My Coaches' Couch: 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.