My Coaches' Couch: Intentional Shift

Friday, October 23, 2015

Intentional Shift

It’s been years since I’ve had a car with manual transmission, but I still remember the extra thought it took to drive. I had to think about how fast the car was going, or how hard the engine was working, so that I could decide when to change gears. If I didn’t shift from first to second gear soon enough, the engine was working harder than it needed to be and the drive wasn’t smooth. As I was talking this week about the Gradual Increase of Responsibility model for coaching, I realized the process was much the same.

The GIR model includes “moves” that many coaches make automatically: modeling, recommending, questioning, affirming, and praising. But there’s a benefit to being intentional about the “shift.” For example, if I model beyond the time that it is needed, I am working too hard as a coach and the “drive” isn’t as smooth as it could be. If I instead shift to recommending, the teacher appropriately takes on more responsibility and our coaching cycle moves smoothly forward. The same is true of the other coaching moves. Knowing what gear to be in and when to shift is a matter of paying careful attention to context. What part of the load could the teacher now be carrying? How much support is needed for students’ learning to move smoothly forward? Keeping these factors in mind will help you have the right timing for changing gears.

Consider the varying needs of the teachers you are supporting. Then consider the level of support provided by each coaching move. Finding the right match, and shifting when appropriate, will make the best use of your coaching time. Rather than spontaneously (and perhaps haphazardly) using the coaching moves of modeling, recommending, questioning, affirming, and praising, being intentional about our shifts adds efficiency and effectiveness to the coaching process.