Prioritizing

We’re getting close to that time of year when we reflect back and look forward, and this can be a good time for helping teachers prioritize their activities and routines.  Here’s an exercise suggested by Shawna Coppola* that works well when coaching individual teachers or teams.

First, ask teachers to choose which part of the day or content area they want to reconsider (if their secondary teachers, you can skip this step!).  Next, make a list of everything that could potentially happen (or that the teacher(s) did this year), during that part of the day.  Don’t get too specific; the idea is to list generalizable, repeated activities.  For example, don’t list “Read aloud of James and the Giant Peach,” list “Teacher read aloud,” or maybe “Teacher read aloud while students draw the scene.” Keep going until you run out of steam (or chart paper, whichever comes first!).  Hint: If you’re working with just one teacher, the list can be made on a piece of paper.  Or, go tech for this activity and create the list digitally, projecting if you’re working with a group.

Next, add another column to your list.  Across from each activity listed, put the purpose of the activity.  There may be several.  For example, with a teacher read aloud, some purposes might include: modeling fluency, building vocabulary, practice visualizing. 

Now it’s time to look for overlaps in this second column.  Do students have  lots of opportunities for building vocabulary but not much time spent practicing skills independently? Based on prevalence of skills, teachers can prioritize their learning activities, potentially eliminating some and making their pedagogical plate leaner and cleaner.   

As an end-of-year reflection, this activity gives teachers a time to focus their thinking over the summer on the activities at the top of their priorities list.  If used as a back-to-school activity, it might help teachers feel less overwhelmed and more purposeful if they lighten their load.

p.s.  You might try this activity yourself with your myriad coaching duties!

*Find Shawna at: http://blog.stenhouse.com/archives/2018/03/30/mentoring-new-teachers-podcast-episode-ii-social-emotional-learning/

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

Pop songs for end-of-the-year reflection (I plan to use some for teacher reflection as well):

https://www.bespokeclassroom.com/blog/2017/5/14/10-songs-with-prompts-to-use-at-the-end-of-the-school-year-for-reflection

Encouraging an appreciative attitude in the classroom:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/building-student-appreciation-nea/?utm_source=newsletter201800512/

Ask, “What makes you angry?” to involve students in civic engagement:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2018/02/16/assess-civic-capstone-projects/?utm_source=newsletter20180217/

How should we assess things that matter?

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb18/vol75/num05/Three-Key-Questions-on-Measuring-Learning.aspx

Big ideas for increasing engagement:

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/01/10/the-secret-to-student-engagement.html?cmp=eml-enl-ewpce-mot

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Celebrating Success

As the school year draws to a close, it’s important to pause and celebrate success with teachers.  Giving teachers the space to reflect on their own accomplishments is a precious gift during the crazy, finishing-out-the-school-year rush.  Reflection helps teachers see that their hard work and persistence have paid off. 

Yesterday, I played the Beatles song, “In My Life,” followed by Trace Adkins’s, “You’re Gonna Miss This,” while teachers reflected on their best memories of the year, what would stick with them, and how they had changed.  Then they shared a memory or celebration with their shoulder partner.  The mood in the room was noticeably brighter. 

A creative twist on supporting teacher reflection is to ask teachers to reflect on each others’ successes.  The “Strength Circle” protocol provides this opportunity.  Each teacher is given an envelope and a blank piece of paper.  They write their name on the outside of the envelope, fold the blank paper, and tuck it inside.  Then everyone gathers in a circle.  Once in a circle, everyone passes their envelope to the right.  With each passing of the envelope, teachers take out the paper and write a strength they recognize in their peer.  Encourage them to describe a specific time they noticed this strength.  After a minute or so, the paper goes back in the envelope and the envelope is passed.  Repeat several times to give each teacher a happy list of strengths they can celebrate and continue to cultivate.  This activity can be done with teams or the whole faculty and staff (be sure participants know each other well enough to be specific about strengths). 

Coaches can also celebrate success by offering praise themselves.  Specific verbal praise can acknowledge not only the goal that was achieved but also the actions that contributed to success.  Delivering praise with a smile boosts the impact.  And praise that is offered in front of peers or administrators is even more encouraging.

Asking for a teachers’ lesson plans or materials so that you can share them or use them yourself is a high form a praise.  Many teachers have told me how good it made them feel when a coach asked for copies of their resources so that they could use them in their own or another classroom. 

Celebrating successes on digital platforms acknowledges hard work and can make success viral!  Try creating one-minute videos that highlight class happenings. Feature student interviews and add some fun music to draw attention to the good things teachers are doing. 

