Coaching for Curiosity

Modeling is a coaching practice that fosters a learning culture where everyone’s practice is put forth for analysis, including the coach’s. Beginning our one-on-one work with teachers by modeling in their classrooms helps to establish credibility.
 
I’ve often worked with novice teachers who don’t know what they don’t know. There is so much going on in a classroom in any given moment that they will miss much. They may overlook opportunities for improvement, missing little things that make a big difference.
 
This week, I discussed this challenge with a group of coaches; we all agreed that modeling can be helpful in such situations, but we also agreed that more than just a model, teachers may need a clear focus to get the most from observing the coach in action. Shana, an experienced coach, said she’s had success when she asks the teacher to make a list of things they are wondering about as they observe her model. Coaching for curiosity encourages a different stance for observing; rather thank describing or evaluating, the observing teacher focuses on what she wonders. When prompted to wonder, teachers ask questions like the following in the post-observation meeting:

·       Why did you choose to start with that video? (and how did you find it)

·       How did you decide who would work together during the small-group activity?

·       Why didn’t you use the worksheet included in the lesson resources?

·       Do you think Table 1 would have done better if they’d been given a sentence frame?

·       How did you decide which student work to show as examples?

Questions like these lead to fruitful discussion and may incite changes in practice. Even veteran teachers appreciate seeing the strategies they’ve been thinking about in action; it’s helpful to view instruction from the outside looking in. When coaches model, teachers value the coach as demonstrator to support reflection. A principal said that modeling allowed teachers “to evaluate and talk about instruction in a non-threatening situation.”* Being an observer gives teachers a valuable new perspective.
 
As coaches model, teachers can be encouraged to both look at the big picture and also to lean in to look more closely. They can note how the choreography of the lesson is playing out, then zoom in to focus on the work of one group or one student. These are the benefits of being an observer.
 
Because classrooms offer so much to consider, teachers’ wonderings may be wide-ranging. As coaches, we honor the teacher’s expertise when we nudge teachers to determine their own questions or wonderings related to a focus they’ve chosen, When we honestly say, “I’m really interested to see what you notice about this,” we view coaching as a reciprocal learning relationship.
 
Recently, I was talking with an experienced coach who said her modeling became more effective when the teacher she was working with had something specific to watch for. “It was like she had that purpose. It was that accountability.” She said it was “like we tell the kids – ‘I’m going to call on you in a minute and I want you to have something to say.’” Asking the teacher to come with questions enriches the post-modeling conversation.
 
*Matsumura, L.C., Sartoris, M. Bickel, D.D., & Garnier, H.E. (2009). Leadership for literacy coaching: The principal’s role in launching a coaching program. Educational Administration Quarterly, 45(5), p. 674.
 
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Hooray!!! My new book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is a fall release from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! During September, you can use the code: SEPTA2022 for 15% off plus FREE SHIPPING. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!
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This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/room-for-beliefs-linking-classroom-design-and-what-we-value/
 
 
Reading & writing “to sustain happiness”:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid3671211724001?bckey=AQ~~,AAABlTNHE7k~,oIicl_E-tmhDtDkfwzKAp9yYvfvdcIPK&bctid=5037418095001
 

Layering texts with Padlet to build background knowledge:

https://nerdybookclubwordpress.com/2017/02/26/layering-texts-to-deepen-understanding-as-students-read-secretly-modeling-how-to-be-passionate-about-inquiry-by-shelli-thelen/

A good description of the “Stop & Think” comprehension strategy:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/promoting-active-reading-skills

Keys to productive struggle:
 
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2019/09/productive-struggle-elementary-mathematics
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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