How
do you make the most of a 15-min. coaching conversation? When you have little
time and want to be sure of impact, it can be helpful to let the teacher take
the driver’s seat. Here’s a formula for making a 15-min. conversation feel
luxurious:
Start
with a greeting: Say, “How are you
doing?” A quick, casual exchange, with perhaps a laugh shared, is 60-seconds
well spent. Then take a slow, deep breath and feel yourself relax. As your shoulders
come down, your teacher friend will sense that you are ready to enjoy these
next few minutes with her.
Transition
to a teaching discussion by asking a
general question. “Any pleasant
surprises with your students lately?” or “What have you been wondering about lately in your classroom?” gives
the teacher a chance to steer the conversation in a direction that she’ll find
useful.
Make
eye contact while asking a follow-up
question to ensure you understand the ideas or concerns that have been
shared. Depending on the teacher’s internal resources, your follow-through
might be more questions, or it might include a recommendation: a strategy, classroom resources, or professional
reading to keep the thinking going after your conversation ends. Your
thoughtful response will show her you are there to listen, and that there is no
place else you’d rather be at that moment. She should feel as though you have
all the time in the world for her.
Asking,
“What are you thinking now about…..”
brings closure to the conversation
and provides momentum to move the teaching forward.
Allowing
five or ten seconds of silence,
while you ponder and take one more slow, relaxing breath, can invite a sense of
calm to linger. This quiet give-and-take, with the teacher taking the lead, should
leave the teacher feeling lighter than when you walked through her door.
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Getting
started with Twitter:
This
video about Socratic seminar in an interdisciplinary classroom:
56 lesson
plans for teaching statistics and probability – from STEW (Statistics Education
Web – the perfect acronym for a fall day!):
Some
interesting ideas in this Spotlight on
Professional Development:
Tom
Newkirk talks about the art of Slow
Reading in this podcast:
That’s it for this week. Happy
Coaching!
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