Celebrating achievements leads to ongoing success.  Helping teachers believe in themselves has a lasting impact.  By celebrating successes both big and small, we are teachers’ champions.  Rita Person astutely said, “Every kid needs a champion.”  Similarly, teachers flourish when they are championed by their instructional coaches.  The end of the year is an authentic time to highlight accomplishments and celebrate unexpected triumphs.

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

What makes coaching effective? Report of a meta-analysis:

http://hechingerreport.org/every-teacher-need-coach/

What does reading comprehension look like in a digital world? That plus more in this Reading Comprehension Spotlight:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-Reading-Comprehension-2018-Final-Sponsored.pdf

How much is too much homework?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MafcPHRJrR0

Why writing will make you a better writing teacher:

http://blog.stenhouse.com/archives/2018/02/16/the-secret-to-teaching-writing-well/

PD that honors teachers’ professionalism:

https://ccira.blog/2018/03/28/heart-matters/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Boosting Confidence

Confidence is optimistic belief in our chances for success.  When we are confident, we feel that our chances of success are high, that our efforts will result in a favorable outcome.  It is an optimistic self-belief.  Psychologists call this belief self-efficacy. 

Self-efficacy is important for teachers because, as Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t - - you’re right.”  Like the Little Engine, teachers who “think they can” accomplish remarkable things.  Albert Bandura, a cognitive psychologist, describes ways to boost self-efficacy that have special relevance for instructional coaches.  They are: vicarious experiences, mastery experiences, and verbal persuasion.

Vicarious Experiences

Observing successes of people we consider as role models builds self-efficacy.  Seeing people similar to ourselves succeed through sustained effort raises our belief that we, too, can have success in that area.  This is one of the reasons modeling new practices is an effective coaching move.  When teachers see students learning as we use a pedagogical practice in their classroom, they feel optimistic about using the strategy successfully as well.

Modeling transmits knowledge and teaches skills and strategies for managing the demands of teaching. These outcomes increase self-efficacy.

Mastery Experiences

The strongest source of self-efficacy is through mastery experiences.  Having a success will build confidence; however, a disappointing outcome will undermine self-belief.  This is one of the reasons why it is important for instructional coaches to gauge the recommendations they make.  Coaches should consider whether an approach is within a teacher’s zone of proximal development before recommending.  If a teacher can be successful with a new approach, through scaffolding by her coach, then the recommendation is appropriate and the teacher’s experience will likely boost self-efficacy. 

Teachers with self-efficacy approach difficult tasks as challenges to be solved. An efficacious outlook increases motivation. Successful teaching experiences build a robust belief that teachers can make a difference in student outcomes.

Verbal Persuasion

A third source for strengthening people’s confidence is verbal persuasion.  By this, Bandura means convincing people that they possess the capabilities to master an activity. It’s important that this “verbal persuasion” align with teachers’ actual competencies, since unrealistic boosts in efficacy are quickly disconfirmed by disappointing results of one’s efforts (Bandura, 1994).  When teachers don’t see the results they want, their self-efficacy is undermined, no matter how positively others speak of them.  

As instructional coaches affirm teachers’ instructional successes, they are providing verbal persuasion that can boost self-efficacy.  Affirming convinces teachers that they possess the capabilities to master activities so that they are more likely to sustain the practice, even when problems arise.

Boosting Student Achievement

Because teachers’ self-efficacy correlates directly with student achievement (Cantrell & Callaway, 2008), strengthening teachers’ confidence is an important coaching role.  Supporting success through modeling (vicarious experiences), making recommendations that lead to success (mastery experiences), and affirming instructional decisions (verbal persuasion) boosts confidence, improves teaching, and increases students’ learning.

Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press.

Cantrell, S. C., & Callaway, P. (2008). High and low implementers of content literacy instruction: Portraits of teacher efficacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1739–1750.

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

A mini-unit to get kids ready for summer reading:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1986

Ending the school year on a high note:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/05/27/ending-the-year-on-a-high-note/?utm_source=newsletter20160520/

Giving students choice about assessment:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2114

Scaffolding to prepare for successful Socratic seminars:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/prepare-for-socratic-seminar-ousd

Sharpen your coaching skills with this microcredential from NEA – designed for cooperating teachers, but helpful for supporting all adult teacher-learners (must  create a free account):

http://nea.certificationbank.com/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Power-Packed Coaching Verbs

The roles of an instructional coach are many and varied, depending on context and job description.  However, it’s safe to say that coaches, in their work with individual teachers and teams, will be expected to guide, challenge, and celebrate instruction.  Let’s think about each of those power-packed coaching verbs.

