Teach the Teacher

Writing teacher Donald Graves suggests that teachers of writing “teach the writer, not the writing.” He is cautioning us that our focus in what we teach should be on something students will be able to transfer to the rest of their work. I’ve been thinking about how this tenet applies to coaching.

In writing, it’s ineffective to talk about writer’s craft absent of student writing. For example, talking about sensory details without having students look at the details they’ve included in their own writing would be unlikely to improve their future prose. But it’s also ineffective to be so focused on the student’s current writing work that the learning doesn’t transcend beyond this particular piece. There’s a tension here between the specific and the generalizable, and it’s important to find the right balance.

This same principle plays out in coaching. I initially cringed when I thought about coaching the teacher rather than the teaching. When coaching, we often deflect attention from the teacher to provide a safe space for conversations about the art and craft of teaching. Those safe spaces are important, but ultimately, improving instruction is about the teacher: the things she does, whether behind the scenes or in the midst of student learning. We must focus on the teacher, but this focus requires a careful balance between specific examples and generalizable principles.

It’s ineffective to talk about improving instruction without tying it to real work with students. For example, talking about asking effective questions without considering the questions a teacher is posing to her students would be unlikely to improve future teaching. But it’s also ineffective to be so focused on the questions for a single lesson that the learning doesn’t transcend beyond this particular lesson. Examples from the teaching are used in the service of highlighting generalizable principles for the teacher.

Observing in a teacher’s classroom can provide specific examples that illustrate principles of effective instruction. In planning for a debrief conversation, it’s helpful to envision the teacher during a future lesson. What is it that could change to make the teaching more effective? Find that focus first, then look back to the lesson for specific examples. Are there positive examples of that practice that could be highlighted? For example, if asking high-level questions is an appropriate focus, was there an excellent question posed? Finding a positive example and talking together about students’ responses to that question goes a long way toward encouraging expansion of that practice.

You might also ask the teacher to reflect on times during the lesson that questioning was less effective. Having her bring up those examples herself maintains safety for the teacher in the conversation and provides opportunities for close examination of practice. If she can’t readily recall less-effective examples, however, you can bring up these examples safely by focusing first on students’ responses. This can lead to a cause-effect explanation of less-effective segments of the lesson.

A specific focus on the teaching that has already occurred creates opportunities to discuss the teacher’s application of her craft. The goal of discussing these specific examples is to develop an understanding of the craft of effective teaching. “Teach the writer, not the writing” translates to “coach the teacher, not the teaching.” Using specific examples from instruction helps us strike a balance that can lead to change.  

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

Humor can be a safe place for students to share their voices and express their fears. Here’s a site for creating comics:

http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/games-tools/comic-creator-a-30237.html

Silent signals to increase cognitive engagement:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-silent-signals/?utm_source=newsletter20161015/

Ideas for writing conferences about conventions:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1400

Teaching students to self-monitor their behavior:

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/teaching-children-to-check-their-own-behavior/

Students in countries with high math performance memorize less:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2016/10/math_students_from_high-performing_countries_memorization_pisa.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+10142016

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Letting Go of Pride

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.”

~C.S. Lewis

What does humility have to do with coaching? To move forward in a coaching cycle, I have to shift the focus from me and what I know to the teacher and what she knows. It’s not hard to make a recommendation when a teacher asks for support. It’s much harder to hold my tongue and instead of sharing my wisdom, ask a question that allows a teacher to share hers. She doesn’t need to know how smart I am; she needs to know how smart she is. My questions can help her realize that she really does have the answers.

If I ask, “What else have you been considering?” my question affirms the teacher as one who thoughtfully deliberates her decisions.

If I ask, “What did you notice about students’ thinking?” my question recognizes her thoughtful observations.

Questions like these that hold positive assumptions of teachers’ actions and abilities build teachers’ confidence and encourage ongoing use of the attributes that have been noted.

I’m always humbled when a teacher extends or accepts an invitation for us to work together. It takes courage to open your practice and your thinking to a colleague. When a teacher is courageous enough to speak openly of her concerns and questions, I tread lightly on that space. Posing questions acknowledges the teacher’s willingness to inspect her practice. When my questions are answered with thoughtful noticings and ponderings, my role is to be a sounding board and a supporter. These are signals that we are successfully moving through the GIR cycle, with an increase in teacher responsibility and independence.

