Friday, February 23, 2018

Teacher Learning as Spontaneous Combustion

Today I was witness to one of those magical moments teacher live for – when learning erupts like spontaneous combustion, burning new ideas forever into students’ minds.

In our PLC we’ve been working on discussion strategies – ways to support genuine conversation among students, where students initiate topics and make unsolicited contributions. We’ve been leading up to grand conversations, supporting students as they take ownership for their own learning and consider, extend, and sometimes refute one another’s ideas.

Amy’s fourth-grade class has been studying Native American folktales. They had read Coyote Places the Stars and How the Stars Fell into the Sky, and today they were ready for a grand conversation. Amy invited me in to observe so that we could reflect together on the experience.  As the lesson began, I heard Amy launch the discussion with an open-ended question: “What were some of the similarities and differences between these two book?” Students jumped in with comments about the different tribes, their settings, and the characters in the stories. One student, Ashley, made an astute comment revealing the character trait of patience, “She said she would like to do it for the rest of her life,” she said. Amy jumped on this opportunity to support students’ understanding of an important theme in the story. “Did you guys hear what Ashley said?” she queried.  Ashley, say it again.”  As Ashley repeated her answer, students physically leaned in to attend to her comment. The discussion continued with students stating their observations and ideas and often asking their peers, “What do you think?” It was clear Amy had laid the groundwork for this discussion.  

As the conversation turned to the ending of How the Stars Fell, one of the students asked, “But what’s the lesson? There isn’t a lesson!” “There is a lesson,” another responded. Students batted around a few ideas, then one said, “I think that it’s about patience, because in one story, the coyote just got impatient and threw the stars into the sky, but in the other one he took his time.”  (Wow!) Another added, “I agree with what Vicki said, because it took many moons to put the stars in a nice way, but in this one, he just threw all the stars and made a mess.”

At this point, the students’ ideas were really jelling. Amy jumped in. “I agree,” she said. “I think Coyote’s character in this book was impatient, didn’t care about what First Woman thought, but in the other book, Coyote wanted to make his friends happy and honor his friends.” The discussion continued, with students bringing in other important ideas, and the lesson ended with an opportunity for students to write about their new understandings. So much thinking and learning had occurred!

As I prepare to talk with Amy about this lesson, there is much to celebrate! Students’ engagement in and ownership of the discussion was palpable. They actively encouraged each other to participate and they came on their own to key ideas. The thoughtful, open-ended questions that Amy had prepared in advance and the occasional follow-up prompts and probes she asked bore fruit as the students commented and queried one another.

One of my favorite points in the lesson was when Amy asked Ashley to restate her comment because it illustrated an important theme. This was powerful, because it kept the learning in students’ hands, which heightened their engagement.  I wondered why Amy took a different tack later, as this theme solidified through discussion. Instead of asking students to restate or rephrase, instead of asking a follow-up question to get students to synthesize, Amy did the heavy lifting and summarized their discussion.

I’m hoping that a take-away from our debrief will be Amy’s recognition of the power of students’ self-discovery. Initially, Amy guided the learning by drawing attention to an astute comment, and students built on that comment.  This approach could have served equally well to summarize the learning.

With this in mind, here’s what I’m planning for the coaching conversation with this talented teacher who has accomplished so much in supporting students’ discussion skills. I plan to lead with a comment about how amazing it was to watch the conversation unfold and then ask, “Why do you think this discussion worked so well?” I’m sure I’ll learn a thing or two about how to support rich discussion as our own conversation unfolds.  I hope she’ll mention Ashley’s early comment that lead to the patience theme, and I’ll again have the chance to affirm her teacher moves, emphasizing the learning that occurred when she gave the teaching power to Ashley.  I might ask, “Were there other times in the lesson when you did this?” and later, “Were there other times in the lesson when you could have done this?”

The coaching conversation is playing out in my mind.  I hope it unfolds in a way that will ignite Amy’s desire to routinely give the teaching power to students during discussions. As I affirm and question, I think Amy will become more aware of the effects of the moves she makes as she actively guides, rather than leads, discussions.


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

Coaching for equity:



Mentor texts for teaching endings (plus a chance to reminisce about your favorites):



Ideas for media literacy:



Dear Parents (or teachers):



Who are the quiet powerhouses in your classroom? Check out this Ted talk about the power of introverts for ideas:



That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

Yo-Yo Coaching

In my work with an early-career teacher named Kelli, I’m a yo-yo coach, pivoting back and forth between coaching moves in an effort to keep her moving forward.

Kelli vacillates between over-confidence (is it for real?) and doubt about her teaching skills.  There has not been a clear gradual increase of responsibility for Kelli as we work together. Instead, I find myself recommending – even when she is confident. And affirming, especially when her confidence wains.  These coaching moves are a natural part of my coaching repertoire, but with most teachers, I move through them in a more systematic way.  When working with Kelli, however, I pull them out on an as-needed basis.

However, now that we’ve been working together for a while, I find that questioning is becoming a more effective move. It helps with Kelli when I open with a general question about her work.  After she talks, I rephrase, trying to state back clearly and concisely what I’ve heard.  Having listened, I’m ready to ask a follow-up question that moves beyond the surface level – is there more?  I try to make sure my probing question comes from a genuine stance of curiosity. Then it’s time for listening, couched before and after in a silent pause.

One might say that the GIR model is falling apart with Kelli, since I’m not systematically following the model.  But really that is a benefit of the GIR model. It makes us more aware of our coaching moves and the varying support they provide so that we can choose the tool to fit the circumstance, following that wiggly line toward improved teaching and learning.