Guiding

A coach is a guide by the side who models and recommends to help teachers’ instructional practices rise.  Let’s consider a metaphor from vacation travel: Tour guides can provide some insight about how to magnify the role of instructional coach as guide.  Like me, you’ve probably taken a vacation tour or two with a guide who had memorized a script and could regurgitate it perfectly, with a litany of facts and timed pauses after jokes. Although informative, I haven’t left such tours more curious or inspired.  I can contrast those experiences with the expert guide we had on our tour of the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza or our brilliant guide through Old Jerusalem.  In Chichen Itza, the woman who guided us through the ruins took time to ask about our background and then personalized her presentation to help us make connections to our own experience.  In Jerusalem, our guide was a professor of ancient history from an Israeli university. He shared many insightful details that gave us a deeper sense of the place and left us curious to find out more. 

From these experiences I learned that, as an instructional guide, knowing about the curriculum is insufficient.  Coaches will be more impactful when they connect with teachers’ previous experiences and current goals, when their pedagogical and content knowledge is deep and broad, and when they come with their own curiosity as they seek to guide.

Challenging

Coaches challenge, not by arguing or being confrontational, but by pushing teachers to think in new ways and try new things. Think of someone who has challenged you in positive ways. For me, it was a principal who had enough faith in me to ask me to try something new (coaching), even though no one else in the district was doing it – yet.  Prior to this, he had given me opportunities for leadership in a variety of situations.  He asked me questions about how I thought something should be done and then he stepped out of my way and let me do it.  He trusted I would do it right.

My principal taught me that people accept and succeed with a challenge when they are prepared and trusted.  Coaches prepare teachers for new instructional challenges by posing questions that compel them to think critically before jumping in.  Issuing challenges in this way improves ongoing outcomes as the coach steps away and the teachers move forward.

Celebrating

We all need someone with whom to share small victories.  Perhaps that is part of the appeal of social media: When something turns out well, we can Pin it or share it and receive affirmation.  In a more personal way, coaches champion teachers’ successes, even the small ones.  The positive things we notice become ways to advocate for the practice and the teacher.  We’ve all heard  the phrase, “What gets tested gets taught.”  In a more positive vein, what gets celebrated gets taught.

As coaches guide, challenge, and celebrate, they lift and lead the teachers with whom they are working.  Instructional coaching isn’t just about content area and pedagogical expertise. It is about helping those around us rise in their practice.  

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

Maximizing coaching in the month of May:

https://dianesweeney.com/maximizing-coaching-month-may/

Entering a lesson on the right foot by focusing on now:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2111

Building independence so teachers can confer during reading workshop:

https://toknowandnurtureareader.com/2018/04/01/helping-students-develop-the-independence-they-need-so-you-can-confer/

Exploring propaganda through dystopian literature:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2100

Highlighting mistakes as a grading practice:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/math-test-grading-tips/?utm_source=newsletter20180217/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Like on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!

Missed Opportunity

Today I worked with a team of excellent third-grade teachers, planning a lesson on equivalent fractions.  I enjoyed collaborating with them and felt that putting our heads together allowed us to come up with a stronger lesson that any of us could have written on our own. 

Creating Joint Ownership for a Recommendation

For example, one teacher, Megan, explained that she was concerned about her students’ lack of background knowledge (BK) about this topic.  Although the other teacher, Natalie, said her students’ had some BK about equivalent fractions, she wanted to make sure they really understood the concept of equivalence before jumping into the lesson.

“I think it might be helpful to show them a balance scale,” she said.  “That has worked well in the past.”

“I wonder if you used modeling clay and put equal blobs on each side and showed students that they balanced, and then divided the blob into different parts, like halves and quarters,” I suggested.  “That would be really concrete.”

Both teachers were excited about this recommendation, but the idea wasn’t mine alone: Megan expressed a concern, Natalie described previous successful experience, and I added specificity to the idea.  Everyone had ownership in the solution.  Successful recommendation.  Yay!

