In my first year as an instructional coach, I remember my
anxiety about working with two veteran teachers. Both had taught for many more
years than I had. One was confident and competent, with peers looking to her
for advice. The other was referred to me by the principal, who felt that significant
improvement in her instruction was needed. Although these two teachers spanned
the spectrum of instructional expertise, they had something in common: Both needed
their experience to be validated and built upon during our coaching cycles.
For Karen, the confident teacher, I affirmed
the assets she brought to the table. Coaching gave her the chance to deepen
already-strong practices. Even
exceptional teachers profit from working with a coach. Teaching is hard work,
and we all need both celebrations and support. So time spent working with
master teachers is worthwhile.
Judy, the teacher I was assigned to coach, pinpointed
a focus for our work that was focused on students’
needs. She said their reading fluency was poor. As we focused on improving
fluency, opportunities to strengthen instructional practices became a natural
part of our work. The focus on students created a safe space for coaching this veteran
teacher.
5
Coaching Moves
What
coaching moves do you use with experienced teachers? The GIR Model for
instructional coaching includes five coaching moves (from most- to
least-supportive scaffold): Modeling, Recommending, Asking Questions,
Affirming, and Praising. As you consider these five coaching moves, you will choose
approaches tailored to a teacher’s current needs. Even an experienced teacher
may need high levels of support when implementing a new teaching innovation.
Modeling
Karen, the master teacher I worked with, said
that “the great thing” about coaching is “you have someone who can come and
model lessons.” An elementary school teacher has to be jack-of-all-trades. Karen
was an amazing, passionate history teacher, but when it came to reading
comprehension, her approach needed updating. Karen appreciated the chance to
see strategy instruction in action when I taught a lesson in her classroom. For
Judy, I often modeled instructional decision-making by thinking aloud about the
factors under consideration as we planned lessons together.
Even very
experienced teachers may benefit from modeling. A new technology application
could be demonstrated, or an approach to formative assessment might be modeled
if that is the focus area for a coaching cycle. A coach who was working with an
experienced teacher on whole-group discussion said, “She really didn’t need the
modeling, or the recommending, either. I jumped right in with questioning. That
helped support her thinking and reflection.”
But later, when the same teacher was working on differentiation – a
complex teaching skill – modeling was included before moving to less-supportive
coaching approaches.
Recommending
Even veteran
teachers confront new experiences and expectations, and they sometimes have challenges
that making recommendations welcome. Teachers are often receptive to new ideas
when they are unfamiliar with a topic, skill, or strategy, or when they are
feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.
Angela,
an experienced teacher whose wisdom I valued, came to me frustrated about the
schoolwide use of clip-up, clip-down behavior charts. She had been using this approach
for years, but felt there might be a better way. I was careful in my coaching,
being sure to:
Value
the teacher. I assured Angela that I valued her as a
professional and affirmed specific things she was doing right.
Have
positive assumptions about her desire to improve.
Create
safety. When Angela blamed the district and her
teacher preparation for the strategies she was using, I didn’t counter her. She
needed to deflect blame before she could safely explore her own practices.
Validate
concerns.
Instead of pointing a finger back to her, I validated her
concern about not knowing other management strategies.
Reinforce
best practice.
I quickly summarized research about effective classroom management.
Connect
with present practice.
When I said, “There are some kids who need something more
tangible” I was, in essence, saying, “You are doing something right with this clip-chart
practice.” I was trying to build a bridge between current and hoped-for
practices.
Use
restraint! Some recommendations are best left for
later. I didn’t spill out all the suggestions that were racing through my mind,
but I did make a mental note of one that would be useful for later.
Recognize
complexity. I acknowledged there was no quick fix –
true for every classroom question.
This wise, veteran teacher was open to
recommendations, and I made them while acknowledging her own experience and
expertise.
Asking
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 experienced teachers they are working with to
flesh out their own objectives and search for answers.
When I met with Anna, an
experienced special education teacher, I began the coaching conversation by
asking a broad question: “What’s on your mind?” The conversation moved quickly
to how her role as “co-teacher” in one class turned out to be a situation where
she was basically being used as an aide, a role that was not satisfying for her
and not as impactful for students as it could have been. We got straight to a
need and began looking at the people and processes that were constructing this
situation.
Broad questions like “What’s
on your mind?” can get a conversation rolling. More specific questions can both
broaden and deepen thinking to move the work along. For
example, the question, “What misconceptions might students have about this
topic?” invites the teacher to consider students’ background knowledge and
experience in a generative way. The question, “Are there students who aren’t
making the progress you’d like to see?” asks the teacher to consider formative
data and specific students. Specific questions like these invite experienced teachers
to draw on their own knowledge.
Affirming
and Praising
Affirmations and praise sound the same – it’s
the stance of the teacher that differs. An affirmation is like a nod when the
teacher wonders if she’s headed in the right direction. Praise comes unlooked-for;
specific, authentic praise is often warranted and well-received by experienced
teachers.
Coaches can assist experienced teachers by
confirming what is working in their classrooms and by verifying the potential
of innovative practices they’re ready to try. Encouraging veteran teachers to
share their insights with others is another way to affirm. These affirming
practices recognize the assets that experienced teachers bring to the table and
encourage continuous improvement. Sometimes that’s all they need from a
coach.
Lifelong
Learners
As
models for their students, most teachers want to be lifelong learners seeking
continuous improvement, and coaches can play a supportive role. Effective coaches adjust their approach as they work with veteran teachers. The five coaching moves of the GIR Mode. can be used intentionally and flexibly in response to the needs of the
teachers they are working with.
As coaches, we also strive to be lifelong
learners. We can learn as we watch and listen to veteran teachers, gleaning from
their experience and wisdom. We also grow as we strengthen our coaching
practice, differentiating our coaching approach to align with the needs of both
novice and veteran teachers.
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
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