Unearthing Expectations

When talking with Elie after observing her third-grade class, where she modeled asking authentic questions as part of a reciprocal teaching lesson, I asked her, “What do you expect students to be doing while you’re reading aloud?” The next day, I asked Ashley a similar question when she modeled the comprehension strategy of clarifying with fifth-graders. Later that week, Annie got a similar question from me when we discussed her read-aloud to demonstrate a new graphic organizer. Same convo with Elsa, working on strategic reading with her fourth-graders. In all of these examples, our conversation revealed that the teacher was expecting students to be reading along with her, but hadn’t said so.
 
I know I was primed to see this because I’d been thinking about the impact that time actually spent reading (more time with eyes on print!) has on reading comprehension, but having all of these examples stack up in one week made me wonder: What other hidden expectations do teachers have that students may be unaware of? How could learning be increased if teachers made these expectations more explicit?
 
When expectations are not clear, students may feel uncertain, lose confidence, and hesitate to take risks. They may be focused on figuring out the process rather than deepening their understanding. Students might waste time with off-track efforts. They may disengage or give up,
 
Clarity, on the other hand, supports an engaging learning environment. When expectations are clear, students don’t waste energy trying to figure out what to do. They better understand their role in the process. When they know what is expected, students are better at self-regulating. They are also less anxious, because ambiguity creates stress - and less stress = more learning.
 
Benefits of clarity are especially strong for neurodivergent students, who may find it difficult to infer expectations. Multilingual students will benefit, too, as will younger students who are trying to figure out how to “do school.”
 
After thinking through the benefits of explicit expectations, I was on the lookout for opportunities to increase clarity. When I talked with Hannah’s about the STEM lesson with her second-graders, I asked, “What did you expect students to be listening for when you showed the video clip?” She decided to set the stage better before viewing, maybe by giving students something specific to watch for or a question to ponder.
 
After observing in Andrea’s fourth-grade class, I asked what she hoped students would be thinking about after her read-aloud, as they headed back to their desks. She expected they would be thinking about the passage so that they’d be prepared to write once they got to their desks. But she hadn’t said so – and she determined to make her expectations for transitions more explicit.
 
My questions weren’t “gotcha” questions – it wasn’t clear to me, either, what the teachers’ expectations were. As they clarified for me, teachers got clearer themselves. I’m seeing how these reflections helped them think back to move forward better. 

This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Student-created podcasts to boost literacy skills:
 
https://www.eschoolnews.com/digital-learning/2025/01/27/creating-podcasts-in-the-classroom/
 
 
Talk “with” students, not “at” them:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nyr1OizVo0
 
 
Reading conferences that give you info. about the reading, rather than the book he is holding:
 
https://www.middleweb.com/42127/conferring-moves-that-help-readers-open-up/
 
 
No more imposter syndrome for instructional coaches:
 
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/how-instructional-coaches-can-break-free-from-imposter-syndrome
 
 
Three C’s to guide children’s use of screen media (podcast):
 
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-02-11-a-new-approach-to-regulating-screen-time-for-kids
 
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: FEB2025 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!