A Recipe for Modeling

 
Modeling is an approach often used by coaches when there’s a new instructional strategy being introduced. If you decide (with the teacher) that modeling could be helpful, there are a few ingredients that can make it a powerful teacher-learning opportunity.
 
What does it look like to model so that the teacher you are working with understands each part of the process well enough to later try it on their own?  When I think about modeling for a teacher, I sometimes just think about doing what I’d normally do, with someone watching.  But when I stop to think about how I model for students, I realize there’s actually a lot more to it.
 
When I model for students, I stop all along the way and explain what I am doing and why I am doing it.
 
When I model for a teacher, I need to also take the chance to explain what I am doing and why I am doing it. Because instruction for students is the first priority for both of us, I don’t stop in the middle of a lesson to do this. Instead, I spread the explaining over our planning and reflecting conversations. 
 
When I model for students, I usually give visual or verbal reminders of the process. I might have a list of steps on a slide, or we may make an anchor chart together.
 
When I model for a teacher, I might give her a lesson plan or a list of steps or ask her to jot down notes while I talk the process through in advance. Then she can follow that procedures list as she later observes the lesson.
 
When I model for students, I zoom in on the parts they are ready for. If it’s a writing assignment, for example, I might think aloud only about my supporting evidence, not saying much about the other parts of the essay.
 
When I model for a teacher, I need to think about what she’s ready to notice. There’s so much happening in any one lesson. What’s most important for her to notice now? What is she ready to take in?
 
We want to model well enough so that the teacher can later make moves of her own. We aren’t modeling with the expectation of duplication. Yes, there are important aspects of the teaching to attend to – the ingredients we must get right – but there is also room for ingenuity: a little more of this, a little less of that, and a pinch of something new. We aren’t expecting a clone.
 
If our conversations have focused attention on important ingredients of the process that the teacher is ready to notice, she will be ready to do it on her own. Teachers don’t need a precise recipe; they need a guide who is willing to demonstrate and a process that is open to possibilities. 
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
This short podcast episode about how to distract the distractor:

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/edutips/edutip3/
 
 
Using art to improve writing:
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/free-videos
 
 
Ways to Use ChatGPT to Save Time:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-ways-chatgpt-save-teachers-time/
 
 
How tone of voice shapes classroom culture:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-tone-of-voice-shapes-your-classroom-culture/
 
 
It’s still National Poetry Month! Using modern poetry as a cure for senioritis:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/the-cure-for-senioritis-poetry/
 
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter and Instagram @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com

Asking Authentic Questions

Asking questions is a powerful coaching tool for gathering information, engaging others in discussion, clarifying perspectives, and facilitating self-discovery and self-direction. By asking questions, coaches encourage the teachers they are working with to flesh out their own objectives and search for answers. Questions evoke teachers’ curiosity, and the best questions are those about which coaches themselves are authentically curious.
 
As part of my research on coaching, I was recently reviewing a recording of a coaching conversation. The coach asked a lot of questions, but I became curious about how many of those questions came from a place of curiosity.
 
Although I want to be careful about making unfounded assumptions, I found it helpful to divide the list of questions the coach posed into two categories: Those that seemed to come from a place of authentic curiosity, and those that did not. Here are a few examples:
 
Uncurious Questions

·       What do you think that means when I say a differentiated classroom?

·       So do you think that the method (for differentiation) is translatable or universal regardless of the class?

·       I wonder what you think about the idea of having that modeled for you…what do you think of that idea?

x

Curious Questions

·       Any questions or concerns come to mind?

Unfortunately, that’s the only question from this conversation that seemed authentic.
 
I wonder if I examined a recording of my own conversation whether my own words would fare any better? Coaches have told me that asking questions is the coaching move with which they struggle the most, and I’d bet that one of the big struggles is asking authentic questions.
 
Our questions are more authentic if we can catch ourselves making judgments and turn those judgments into curiosity, and the curiosity into questions. We could ask, “What is missing for you right now?”
 
If we find ourselves disagreeing with something a teacher says, we can ask a question to explore differences, delaying evaluation. We could say, “Can you tell me more about why you think that?”
 
Our questions are productive when we notice that a teacher responds defensively and we ask a question that prompts reflection. Ask, “How do you feel about that?”
 
By asking questions, we can help teachers uncover their own assumptions, and we can recognize some of our own in the process. We could ask, “What makes you say so?” or say, “Tell me more about that.”
 
I challenge you to use the Conference Planning Guide to think through, in advance, some questions that might be authentic to an upcoming coaching conversation. And then, in the moment, think about how to use questions to change judgment into inquiry, disagreement into exploration, defensiveness into reflection, and unrecognized assumptions into awareness.
 