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

A colorful way to reinforce word knowledge - vocabulary paint chips:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/build-student-vocabulary/?utm_source=newsletter20161015/

Why online communities boost our teaching confidence:

http://smartbrief.com/original/2016/10/teaching-well-virtual-networks?utm_source=brief

This handy checklist for proofreading your students’ writing – or your own:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/grammar-girls-editing-checklist

The importance of non-academic, social-emotional learning:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-Social-Emotional-Learning-Sponsored.pdf

Teaching students to self-monitor their behavior:

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/teaching-children-to-check-their-own-behavior/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Questioning for Planning & Reflection

Good teaching requires an understanding of the kids, the content, and the pedagogy. As coaches, we often work with teachers who have a solid grasp on the first two elements – the kids and the content – but we are trying to support new thinking about the pedagogy.

 Our focus on the pedagogy may begin with modelling a new approach or making recommendations about how that approach can be applied. Once the teacher has increased knowledge of the practice, how can we encourage thoughtful planning and insightful reflection around its use? The GIR model suggests that asking questions can support teachers’ internalization of these new practices.

For example, if I’m working with a social studies teacher who wants to increase opportunities for academic writing in her next unit, I might ask probing questions such as the following to support her planning:

·         What important concepts are you hoping your students will take away from the unit?

·         How have you assessed students’ understanding of these concepts in the past?

·         What types of writing might help you assess your students’ understanding of these concepts?

·         What support might your students need to be successful with these types of writing?

Questions like these encourage thoughtful lesson design by backwards planning from the big ideas that are hoped-for outcomes. In response, teachers draw on their knowledge about the content and their students and apply it to their planning as the implement the new pedagogical approach.

Asking questions can also support reflection that leads to improved instruction. With my social studies teacher friend, I’ll move beyond the generic “How did it go?” and model asking the kinds of questions I ask myself after a lesson:

·         What did students learn? How do I know?

·         Were their times when students seemed lost? What did I do about it?

·         When were students less attentive? Why? What needs to change?

·         When were students most engaged? What caused it?

·         What do I want to be sure to do during the next lesson?

When a coach continues asking questions like these, she is modeling characteristics of effective reflection. If a teacher hasn’t already developed these attributes, she will internalize such questions over time and become more self-reflective.

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely been the recipient of brief responses if you asked the general question, “How was your day?” when greeting your child after school. Similarly, to get past the knee-jerk response (“Fine”) when we check in with teachers, we’ll want to hone our questions. The questions we ask influence the responses we get. This is an obvious, but important, connection. The questions we ask as coaches help our teachers apply the knowledge they have of students and content to new pedagogical approaches so that their planning and reflecting result in improved instruction.

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

This handy, one-page description of Pearson & Gallagher’s Gradual Release of Responsibility Model:

http://www.sjboces.org/doc/Gifted/GradualReleaseResponsibilityJan08.pdf

What to think about when arranging (or rearranging) the classroom:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/seating-arrangements

No matter what grade-level you teach, it’s helpful to consider what college Freshman know (or don’t know) about argumentative writing:

https://writing-speech.dartmouth.edu/teaching/first-year-writing-pedagogies-methods-design/teaching-argument

Spotlight on Literacy Instruction:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-LiteracyInstruction-Sponsored.pdf

The power of ambiguity in the math classroom:

http://www.nctm.org/Publications/Teaching-Children-Mathematics/Blog/The-power-of-having-more-than-one-right-answer_-Ambiguity-in-math-class/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Coming Undone

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”

~Cynthia Ocelli

Sometimes, change and growth are miniscule and incremental. We hardly know they are happening. Looking back on where we were, we are surprised at what we’ve now become. But sometimes, sometimes growth is like Ocelli’s quote, above. Sometimes, change and growth look like destruction. Sometimes we feel cracked. Sometimes, everything spills out before change and growth occur. Sometimes it has to be that way.

As coaches, we are agents of change and growth. Sometimes, we work with teachers whose incremental growth gradually moves them to become better than they were. Some teachers, though, seem stuck in their shell. Familiar routines and practices are comfortable and protective. Their shell seems hard, until one day, somehow, it comes undone.

Lynn was a confident teacher who planned great lessons and executed them with precision—whether or not her students were following along. She was focused on her teaching, rather than on her students’ learning. Frankly, it surprised me to see this. She’d always sounded so confident in describing her lessons and sharing her insights, I figured her teaching lived up to these descriptions. And in her mind, it did. That was what made change so difficult. But somehow, after lots of talk about student needs, formative assessment, and differentiation, the shell cracked and she came completely undone. It was heart-wrenching, really, as she realized that she was not quite the teacher she thought she was. But with her characteristic determination, she made dramatic changes to her teaching within a short time. Coming undone was what it took to get the work done.

