Last
week’s post focused on the benefits of focusing on tangible feedback from
students during a debrief conversation. Looking at student work and students at
work provides data about whether the lesson’s objectives were achieved. Kid-watching
is an important part of a coach’s job!
Ultimately,
the teacher should automatically focus her attention on this tangible feedback,
but initially the coach might support such reflection through her recommendations.
What bridges the gap between the coach
making recommendations about feedback and the teacher independently taking this
action? As with other teaching moves we are trying to develop, asking
questions helps build that independence.
This
week, as I met with a teacher to reflect on a lesson I’d observed. I started by
asking, “What do you think went really well during that lesson?” She said she
thought the students really “got it” – she felt they had achieved the lesson
objective - understanding about numbers between zero and one on a number line.
Next,
I asked, “How did you know they got it?” She said when she looked at their work
she could see most of them understood the concept. Because the teacher hadn’t
brought student work to our meeting, I pulled up some photos of student work
that I had taken while observing.
“What
do you see in Steven’s work that shows his understanding?” I asked. We followed
this pattern while looking at several other examples of students work.
Then
I asked, “What are you thinking now about students’ understanding and about
your next steps?”
The
teacher gave a thoughtful summary that included implications for follow-up
lessons. Focusing on the tangible feedback provided by students’ work helped
her see what had fallen through the cracks. Even though she had “taught” it,
some students hadn’t “caught” it. Shifting her focus from what she was doing to
what the students were doing had made a difference in how this teacher thought
about her work.
Asking
questions encourages teachers to put their analytic skills to work as they
reflect ways to improve their own instruction.
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Favorite books for seasons &
holidays:
Tips
for meeting with worried parents:
Seven
Cs of Effective Argumentation:
Great
non-fiction read-alouds:
Life
as a small-town teacher:
That’s it for this week. Happy
coaching!
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