Asking authentic questions is not easy to do, but the quality added to coaching conversations makes it worth the effort.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Strategies to help teachers and students calm their minds and bodies:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/stress-schools-increasing-simple-strategies-stay-calm
 
 
It’s still National Poetry Month - Poetry with paint-chip boards:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/blackout-poems-and-paint-chip-haiku-two-fun-ways-into-poetry-with-adolescents/
 
 
Why positive comments fail (video):
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIpk5g0h2lQ
 
 
How to cultivate deep learning (podcast):
 
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/deeper-learning/
 
DIY place-value cups (I love these manipulatives!):
 
http://suedowning.blogspot.com/2012/08/place-value-cups.html
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!
 
Was this helpful?  Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)
Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter and Instagram @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com
 

Coaching through Co-Teaching

Co-teaching can be an effective way to accelerate teachers’ skill-building, giving in-the-moment support for both the teacher and her students.
 
Even though Savannah had strong content knowledge and knew many effective instructional strategies, her classroom management skills were still a bit shaky. Her students required more structure and consistency than she was providing.
 
Savannah needed someone to reinforce the idea that her students were capable of meeting expectations, and she needed to feel that she was capable of providing that leadership for the class. Her self-efficacy was low because she saw the difference between how students behaved with her and their behavior in other classes.
 
Savannah’s coach, Rebecca, asked how Savannah felt about co-teaching. Would it be okay if she stepped in to offer support while Savannah was teaching a lesson? They worried that doing this might reinforce students’ perception of Savannah as a novice. They knew they needed to guard against that. But having Rebecca model expectations and responses in the moment seemed worth the risk. They planned carefully so they wouldn’t de-center Savannah’s authority.
 
As Savannah and Rebecca looked through plans for upcoming lessons, they thought about how to shift some of the responsibility for both instruction and management so that it was shared. Savannah would lead on instruction for some parts of the lesson and Rebecca for other parts. Whichever teacher wasn’t leading instruction would be actively managing expectations for behavior and participation.
 
As they carried out this plan over the next few days, Savannah started to duplicate Rebecca’s actions.  When they sat down to talk about it, Savannah said she felt so much more confident! And students were paying more attention to her expectations. During subsequent lessons when Savannah was teaching on her own, the results were sustained. “I can feel the difference when I’m teaching,” Savannah said.
 
Rebecca affirmed the change: “You had clear directions and held students accountable,” she said. “I can see a big difference.”
 
As this example illustrates, co-teaching can help teachers make connections between teacher actions and students’ choices, building skill in both instruction and classroom management.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/pick-a-poem/
 
 
Adding movement to early reading:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/squats-lunges-and-phonemes
 
 
Support students’ persistence in problem-solving:
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/free-videos/
 
 
Bringing laughter into the classroom:
 
https://www.learnersedge.com/blog/incorporating-laughter-into-the-classroom
 
 
When to stop reading a read-aloud:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/read-aloud-gone-awry/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Was this helpful?  Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)
Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter and Instagram @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com
 
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For more coaching ideas, check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: APR2023 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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For National Poetry Month, spark students’ love of poetry:

Listen First

Before making a recommendation, it’s helpful to observe and listen. That way, you’ll know your recommendations are aimed in the right direction. After observing a lesson. asking, “What stands out for you about that lesson?” or “What do you want to celebrate about that lesson?” gets a conversation off to a good start. Even with that second question, I’m often surprised by how quickly the teacher turns the conversation to something she wants help with. At that point, recommendations are likely to stick.
 
Asking, “What are you wondering about?” or “What do you want to work on?” and then listening carefully can open the door for meaningful recommendations. When I asked this question during one-on-one meetings with teachers, their responses showed insight and gave direction to our conversation. I was surprised when Margaret said she wanted to become more confident in the content she was teaching. Because she came across as self-assured, I never would have thought to make that recommendation. But glancing at notes I’d made to myself about areas for improvement, I could see how knowing the content better could help Margaret use students’ responses to support their learning and ask better follow-up questions – two things on the “to discuss” list I had created.
 
In another debrief conversation, Sarah said she had a desire to have the kids focus better while on the carpet. That led us easily to a discussion of some of the things on my list – like providing opportunities for students to talk with one another so that they could be more active participants in the lesson.
 
During those meetings, not every teacher set a goal that provided a perfect inroad to my aspirations for them, but listening to what the teacher felt she was ready to do next created buy-in for the goals we were working toward.
 
Leading with a question ensures that a recommendation is not the first thing said during a coaching conversation. When a conversation is launched with a recommendation, the teacher may not be ready to hear it.
 