Over the years, as I’ve worked with other “hard-shelled” teachers, I’ve reflected on my experience with Lynn. There’s no formula for cracking the shell. Just as seeds have different conditions required for growth (planting depth, watering, days to germination), the needs of these teachers differ. Remembering Lynn gives me the courage and determination to push a little harder or stay with it a little longer—and to tolerate and even push for the “undoing,” as hard as it may be. “To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” Having walked the path with Lynn and others, I am coming to understand this type of hard-won growth a little better.

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

Get your students ready for National Novel Writing Month:

http://blog.stenhouse.com/archives/2016/10/19/get-your-students-writing-for-nanowrimo/

https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

Ideas about ensuring the ESSA is not a replication of failed reforms:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/WP-SolutionTree--ESSA_An_Opportunity_for_American_Educators.pdf

Spotlight on Writing Instruction:

https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/Spotlight-Writing-Instruction-Sponsored.pdf

Play is children’s work:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/work-time-as-play?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

Questions to guide guided reading:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1178

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Working with “Pumpkin Patch Teachers”

Are you working with a teacher who is desperately hanging on to old ways of doing things? Jennifer Schwanke calls these teachers “Pumpkin Patch Teachers,” referencing a social studies teacher she knew who, every year around Halloween, made each student buy a pumpkin and dress it up as a character from American history…..even after American history was no longer part of her grade level standards. The project should have disappeared, but didn’t, because it was fun, easy, and enjoyed by both the teacher and her students.

Working with Pumpkin Patch teachers can be discouraging. Over the years I’ve noticed a few coaching strategies that encourage reluctant teachers to embrace innovation—or at least try something new! Here are a few ideas you might consider when working with reluctant teachers:

I frequently espouse the merits of modeling, and this coaching move can encourage change with teachers who are highly-invested in the status quo. Seeing a strategy work, especially in her own class with her own students, can nudge a teacher in a new direction.

Providing opportunities for peers to share ideas with one another about implementing a new strategy can also be helpful. Sometimes hearing about something in a slightly different way makes it resonate. And colleagues often share similar contexts and concerns, making their insights especially helpful.

Finding a way to provide resources can also move the change process along. What teacher doesn’t like new stuff for her classroom? Beg, borrow, and reallocate to get materials into the hands of reluctant teachers. Then review the new resources with the teacher so they don’t end up gathering dust on a shelf.

Offer time. That is one thing teachers never have enough of. For hard-to-reach teachers, covering her class (by teaching yourself or, better yet, arranging for a sub) can give the teacher time to plan for implementing new ideas. If you are not able to be with the teacher during this released time, provide structures that will support planning, and then follow up.

Asking questions can provide a segue into non-threatening suggestions. If you observe, ask questions afterward about instructional decisions. The teacher’s responses will give you insight about her purposes and open opportunities for offering recommendations in ways that are more likely to be welcomed.

Offer support. “Would you like me to look for resources for you?” “Do you have a unit coming up that you’d like help revising?” Specific offers of help are less likely to be turned away than more general overtures.

Pumpkin patch teachers may require some extra effort on the front end, but with support they’re likely to become just as loyal to the new ideas as they were to the old!

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

Praising the process and goal-setting to develop a growth mindset:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/praise-the-process-perts?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

This long but important article about how educators talk to parents. Scroll down to the “we have to” section that starts with the bolded: Drop the Educational Lingo. Share #1, #2, & #4 before parent teacher conferences. Please!

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2016/10/poverty_matters_but_not_the_way_you_think.html?cmp=eml-eb-popweek+10142016

Reports and blogs on the National Day on Writing will inspire you to inspire others:

http://whyiwrite.us/?roi=echo4-36369004880-91155018-97d2ff4d397ed520ba8b59926fb28154&utm_source=57615835&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=General

Better services for ELLs under ESSA?

http://www.educationdive.com/news/4-ways-essa-will-change-how-schools-serve-ell-students/428266/

Making sure asking: “Does it make sense?” makes sense:

http://assessmentinperspective.com/?p=2285

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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It's Hard, Isn't It?

Teaching is hard. I don’t need to enumerate the reasons why. We all know. Change is difficult, too. It requires us to leave comfortable routines behind. Coaching tackles these two hard things together – teaching and change. So we can’t expect it to be easy. By acknowledging the struggle and complexity of the process, coaches can clear the way for progress.

Most things in life require balance, and your response to complaints definitely calls for careful consideration. Ignoring the difficulty of a situation can come off as inauthentic, but you don’t want to become a negative venting place. A response that has worked well for me is, “It’s hard, isn’t it?”