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

Mentor texts with characters who write:



Talk “with” students, not “at” them:



Time management tips for teachers:



Avoid misconceptions about growth mindset:



Using podcasts to share learning:


That’s it for this week!  Happy Coaching!

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Like on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!


Friday, February 9, 2018

Flowing Forward: Supporting an Attitude of "Becoming" in Ourselves and Others

In the sixth century BC, Greek philosopher Heraclitus said that nothing in this world is constant except change and becoming.  His treatise, About Nature, includes the aphorism:  Everything flows; nothing stands still.  Becoming assumes a changing into and moving toward.

What are you changing into? Who is the coach you are becoming? Who are the teachers you work with becoming?  Unless we cultivate an attitude of becoming, we (and those we work with) may remain stagnant. Stagnant. Even the word is unattractive.

But becoming, ah, there’s a word for you! Developing, ripening, emerging, enhancing – that is what we are shooting for!

The teachers we work with have not deliberately chosen a path of stagnation, but sometimes, it feels like all we can do is maintain the status quo amid the busy-ness of our lives as teachers.  We can support a becoming attitude with our colleagues through our work as coaches.

When we point out teachers’ strengths, and help them build upon those strengths, we support becoming.  When we ask teachers about perceived weaknesses, and help them plan for improvement, we support becoming.  As we encourage teachers to look at challenges as opportunities for growth, we are also supporting becoming.

Sara, a kindergarten teacher I work with, has an exceptionally challenging class this year.  A five-year-old with an oppositional defiant disorder; another with severe ADHD; one who is non-verbal. And the list doesn’t stop there. Although there have been moments of frustration, Sara has consistently met the challenge with a Zen-like attitude: “How will this help me grow? What can I learn from it?”  Because of her attitude of becoming, Sara is able to support students during melt-downs, redirect inappropriate behavior with firmness and compassion, and build a safe environment of participation in her classroom.

When Sara and I meet, we celebrate small steps forward.  Because I am not in her class every day, I’m able to notice changes that are invisible to Sara.  We visualize together what next steps will be for her and for her students. Creating that image of “what might be” supports the process of becoming.  We are curious, wondering together about possible causes and solutions. Our curiousity gives us an orientation of becoming toward both Sara and her students, and it helps us approach uncertainty more positively.

As we build on strengths and shore up areas of weakness, as we visualize and celebrate successes and approach challenges with curiosity, we are cultivating an attitude of becoming in ourselves and those we work with.  We re-form ourselves, and we help others in the process of transformation.  We coach toward potentiality and build toward the coaches and teachers we will eventually be.


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

How to use DonorsChoose to fund your classroom dreams:


Using video for self-reflection:


Have fun, develop language, and sharpen summarizing skills:

Helping learners set goals:


Ted Talk – Every kid needs a champion:


That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Like on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch for more coaching and teaching tips!


Friday, February 2, 2018

AIM to Affirm

Andi is one of those teachers for whom instruction seems to come naturally. She is so tuned in to her students’ needs, and she radiates positivity. She loves what she does and it shows.  How does a coach support a teacher like Andi, who is doing so much so well?  Is there a need?

I assert that even “Andi’s” benefit from a coach’s support. Teaching is hard work, and we all need celebrations. So even time spent working with expert teachers is worthwhile. But when our coaching “go-to” moves are highly-supportive, it may be hard to adjust the scaffolding we provide to match the needs of already-skillful teachers. That is where affirming comes in.

In the GIR model (below), affirming is portrayed as a coaching move that provides less support, even, than asking questions. We use it when reflection has become automatic, when teachers are already asking themselves the questions that we might ask otherwise.  An affirmation compliments the teacher and validates what she is doing. It is a feel-good statement that supports positive relationships. It also supports the continuation of effective instructional practices.

But an affirmation does not a conversation make.  How do we have an extended coaching discussion with someone who is already doing so much so well?  To keep myself from slipping back into overly-supportive mode, I use the acronym AIM. AIM stands for three types of statements I can make during a coaching conversation that don’t let me slide back to giving more help than is needed. When I AIM to affirm, I assert, invite, and mirror.

Asserting means that I make a declarative statement. I just say something the way I see it. With Andi, I asserted, “The pace of your questioning during the read aloud supported students’ engagement.” Andi paused thoughtfully and responded, “I was careful not to ask too many questions because I didn’t want to distract from their enjoyment and the flow of the story.”

Inviting means that I prompt the teacher to elaborate. “Say more about that,” I prompted Andi.  She described how the questions she did ask drew students’ attention to important aspects of the story. “I wanted to make sure they noticed that,” she said, “because we’d be coming back to that idea later.”

Mirroring means bouncing the teacher’s ideas back at her. “So you used questions to draw students’ attention to important details,” I said. Andi continued, “Because we were going to have a grand conversation after the read aloud, I wanted students thinking deeply about the characters’ feelings so that they could relate. I think it paid off; they made personal connections and when I asked them to write afterward, almost everyone already had a memory in mind.”

Asserting, inviting, and mirroring encouraged Andi to reflect productively, reinforcing for herself things that went well.  In this example, all three moves are illustrated, conveniently in the AIM order. However, it’s not necessary to use them in this sequence or even to use all three.  I just like the acronym because, in the midst of a coaching conversation, I need something to anchor my thinking, and this acronym serves the purpose.  It keeps me from slipping to my habitual coaching modes of recommending and questioning. AIM keeps me focused on an affirming stance.


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

Veteran teachers can continue to improve:



Bookmark this page for contests and giveaways!



Using writing pre-assessment to build on what students already know:



Rethinking how we assess students:



Recipe for instructional success – The routine stays the same, but the content changes.  Here are examples from math:


That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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