Failed attempt at Joint Ownership

The conversation continued as we thought about the word problem that would be central to the lesson. “It has worked really well for me in the past to model solving a similar problem before sending them off to work independently,” Natalie said.  I felt concerned.  One of our goals was for students’ to demonstrate multiple strategies for problem-solving.  “I’m worried that if they see you do the problem first, it might limit the strategies they use,” I said.  Because I wanted to build ownership, I stopped there and deferred to Megan.  “What do you think, Megan?” I asked.  “What has your experience been?”  Megan was diplomatic, as always.  “I can see how in some situations modeling might be helpful,” she said. “But I do think we would see more strategies if we don’t model first.”  Natalie conceded without comment, and we went on planning the lesson.  It will be a good lesson, a strong lesson, an effective lesson, but I really hadn’t respected or challenged Natalie’s belief about the role of modelling in this cognitive approach to math instruction.

What Went Wrong

What I didn’t do was explore Natalie’s thinking.  Why did she feel modelling worked? Were there times when it worked well and times when it worked less well?  Did she see evidence of diverse problem-solving approaches after she modelled?  Did she feel that modelling was more supportive of students’ procedural knowledge or their conceptual knowledge?  How do we balance the need for conceptual understanding with the need for efficiency in mathematical problem-solving? How might the role of modeling change based on lesson objectives?  If I had asked even some of these questions, I would have given Natalie the opportunity to explore her own experience and ponder her objectives.  I would have supported her learning.  We ended up with a good lesson, but I’ll have to wait for another golden opportunity to help her reflect critically on when modeling is helpful (don’t get me wrong, there are many times when it is!).

Balancing Recommending and Questioning

If I had included thoughtful questioning along the way to a recommendation about not modelling, I might have supported Natalie’s thinking about how students discover and construct concepts.  I might have given her food for thought about how this idea transfers to pedagogy across academic areas.  I might have helped make a better teacher rather than a better lesson.  But I didn’t.

So, I sent a follow-up email, authentically thanking Natalie and Megan for the opportunity to collaborate with them and letting them know I was looking forward to observing the lesson.  Since we hadn’t decided on the actual word problem students would work during the lesson, I encouraged them to “think about choosing a word problem that helps students discover and construct the concept of equivalent fractions,” and to review our lesson objectives as they determine the task.

These recommendations were my attempt to fix the situation.  Although I think Natalie and Megan felt good about our collaboration today, I was left with the nagging feeling that I could have done better.  And hopefully, having reflected on this process for you, my readers, I’ll be more prepared next time to seize opportunities for supporting sustained change by more effectively balancing questions and recommendations.

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

A podcast on balancing test prep and authentic learning:

https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/balance-test-prep-authentic-learning/

Top 10 non-fiction poetry picks (it’s still National Poetry Month!):

http://enjoy-embracelearning.blogspot.com/2018/02/nonfiction-poetry-is-my-nf10for10-for.html

Pros and cons of homework:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/whats-right-amount-homework

Alternatives to daily editing practice:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2324

How non-cognitive factors affect learning (and what to do about it):

https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-students-noncognitive-skills

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Like on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!

Tell Me More Questioning

If you’re of my era, you probably remember the song from the movie Grease by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, “Summer Lovin’.”  In that song, friends frequently repeat the refrain, “Tell me more, tell me more,” wanting juicier details about the budding romance.  (Have you got the song running through your head now?”)

That song comes to my mind when I use “Tell me more,” in a coaching conversation.  “Could you say more about that?” is a question that allows coaches to collect information so that we understand the situation, and the teacher, better.

When a teacher expresses frustration about test scores, I ask, “Tell me more,” and she provides an oral analysis that helps both of us understand the data better.

When a teacher reflects on a lesson that went well, saying, “They really got it!” I can help her recognize and then repeat effective aspects of the lesson by asking, “Tell me more.”

When a teacher says, “This intervention isn’t working for Sonja,” my request for more information may lead us to an instructional variation we haven’t thought of yet.

After we have a little more information about what the teacher knows, believes, and understands, we are ready to enter the conversation more productively. Depending on the teacher’s response, we can follow up with , a recommendation, a more specific question, or affirmation of an idea that has been expressed.  Our communication, and thus our coaching, improves when we ask the teacher to “Tell me more.”  If you think your conversations would benefit from more input, jot the phrase, “Tell me more,” on a sticky note and give it a try!

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

Powerful ideas for poetry in Middle and High School:

https://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2018/03/classroom-connections-with-nikki-grimes.html

Using podcasts and “kidcasts” to support learning:

http://www.slj.com/2018/02/programs/prime-time-podcasts/#_

Tech support for coaches (and other great ideas!):

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2018/02/02/tech-essentials-superintendents-guide-instructional-coaching/2/

Teaching revision through talk, routines, and drawing:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1405

6 Flaws of PD (and how to fix them):

http://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/02/the-six-flaws-of-traditional-professional-development/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)

Like on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!

