.
 
A discomfort-avoidance stance is reflected in feedback that accentuates the positive and avoids attention to things that aren’t going as well. Sometimes, we use the sandwich technique to squeeze in feedback that challenges the status quo between two positive statements – an approach that research suggests doesn’t work, because most listeners walk away focusing on only the outside, positive slices of feedback. (Even though you and I can probably think of teachers who are just the opposite, in general, this holds true.)
 
The culture of nice is also reflected in coaches’ desire to avoid judgment, It is true that we shouldn’t jump to judgment, taking an inquiry stance instead to find out more. It is possible, however, that this avoidance attitude may also limit learning.
 
How do coaches think about the place of supportive challenge in their work, especially with novices? How do they support teachers in navigating the discomfort that arises when confronted with ideas, evidence, or possibilities that challenge their expectations or experiences?
 
Conditions that promote teacher learning include both affirming and recommending, as demonstrated in the GIR model. We lean into the coaching move that fits the situation to create a coaching environment that overcomes norms of politeness and the desire for harmony that can inhibit serious professional exchange. By embracing a both/and approach, we ease the tension between the coach’s role as a guide for instructional improvement and norms of individualism, privacy, and non-interference. Collaborative coaching environments overcome an unproductive culture of nice to include opportunities for work as critical friends.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Creating class books:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/lets-write-together-the-importance-of-class-books/
 
 
During coaching interactions, be a thermostat, not just a thermometer:
 
https://larahogan.me/blog/be-a-thermostat-not-a-thermometer/
 
 
Build background knowledge to increase understanding:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/prior-knowledge-reading-skills
 
 
Reading WHOLE books fosters empathy and comprehension:
 
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64953/its-not-too-late-to-read-that-entire-book-with-your-students
 
Or listen to this podcast about Google tools for student engagement:
 
https://barkleypd.com/blog/podcast-tech-tools-and-student-engagement/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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! It’s still November, so you can use the code: NOV2024 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!

Gratitude for Coaching

It’s almost Thanksgiving, where we focus on gratitude, so it’s time to celebrate you and the work you do!  As a coach, your role is frequently that of consigliere: a trusted advisor and counselor.  A consigliere gets you going when you don’t know where to start.  She gives you a boost when you’re ready to climb.  You can be that guru for getting it done!
 
One of the reasons coaches are valuable is because we offer outside perspective.  That point of view, which gets teachers beyond the thinking in their own heads, is critical, especially when they are besieged with new initiatives and the everyday life of having 25-or-more little bodies in their charge.  Psychologist Michael Woodward  points out that without honest and informed feedback it’s easy to “get wrapped up in your self-talk and for beliefs to get in the way.”*
 
Having a mentor with whom thoughts can be openly shared can help a teacher to uncover strategies and ideas she may never have considered.  People benefit from a fair and knowledgeable sounding board, and research suggests that the coach benefits, too – there’s even something in it for you!
 
It’s a way to be reminded of the journey you’ve taken and a way to give back.  Coaching can be a calling to help people achieve their dreams, a way of honoring the profession that you care so deeply about.  It’s a chance to show gratitude for the privilege you’ve had of going to work every day to a job you care about, where you know you are making a difference in people’s lives.  It was true when you were teaching young students, and it’s true today as you support their teachers. 
 
But there’s more to it than fulfilling a professional obligation:  Sharing your hard-earned wisdom is a good way to get perspective.  And it’s also a way to learn.  When you are mentoring, you are also learning from the teachers you are working with – it’s a trade.  Being in a symbiotic relationship with a knowledgeable colleague is a way to keep a good thing going. 
 
Unfortunately, some experts suggest that informal mentoring is on the decline, due in part to the increase of a competitive atmosphere.**  That makes your job as an official mentor even more important.  Although teachers can get valuable feedback from the principal, it’s important to have someone who can give an off-the-record perspective.  A mentor can help teachers assess whether their routine is on a roll or in a rut.  Being open, honest, and direct is the best policy.  There is value in the relationships you’ve created when teachers are willing to hear your feedback and do something with it. 
 
So take a moment to feel gratitude for the role you’ve taken.  Thank you for all you do!
 
*Smits, J.C. (2014).  Guidance counselors: both sides benefit from a top-flight mentor relationship.  Spirit, January 2014, 58, 62-66. 
 