Ellie, an early-career teacher, told me about how her relationship with her coach has changed over time. After observing a lesson, the coach used to start their debrief conversation with a suggestion about how the lesson could be improved. She saw that as her duty. But the coach examined her own practice and began doing things differently. Knowing that Ellie thrives on affirmation, the coach now begins with a positive comment and also invites Ellie to say a thing or two about what went well. “I used to not feel comfortable asking for feedback, and she would just tell me. Now I know when I need to ask for help,” Ellie said.
 
Feeling affirmed and having a chance to talk things through has made Ellie confident about seeking support. She is open to recommendations. Listening first ensures that recommendations are on target.

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

April is National Poetry Month!  Here are ideas about using poetry for transitions:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/poetry-read-alouds-during-transitions/
 
 
Co-teaching as coaching:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-instructional-coaches-can-use-co-teaching-support-teachers
 
 
Ways to spread kindness:
 
https://www.learnersedge.com/blog/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas-for-teachers-and-students
 
 
Personalized coaching framework (if you’ve try it, let me know what you think!):
 
https://www.insightadvance.com/blog/personalized-coaching-to-address-teacher-shortage
 
 
Turn & Talk for language development:
 
https://cli.org/2017/01/04/6-easy-ways-improve-turn-talk-student-language-development/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Was this helpful?  Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)
Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter and Instagram @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com
 
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For more coaching ideas, check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: APR2023 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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Favorite Things

With so many teachers and so little time, coaches sometimes feel frustrated in their desires to support all teachers. Walk-throughs are a way to quickly lift up many teachers, if we make sure our follow-up has a positive spin.
 
Walk-throughs are brief classroom observations often used by principals to gather information. Coaches can use them for this purpose, too, gathering first impressions and getting a sense of instructional patterns and alignments. They provide snapshots to guide improvement efforts.
 
During walk throughs, there’s much that can be taken in quickly. A glance around the classroom, looking at students’ gaze and posture, provides information about engagement. Anchor charts and student work on classroom walls are visual demonstrations of instructional focus and classroom culture.
 
Instructional coaches can lower the risky feeling of walk-throughs and communicate good intentions by making regular efforts to focus on the positive.
 
When I want to have a big positive impact in just a little time, I do quick observations and lift up the good things teachers are doing. By following up with emails that identify “a few of my favorite things,” I show teachers that I am on their side and that I see their positive impact. My comments also subtly encourage those effective practices to continue.

Here are excerpts from a few recent walk-through emails:

Whitney, I loved spending a few minutes in your class today! Here are a few of my favorite things:

-You gave clear instructions for group work and asked questions to make sure students knew what to do.

-You were checking students' work while they were doing it and holding them accountable.

-You pulled sticks to ensure that a variety of students participated in discussion.

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Sophia, when I stopped in today, I noticed students' smooth use of technology during the assignment. They know and follow the routine independently. You have established clear procedures for it!

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Kate, when I came in today, students were sooooo enthusiastic about their seeds!  I'm sure it feels good to know that the unit you planned so carefully is very engaging to students.

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Kiyah, it was wonderful to stop by your class during science! There's always JOY!

It was good to hear how thoughtful your first-graders were when sharing their Notice and Wonders after their outdoor observation. 

You modelled constructed spelling and encouraged students to use what they knew (punctuation).

Your students see themselves as scientists! They were excited to grab their scientific notebooks. 

You also modeled procedures, like gluing in a page, rather than just expecting students would know. This demonstrates how i- tune you are with your students' skills. 

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Jailey, sometimes, it's the little things that make a difference. When I was in your room today:

-I noticed that you turn off your mic when you are conferring with individual students or a small group.

-I noticed that you prompted students to use their resources rather than giving them answers.

-I noticed that you pulled a flexible group when you saw the need.

These things add up! I noticed that students were working energetically and seemed excited - even wanting to stay in from recess! You have created a climate where students love to learn.

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I hope that receiving these emails gave teachers a well-deserved lift. Just reading back over the emails I sent that day gave me a lift, too! 

Coaches can usually have deep interactions with only a small percentage of the faculty at any given time, so it’s helpful to continue nurturing relationships with the others in an ongoing way. Walks-throughs with follow-up “favorite things” emails are one of my own favorite ways to sustain these important relationships,

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This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Simple Brain Breaks and why teachers should use them:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/we-drastically-underestimate-importance-brain-breaks

 
It’s poetry month! Check out this idea for having older students writing personal poetry for kindergarten partners:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/kindergarten-and-middle-school-poetry-partnership/
 
The value of feedback from an instructional coach (this brief video is available this week only):
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/free-videos/
 
 
Success takes work:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zSVu76AX3I
 
 
ChatGPT as a teacher tool:
 
https://www.learnersedge.com/blog/chatgpt-the-game-changing-app-every-teacher-should-know-about
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

Was this helpful?  Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)
Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter and Instagram @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com
 
My book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: APR2023 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!