A colleague described all the data required for RtI, and her complaining seemed to be blocking progress with this new intervention process. Her demeanor changed when I acknowledged her concerns with, “It’s hard, isn’t it?” It seemed that being heard—feeling that her struggles were understood—opened the path for moving forward. The complaining stopped, and we began a discussion about formative assessment data that could be collected during instruction.

Another teacher wanted to be sure I understood the challenge she faced having seven students with IEPs in her second-grade class. She described several students with behavior issues, a group who still needed support with beginning-reading skills, and another set of students whose requirements for math intervention were her responsibility. “It’s hard, isn’t it?” I authentically responded. The complaining stopped, and we got to work on a plan for differentiation, utilizing the aide time that was available.

There is stress when we face difficult tasks that make us fear failure. Sometimes the best encouragement is acknowledgement that the thing we are doing is really hard. If we first acknowledge current difficulties, our cheerleading will feel more authentic and teachers will be more receptive to our support.

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

Resources for coaches from the Teaching Channel:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/coaching

This fun word game for vocabulary review:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=483

Five lesson-opener hooks:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2016/09/14/5-ways-to-start-your-lessons/?utm_source=newsletter20160917/

Classroom management non-negotiables:

http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/principals-office/non-negotiable-classroom-expectations/

Allington’s summary of research-based practices for reading instruction. A must to read and share:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar12/vol69/num06/Every-Child,-Every-Day.aspx

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Changing Support

As professionals, teachers are lifelong learners seeking continuous improvement, and coaches can play a supportive role. Successful coaching is a developmental process that is responsive to teachers’ changing needs. Effective coaches provide more assistance in the beginning, when something new is being learned, and gradually reduce that support as teachers develop additional expertise for the new approach. The GIR model is an adaptation of Pearson and Gallagher’s Gradual Release of Responsibility model, which many teachers have read about and used to guide their instruction. Like the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model, the GIR coaching model shows how support changes over time. In the GIR process, coaches model, make recommendations, ask inquiring and probing questions, affirm teachers’ appropriate decisions, and praise in order to provide decreasing scaffolding that moves teachers toward skillful use of effective instructional practices.

Coaching moves serve as scaffolds for instructional improvement. A scaffold is a supporting framework. In a physical sense, a scaffold is “a temporary platform used to elevate and support workers,” and according to Merriam-Webster, “scaffolding may be raised and lowered.” Coaches are constantly deciding how high the scaffolding needs to be to provide for effective instruction.

When a lot of support is called for, modeling provides an illustration of strategies a teacher can later try herself. Making recommendations, the second phase of the GIR model, provides less support than modeling, but is strong scaffolding to assure students receive cogent instruction. As teachers increase in experience with a teaching strategy, effective coaches pull back and provide support that is more ancillary. They make fewer recommendations; instead, they ask questions that encourage the teacher to reflect on her own instruction and the needs of students. This third phase, asking questions, encourages metacognition and contemplation about teaching and learning, building the teacher’s capacity as a reflective practitioner. The fourth phase of the model is affirming. As a coaching cycle progresses, a teacher will need less and less support; however, she may still look to you for affirmation that the decisions she is making are appropriate. Praise, the final phase of the coaching model, is a form of feedback that might be provided to any colleague. Although at this stage the teacher will be more confident and not necessarily feel a need for the coach’s approval, she’ll still appreciate being recognized for the hard work she is doing.

How an instructional coach moves through the five phases of the GIR model will, of course, be idiosyncratic. Some teachers will benefit from lots of modeling and recommending when trying something new. For others, questions to support reflection about potential changes will provide sufficient support. One teacher might request recommendations for improving her math instruction but benefit from simply hearing affirmations about her already-solid instruction during guided reading. Coaches choose what scaffold to use based on teacher and student needs, and they move from one stage to the next when they have evidence the teachers they are working with need less support. In the upcoming weeks, blog posts will consider each of the coaching moves of the GIR model. Understanding a variety of scaffolds helps us match support to teachers’ changing needs.

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

A video about identifying, sharing, and using success criteria:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/criteria-for-success?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

In this video, Ruth Ayres speaks to students about revising memoir:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgweiMcKefk

Ice breakers and attention getters:

http://www.supportrealteachers.org/uploads/4/6/4/4/4644123/icebreakers_and_openers.pdf

Tips for tech-phobic teachers:

http://smartbrief.com/original/2016/09/overcoming-teacher-tech-phobia?utm_source=brief

What is “the writing process” really?

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1444

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!