Creating Clarity with Coaching Notebooks

Previous posts have talked about gifting a coaching notebook to teachers and using notebooks to reflect on what works. This week, let’s think about ideas to keep the notebooking practice going.
 
When you meet for a coaching conversation, you can set the stage by commenting on the notebook: “I’m glad you’ve got your coaching notebook. I’ve got mine, too. While we talk today, I’m going to use my notebook to capture our key ideas and next steps; that might work for you, too.” A comment like this is an invitation, and when the teacher notices you jotting something down, it can cue her to do the same, taking agency for her own learning.
 
Writing is a tool for thinking and remembering. The act of writing down ideas will make them more available for recall, even without looking back at the notebook. Etching words on paper etches them in the mind, too. I loved it during a recent coaching conversation when Emma asked, “Pause for just a second while I jot that down.”
 
Ideas might include next steps that the teacher wants to take toward her coaching goal. When I was working with Sarah, a first grade teacher, on her goal of improving student discussion, the next step she chose to write in her notebook was to plan questions for read alouds in advance, write them on sticky notes, and put them in the book right where she’d ask them. The notebook gave her a reference during our next conversation, when we talked about progress.
 
A coaching notebook can be a good place to jot down resources that are mentioned. In our conversation about classroom discussion, I reminded Sarah of the depth-of-knowledge question chart we’d gotten at a recent PD session, and she made a note to pull that up as she planned questions.
 
I love having a celebrations page in my notebook. I usually put this at the very back and work forward – that makes it easy to find when I need a pick-me-up or when a teacher does. Reflecting on successes makes them more likely to be repeated. And noting small celebrations tracks progress toward big goals.
 
The coaching notebook is great for a quick write. Pose a question and take a minute or two where you both write a response. Writing in response to questions like, “How have you worked through this kind of situation in the past?” or “What might be going on here?” takes the thinking deeper. (For a printable poster, ‘A Dozen Coaching Questions,’ click here.)  Responding in writing to questions can guide planning, focus attention, and build the teacher’s capacity as a reflective practitioner.
 
Writing encourages remembering that supports future decision making. As teachers think about their own experiences, they refine instructional plans. Writing gives the teacher the opportunity to gain her own insights through sustained reflection. A writing notebook can empower teachers’ practice. As they clarify their thinking through writing, teachers recognize the agency they have to exercise their own expertise.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

3 elements of a safe learning environment in high school:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/keeping-unity/  
 
 
A guide for faculty meetings that couldn’t have been an email:
 
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-a-guide-for-faculty-meetings-that-couldnt-have-been-an-email/2024/08
 
 
Supporting teachers through mentoring and coaching:
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/k12-hub/blog/coaching-and-mentoring-networks-for-teacher-support/
 
 
Making a classroom library special:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/when-a-library-whispers/
 
 
Video advice to share with first-year teachers:
 
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/video-second-year-teachers-share-some-advice-for-rookies-1/2017/09
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: SEP2024 for 20% off. 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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Follow on Instagram @Vicki_Collet_Educator, on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com.
 

Patience: A Mindset for Coaching

“Patience is a virtue” – we’ve heard that often enough, but why is it an important mindset for coaching?
 
The value of patience came to mind this week when I observed a teacher’s class for the first time. Although I’d known Karen for over a year, this was my first real interaction with her in a coaching role. I’d been told by her coach from last year that it was hard to get in to observe – that something always seemed to come up at the last minute, and that the coach didn’t feel like she’d really gotten anywhere with Karen.
 
Knowing how important trust is, I was intentional about these first steps: I emailed saying that it would be helpful for me to get to know her students and her context better. Could I come and observe part of a class? I gave a specific date that I was going to be in the building and asked if there was a time that day that would work. She initially responded with a quick, “Sure!”  - but she followed up with an email about times that she would rather I didn’t come; she said those two were rather rowdy classes. Even though I thought to myself that those classes might be where I could be the most help, I responded with a different time that I could stop by. Patience.
 
I assured Karen that I didn’t want to interrupt her teaching. She could give any intro to her students that she felt was needed – or not. I said I’d try to slip quietly in and have a seat after class was underway.
 
As I thought about the observation, I determined that I wouldn’t stay too long. I thought 20 minutes was about how long she could endure my presence without getting too stressed out. I wouldn’t stay any longer than that, and maybe shorter. I’d just observe long enough to get something positive that I could write on a sticky note and leave on her desk. Although it would have been convenient to stay and have a post-observation conversation with her, because I was already there and her prep-period was shortly after the time I planned to observe, I decided against it. I didn’t want to introduce any opportunity for her to be intimidated. All positives. Patience.
 
When I arrived, I found that the class Karen had preferred I observe was very small, and some of the students had been pulled for special services. Well, it should likely be easy to find something for my sticky note! It didn’t take long before I knew what I could share, but I decided to stay a bit longer. By the 20-minute mark, I had written 4 positives on the sticky note, which I left behind.
 
Later that day, I emailed to thank Karen for letting me observe. I told her I had been so intrigued by the short story they were discussing, I went home and Googled it, found a copy, and cried while I read it. I asked about her students’ emotional response. I didn’t recommend that she ask questions to help students connect the story to their personal experiences. I didn’t  even ask why the lesson was so focused on filling in the workbook pages, or what the principal’s expectations were regarding her use of that resource. Patience.
 
There will be times for me to stay longer, times for careful note-taking during observations, times for debriefs, and times for recommendations and questions. But this week was the time for patience. The longer I’ve coached, the more I’ve recognized the value of a soft touch and a welcoming tone; the more I’ve realized that I gain more trust by waiting than by impressive intelligence or assertive authority.
 
When I enter Karen’s class the next time, I’ll still close the door quietly and make sure to tread lightly across her room before I slide into a seat. I’ll stay a bit longer and pull out a small notebook instead of just a sticky note. I’ll make sure we can have a brief chat afterward and ask her about a successful moment that stood out from the lesson. As trust is built, I’ll slowly accelerate toward the productive conversations I hope will be commonplace throughout the year.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

This video about creating a comfortable classroom environment:
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/free-videos/
 
 
Picture books for start-of-school community-building:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/what-i-am-reading-the-first-week-of-school/
 
 
Bringing empathy to coaching:
 
https://www.schoolstatus.com/blog/bringing-empathy-to-coaching
 
 
“Naughty” behaviors that are developmentally appropriate:
 
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/joyful-parenting/201705/not-naughty-10-ways-kids-appear-be-acting-bad-arent
 
 
Short writing assignments to help students become better thinkers (in all disciplines):
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/power-short-writing-assignments
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: SEP2024 for 20% off. 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!
---------------------------------
Was this helpful?  Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)
Follow on Instagram @Vicki_Collet_Educator, on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com.