**Webb, M. & Adler, C. (2013).  Rebooting work: Transform how you work in the age of entrepreneurship. Wiley.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 6–12 (create a free account):
 
https://www.commonsense.org/education/collections/ai-literacy-lessons-for-grades-6-12
 
An administrator’s view on effective instructional coaching:
 
https://dennissparks.wordpress.com/2018/09/19/using-instructional-coaches-effectively/
 
Why coaching? and coaching resources:
 
https://blog.tcea.org/coaching-connections/
 
 
How to play “Crumple & Shoot:”
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkNLN_mc134&list=PLh8j72So6cvzeEZs06m40WtIKypfAEI9-&index=13&t=0s
 
More ways to share during writing workshop:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/a-variety-of-share-sessions/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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! It’s still November, so you can use the code: NOV2024 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!

 

Interactional Trust for Coaching

Interactional trust is a core prerequisite for effective instructional coaching. Such trust fosters respect and understanding, allowing coaches and teachers to work as true partners,  Interactional trust establishes the foundation for open communication and collaboration.
 
Interactional trust has at least three components: Capability trust, Confidence trust, and Communication trust. Let’s unpack each of these important aspects.
 
Capability Trust
 
Working together effectively requires relying with confidence on another person. Capability trust is built as we work shoulder to shoulder. Capability trust is two-way. Teachers trust our ability and capacity and we trust theirs. A teacher is open to working with a coach who they view as caring, and they are open to ideas from a coach they view as knowledgeable and credible.
 
Conversely, effective coaches trust the teacher to have insights about her own needs and those of her students. We respect teachers’ knowledge, skills, abilities, and judgement. Asking teachers to make decisions rather than telling them what to do is an encouraging approach that exhibits trust in the teacher’s ability. We also build capability trust as we affirm. Through affirmations, coaches build alliance with teachers. Validation builds emotional capital. Capability trust creates a positive, trusting climate for coaching interactions.
 
Confidence Trust
 
Confidence trust is a feeling of assurance and dependability. When coaches build confidence trust, teachers feel confident that the coach will act in their best interest. They are assured that the coach is on their side. Our colleagues can be sure of us when we are consistently generous in our assumptions about their efforts.
 
Confidence trust is built through honoring agreements, through showing up as expected, through being consistent. To build confidence trust, coaches need to set appropriate boundaries for themselves and others so that everyone involved can realistically do what they say they’ll do. We can be generous while managing expectations.
 
Communication Trust
 
Coaching connections are built through open conversation. Honest and constructive dialogue is possible only when communication trust exists. When communication trust is created, teachers can be transparent about their needs and goals, and coaches can provide candid feedback without it being misinterpreted as criticism. Where there is communication trust, colleagues develop an understanding of each other’s views, strengths, and needs.
 
Communication trust creates a safe space for teachers to share challenges, admit uncertainties, and take risks in their teaching practices without fear of judgment. They are more likely to experiment with new strategies and learn from failures.
 
Communication trust is fostered through sharing information, telling the truth, admitting mistakes, maintaining confidentiality, and speaking with good purpose. Open questions and listening sustain this trust.
 
Interactional Trust
 
Building and sustaining capability trust, confidence trust, and communication trust helps teacher-coach interactions thrive. Coaches are more likely to be sought as trusted colleagues with the assurance of interactional trust.

 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Help students overcome stereotypes by connecting with real people through stories:
 

https://www.middleweb.com/51484/inspiring-understanding-using-personal-stories/

Photos sure to spark interesting conversations (and attention to detail):
 
https://brightside.me/article/100-best-photographs-without-photoshop-46555/

 

Breaking grammar rules to teach them:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/breaking-grammar-rules

 
ABC’s of Effective Coaching:
 
https://twowritingteachers.org/2018/08/02/the-abcs-of-literacy-coaching-reminders-for-the-start-of-a-great-year/
 
 
A shared text experience for adolescents:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/first-shared-text-fishing-for-many-meanings-with-adolescents/
 
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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! You can use the code: NOV2024 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!
 

Coaching with Team Observations

Coaches are often working with teams of teachers, as PLCs, other grade-level teams, or departments, and team observations can be an efficient and effective way to amp up teachers’ learning. If the coach models a lesson, all the teachers on the team are freed up for a different experience
 
During a modeled lesson, teams of teachers can take multiple perspectives: They can lean in close to look and listen as students learn. They can shift their focus to the coach to think about instruction moves. They can watch one small group of students as they interact without having to manage all  the groups, like they do when teaching. When the coach teaches and the teachers observe, they get to choose their focus, and how and when to shift it.  
 