Adjusting the Coaching Equation

When you’ve been asked to work with a teacher who is struggling, coaching is about ensuring excellent instruction for students.  If instruction is currently not meeting students’ needs, you can work toward change and support student learning in the moment.  Even though my work is with teachers, my goals are focused on students and their learning.  I have to find balance in every conversation so that I am empowering the teacher and ensuring sound instruction.  I have to balance the equation so that it adds up to a solid learning experience for kids.  Putting it in a math sentence, what the teacher can do + what I contribute should add up to a positive learning experience for students.  Teacher + Coach = Learning.  The equation shifts as I work my way through the GIR Model. 

Modeling

For purposes of illustration, let’s think of an excellent learning experience being a 10 (I realize no lesson will ever be a perfect 10, but go along with me on this one).  If I think of it in terms of a simple equation, T + C = L, modeling is a lot of C.  So maybe 2 + 8 to get to a 10 in student learning.  The teacher provides background about her students and their needs and may work with me to plan a lesson.  The T goes up or down a bit depending on the teacher’s knowledge about the content and pedagogy I am modeling.  But when it comes right down to it, the onus is upon me to provide a 10 for students. 

Recommending

The terms in the equation shift a bit with recommending, but there’s still a preponderance of C; maybe 4 + 6 = 10.  As the teacher plans for instruction, I consider the lesson, the students, and my knowledge of effective teaching strategies.  I can adjust the C up or down based on how specific my recommendations are and how many options I offer.  Even with this high level of coaching support, I want to empower the teacher.  Agency empowers teachers; they need to have control and authority in their own classroom.  If a teacher needs a lot of support, I offer a couple of very specific recommendations, both of which I am confident will support a 10 for students.  As I continue working with the teacher, I will offer more options and they will be more general.  The T number gets bigger.

Asking Questions

The time in the recommending phase may be short or long for a teacher who is struggling, but many teachers never need that much support from me.  We start with more balance in our contributions, or even more influence from the teacher:  6 + 4 or 7 + 3.  Probing questions offer more support; inquiring questions offer less.  The onus for providing solid instruction is on the teacher, but I play a supporting role by uncovering ideas she may not have thought of, pushing her thinking, and helping her consider student responses.  In this equation, the teacher’s agency is active as she uses her professional knowledge and experience.

Affirming

Almost all teachers will benefit from a coach’s questions, but these slip away as I work my way out of a coaching cycle.  Now the teacher is asking her own questions about instruction.  Often these questions are internalized and part of a teachers’ ongoing reflection.  Sometimes they are directed toward me, getting my input about whether a plan is solid or instruction has made its mark.  When the teacher looks to me for this affirmation, the equation is something like 8 + 2 = 10.  I’m not doing much, just offering assurance.

Praising

I work with a lot of teachers who really don’t need me at all, but they still like me.  J  Maybe one reason for that is, even though they don’t need it, I offer praise.  10 + 0 = 10.  I look for specific things that are going well.  When I pop into a classroom and hear an amazing student discussion, I send an email applauding what I witnessed.  I drop a note in a teacher’s box or find a way to say something good about her teaching in front of her peers.  Honest, appropriate praise strengthens my relationship with teachers and keeps doors open for a time when I might be of service.

Power

In every phase of a coaching cycle, I want to ensure that the end result is student learning.  And I want to do that by making the T in the equation as big as it can be and still get to a 10.  My goal is to never leave a coaching cycle until the equation has shifted and the teacher has the majority of the responsibility for ensuring solid instruction.  When the support matches the need, the outcome is teacher growth and student learning. 

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

My guest blog on TeachBoost, about coaching reluctant teachers:

http://blog.teachboost.com/breaking-down-the-coaching-barriers

How creating “peak moments” in the classroom translates into student engagement and deeper learning:

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/01/10/the-secret-to-student-engagement.html?cmp=eml-eb-sr-3jan+01312018&M=58362790&U=1384189

Helps for unpacking poetry during National Poetry Month:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2627

Mixing poetry and non-fiction in writer’s notebooks:

http://www.sharingournotebooks.amylv.com/2018/01/dina-bolan-think-tank-of-ideas.html

5 Ways to support ELLs’ Emotional Safety in the Classroom:

https://www.middleweb.com/36910/building-relationships-with-ells-others/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

Was this helpful?  Please share!

Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)

Like on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!