Feedback & Fight-or-Flight

Remember learning about the fight-or-flight instinct in psychology class?  A stressful situation can trigger a cascade of psychological and physiological responses as the heart pounds and muscles tense, ready for escape.  That self-preservation instinct can kick in during a coaching conversation, too.

The scientific names for fight-or-flight, “hyperarousal” and “acute stress response” are telling.  During a coaching conversation, what might cause hyper-arousal or stress?  If teachers see feedback as threatening, they won’t be in a frame of mind for considering new ways of working.  I’ve noticed that if I jump in with a concern at the beginning of a conversation, or if I dump too much information or too many recommendations, a mental fight-or-flight kicks in.

To avoid fight-or-flight, I have to be intentional about creating a supportive atmosphere.  Recommendations will bounce like rubber balls off the blacktop unless I’m prepared.  I have to center myself first – take a deep breath, consciously relax, even close my eyes for a second or two.  The calmness I feel sets the tone.

Offering time for teacher reflection before offering recommendations gets us off to a good start, giving the teacher control of the conversation early on.  It also gives me the opportunity to tie our suggestions to a need the teacher has perceived.  The conversation is discussion-based, and I am careful not to dominate the conversation. 

Our conversations feel useful and productive when recommendations are specific, so it’s important that I prioritize a narrow area of focus.  If I’ve observed a lesson, I keep the conversation anchored in evidence from the observation.  The recommendation is couched in examples.  We create an understanding not only of current practice, but of how to elevate it.  Together, we establish a vision of what the effective practice looks like and, if time allows, we begin planning for its use.

When recommendations come with resources (including knowledge and support to fulfill them), we’re more likely to see the suggestions as an invigorating challenge. Then we are inspired to activate our creativity and our own resourcefulness.  When recommendations are offered in an encouraging way as part of a collegial conversation, coaching feels worthwhile to the teacher, and, most importantly, changes in practice are possible.

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

The power of one-on-one conversations in coaching:

https://studysites.corwin.com/highimpactinstruction/videos/v1.2.htm

Build your own superhero and create a narrative involving the character:

http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero

Share this with new teachers – Sign up here for a month of quick, encouraging emails to get you through the hardest part of your first year:

http://roxannaelden.com/%E2%80%A6/announcing-the-new-teacher-disil%E2%80%A6/

Small groups in secondary ELA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J80MQd60UZc&index=4&list=PLYmYDLb2oJqGQOvjZHPhO4ulIuiUvNYNS

Benefits of play (find ways to make learning playful!):

http://www.thegeniusofplay.org/tgop/benefits/play-facts/genius/benefits-of-play/facts/play-facts.aspx?utm_source=NAEYC+Mail&utm_campaign=b86005f8dd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_06_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_158d557abf-b86005f8dd-80084053

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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