The modeled lesson can happen in the classroom of one of the teachers on the team, with the others observing. This offers teachers the chance to see the lesson in a context quite similar to their own.
 
An obstacle to overcome is how to free up the other teachers: What will their students be doing while they observe and converse? In addition to finding coverage in the school or through a substitute teacher, there are other creative ways to enable the team’s participation (using buddy reading, peer tutoring, “specials” time, etc. Click here and I’ll send you a whole list of options to consider!).
 
A team observation structure has the benefit of maximizing your coaching time, since you are working with more than one teacher. The collaborative nature of the structure can also be a benefit, with teachers sharing their learning with one another. Finally, there might be increased accountability, as teachers check in with one another about implementing what they have learned together.
 
Although the pre- and post-modeling conversations may range across a wider variety of topics of interest to the group, each individual can still select their own learning target, with others on the team supporting their inquiry. With the only drawbacks being the timing, a less-individualized approach, and some potential mismatch across classroom contexts, team observations are a variation worth considering.
 
(For those of you wondering how my lesson in a 7^th grade classroom went, it had to be postponed. I’ll update you later!)
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Teaching when a student’s learning gets hard:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/when-theyre-hard-to-teach/
 
 
Using digital storytelling to boost literacy engagement:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/video-storytelling-high-school
 
 
Ideas for incorporating literature (fiction and non-fiction) into history class:
 
https://www.middleweb.com/35728/turning-historys-stories-into-classroom-gold/
 
 
Do you ever feel lonely as a coach?  Here are some ideas for combatting that loneliness:
 
https://blog.teachboost.com/the-loneliness-of-coaching
 
 
How to’s for a group work that really works:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/group-work-really-works
 
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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! You can use the code: NOV2024 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!
 

Coaching Vulnerability

According to Brené Brown, vulnerability is about showing up and being seen when there are no guarantees. Being vulnerable builds connections and leads to progress. I hope so, because next week I’m taking what feels like a big, vulnerable step in my coaching work.
 
It’s been a long time since I taught a class of 7^th graders (which used to be my most feared age). But I’ll be doing it on Tuesday, hoping to build connection with their teacher, Ana, and move our coaching work forward
 
I’ve written about Ana before. This year, I have the opportunity to coach her as part of a special project. Slowly, slowly, I think I’m building her trust. When she finally let me observe one of her “rowdy” classes, I felt I was moving in the right direction. But this week, when I suggested I observe the class that she says is “such a mess,” I saw panic in her eyes. So I backed off and said I’d reach out later.
 
When later came, I felt like asking to observe that class would risk our relationship. So instead, I offered to teach. I had just submitted a conference proposal for a teaching strategy that I hadn’t tried with middle schoolers, so I said it would be really helpful to me if she’d let me borrow her class to try it out. She quickly agreed.
 
So, today I’ll prepare for a lesson that I hope builds relationships and opens opportunities. I’ll send the lesson plan to Ana for her feedback, since she’s the expert on her class. I’ll ask her to watch out for certain things that I really want to know about as I teach the lesson. We’ll talk about it afterward, hopefully leading to insight for both of us.
 
When coaches model in another teacher’s classroom, we make ourselves vulnerable. We show that we are risk-takers, just like we hope the teachers we are working with will be. Vulnerability strengthens relationships. As we model risk-taking, we invite change. We can model the vulnerability and openness that we hope to see in the teachers we work with.
 
I’m hoping that being vulnerable myself will encourage Ana to be more vulnerable. As an early-career teacher, that may be hard for her. It seems she is always trying to prove or defend herself when no explanation is necessary. So, I’ll be vulnerable and be seen. I’ll be my real, slightly-nervous self when we talk before I teach her 12-year-olds. That’s the age I taught as an early-career teacher, so it does make me shake in my shoes!  I’ll show up as my imperfect self and do the best I can. It will surely give us something to talk about!
 
I’ll let you know how it goes.

This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Ways to use ChatGPT to save time as a teacher:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-ways-chatgpt-save-teachers-time/
 
 
Emoji book talks in middle school:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/emoji-book-talks/
 
 
How to eliminate overwhelm (in this 25 second video!):
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPNb7pemWfs
 
 
Teaching children to fail well (with Brené Brown):
 
http://time.com/4025350/brene-brown-on-teaching-kids-to-fail-well/
 
 
Why kids need book clubs – and how to make them happen:
 
https://ccira.blog/2024/10/29/building-novel-connections-how-to-center-book-clubs-in-todays-literacy-classrooms/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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! You can use the code: NOV2024 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!