Last
week’s post talked about finding the raw materials to help teachers go from
good to great. But the journey from
good to great is not just for teachers – it is for coaches, too!
This
week, I participated in a group process for creating a school vision. After several rounds of writing and combining
ideas individually, in pairs, and in small groups, we were ready to take it to
the next level and look at the ideas from everyone in the room using a process
similar to affinity
mapping. Our facilitator said, “Find
the person in your group who really likes to group things and look for
patterns. If that’s you, tell your group
so.” As soon as she said those words, I
knew I should step forward. She was
describing something I LOVE to do. This
may sound crazy, but I got excited about the possibility, so I volunteer myself
to be our small group’s delegate for the assignment. Looking for commonalities was my nerdy kind
of fun. Here’s how it ended up:
(Of
course, this isn’t the end of the vision-creation process, but it was an
important step along the way.)
In
this scenario, I recognized my own strength.
Now, how do I use it in my coaching role? One thing I do, when working with a group of
teachers, is look at observation data and find patterns there. What can we celebrate as a strength of the team? What is an area where we are all good and
could be GREAT? Finding ways to put my
pattern-seeking strength to work can also help me improve as a coach. Our talents are our greatest asset.
A
cool thing about finding the good things and building on them is that we usually love doing what we are
good at. It’s what you volunteer for and
circle back to whenever you can. Ask
yourself: When do I feel spikes of enthusiasm?
When does my energy flow? What do
others tell me I are good at? What seems easy for me, but others complain about
doing it? Once you are aware of your
genius, you are able to use it more intentionally, and this can take you from
good to great. Pause…just for a moment….and
think of something you are good at. When
you top off a strength, you are wisely investing your energy.
This week, you
might want to take a look at:
Results
and resources of coaching:
Involving
or empowering teachers? Listen in:
Using
reading notebook covers for reflection and goal-setting:
The
case for active learning:
The
benefits of having to cope with a little mess:
That’s it for
this week. Happy Coaching!
Was this helpful? Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click
“Follow” (bottom right)
No comments:
Post a Comment