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!
---------------------------------
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.