Our
summer cartoon break continues as we look at what animated movies can teach us
about instructional coaching. This
week’s special feature: Finding Nemo. It may have been a while since you’ve
seen this flick, since it’s no longer in Redbox or online in Netflix, so here’s
a recap:
Finding Nemo
begins
as mama and daddy fish (Coral and Marlin) lay and watch over their eggs. Then a big, bad predator fish comes along and
eats both Coral and all of the eggs – except one. This horrific experience leads Marlin, understandably,
to be a bit overprotective as a father once that single remaining egg
hatches. So eventually, the little son
Nemo rebels and heads to the open ocean.
He is captured, and dad Marlin spends most of the remaining movie trying
to find his son (while Nemo spends most of the remaining movie trying to find
his dad). In the process, they both learn
a few things that, as coaches, we too can apply.
Lesson #1: Collaboration and collegiality get the job
done! Remember that Marlin’s ultimate
success depended on both the direct help of his friends (like Dori remembering
the location stamped on the diver’s mask) and indirect help of other fishies
who spread Marlin’s story. In coaching,
we provide direct support when we collaborate with an individual teacher or a
group of teachers. Then our work
multiplies as these teachers share their successes. It’s a ripple effect that works to the
benefit of students as instruction improves schoolwide. Consider how you might build routines for
sharing successes into school meetings next year. Such opportunities escalate the rate of
change and encourage an openness for coaching.
Lesson #2: Transfer! Nemo, too, learned lessons about
collaboration, and he was able to transfer his learning to a new
situation. The ultimate breaking of the
net that freed scores of fish happened when Nemo applied what he had learned in
the fish tank to life at sea. As
coaches, we use this principle when we help teachers take practices that they
have used successfully in one setting and apply them to another. For example, we may work with a teacher on
incorporating opportunities for meaningful student talk into literacy
instruction. After the turn-and-talk
routine has become a habitual part of read alouds, we might encourage that
teacher to try partner talk during math, getting students to talk about their
problem-solving strategies.
Lesson #3: Use Assets! Another attribute portrayed by the aquatic
characters in the movie is the ability to look beyond weaknesses or
disabilities and use strengths to solve problems. For example, Nemo has an underdeveloped fin
but overdeveloped determination! Dory
has short-term memory loss but lots of loyalty and good instincts! Coaches take an assets-based approach when
they emphasize elements of success and use these as springboards. For example, a teacher who has developed
positive relationships with students by caring about students’ personal lives
can be encouraged to expand their knowledge of students by keeping anecdotal
records about students’ learning. In
coaching, building on positives tends to get you further than drawing attention
to negatives.
Lesson #4:
GIR! Finding
Nemo also talks about allowing others to learn from their mistakes and
ultimately, turning over responsibility.
Coaching cycles end when teachers have increased responsibility for the
specific practices you’ve been working on with them. Our cartoon for this week ends with Nemo
leaving for school and Marlin, who is no longer overprotective or doubtful of
his son’s ability, proudly watching Nemo swim away into the distance. Like Marlin, we can feel a sense of
accomplishment as teachers’ abilities increase and we see them take off on
their own teaching adventures!
Extra
Features: If you have Finding Nemo among your video collection, you might take a look at
some other excerpts and consider how they apply to your coaching. For example, the shark therapy class talks
about rising above old habits. Dori’s
advice, “Just keep swimming,” encourages perseverance that is important for
students and teachers alike. Nemo’s
initiation ceremony into the fish tank might get you thinking about how new
teachers join your school. Just for
fun, find a 2-3 minute clip that you can show at a beginning-of-the-year staff
meeting. Letting cartoons make the point
for you can be memorable and just plain fun!
This week,
you might want to take a look at:
5
ways to get Common Core ready this summer:
5
apps for summer reading:
Thoughts
about classroom design for teachers changing grade levels (and the rest of us,
too!):
A
Pinterest board with
60 different Family Literacy Night suggestions
that you might consider as you begin planning for next year:
A
video about writing text-dependent questions that get kids thinking:
That’s
it for this week!
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