Book Notes & Reflections: The Art of Coaching (Chapter 14: Reflection and Assessment: What's Next?)

I've never blogged my notes and thoughts through a book, but I figure there's never a better time than NOW!

My goal is to create a reference & reflective place for me as I continue growing as a coach.

See my notes from all book chapters on my Coaching Page.

Direct quotes from the book are in blue.

• Mid-year and end-of-year reflection are critically important, not just to provide feedback to the coach on how to adjust things, but it also helps to redefine goals and address questions that need to be addressed.
• Basic steps for reflection meeting:
• Review work plan and coaching notes - DONE BY COACH ALONE
• review goals, review activities to meet those goals, review evidence / data collected thus far
• Reflect  (many more questions on pages 253, some below are paraphrased, others are verbatim) - DONE BY COACH ALONE
• What activities did we do together? What activities did the fellow do alone?
• How did activities change the fellow's practice?
• What evidence do we have of a change in practice? Is all evidence just self-reported or do we have something more?
• When has coaching felt most successful?  What is the "bright spot"?
• What's gotten in the way of coaching?  What might need to be addressed, confronted, or dealt with in order for coaching to be more effective?
• What have I learned about how the fellow learns?  What strategies are most effective?  What approaches am I usually taking to coaching?
• Do I need to scaffold activities better so the fellow can engage in them alone?  How am I doing with the Gradual Release of Responsibility?
• Plan the conversation - the convo is planned by the coach, but driven by the fellow.  Prepare questions in advance, but let the client direct it.  Possible questions include (more on Pages 252-253)
• What evidence would you cite that indicates a change in your practice?  How do you know you are making progress towards your goals?
• What do you feel good about in terms of your growth this semester?  What learning has been most powerful?  When have you felt a big "aha"?
• What changes in practice has positively affected your students?  What do you think has made a big difference to them?  How do you know that your learnings positively affected them?
• What's gotten in the way of doing some of the activities we planned on doing? Are they activities you still want to try? Or do we need to let go of them?  Are there other things you think we should do that would be helpful?
• What has been hard about engaging in coaching?
• Is there any feedback you'd like to give me about how I'm working with you (or how I've worked with you this year)?
• Determine when and where the conversation will happen
• Give the fellow advance notice so they can begin reflecting early.
• This is much easier for the end of year reflection because things are wrapping up.  It's a lot harder to take time in the middle of the year when they have so much on their minds.  But, if I am more intentional about it, I think it will happen.  Here is how Aguilar recommends bringing it up:
• "Next week when we meet I'd like to discuss our work together so far this year.  I want to look back at the goals we set and consider where we are in meeting them.  This is a really important part of coaching and I think it will feel really satisfying to you - you'll recognize how much you've learned and grown this year.  We're going to need a couple hours of uninterrupted time." (page 253-254)
• My only concern with this quote is a couple hours?!?!  I wish I had that much time!
• Engage the client in the reflective conversation.
• Midyear reflection - pivotal moment in the year.  What has gone well?  What needs adjusting?  Even if the work hasn't gone as planned, it will help us to be more clear on our next steps.  This is also the chance to add new goals and cross out ones that aren't a big focus anymore. 
• Common Challenges
• The fellow who really hasn't made much progress all year: Start by examining our own coaching. Focus on:
• Goals - Are they realistic? Are coaching sessions planned around them? Am I engaging the fellow in reflecting on them?  Do we need to break the goals down further?
• Relationship - How did the coaching relationship come to be? How willing are they to engage in coaching?  What did they understand it would be and hope to get from it?  How engaged is he/she with it?  Have I engaged them in a conversation about what he's learning and how he's going?  What does he hope to get from coaching?  What might be getting in the way of greater growth?
• Are we trying to see growth on just our own timeline?  What growth have we seen, even if it's incremental?
• "Our job is not to change people, it's to offer a safe learning space." (page 262)

...Until Chapter 15...

Order my new book (released May 2016) today!  Click here for more details and to place an order!

Book Notes & Reflections: The Art of Coaching (Chapter 13: Technical Tips and Habits of Mind)

I've never blogged my notes and thoughts through a book, but I figure there's never a better time than NOW!

My goal is to create a reference & reflective place for me as I continue growing as a coach.

See my notes from all book chapters on my Coaching Page.

Direct quotes from the book are in blue.

• What should be in a coach's schedule?
• Coaching observations and conversations
• My current schedule - 8 hours of formal meetings, 3-4 hours of informal observations, 3-5 hours of "formal" (planned) observations = 14-17 hours total
• Preparation
• My current schedule: 2-3 hours per week minimum for routine prep.  Additional hours if prepping for a specific lesson or idea and need to do research. = 5-6 hours total
• Collaboration (with admin, instructional rounds)
• My current schedule: 1 hour per week
• Team Participation or Facilitation
• My current schedule: 2 hours per month at leadership and staff meetings. Hoping to have more next year by being a part of each of the late start meetings, adding a formalized 1-2 hours per month additional
• Coach Reflection & PD
• My current schedule: 4 hours each week with DLC team for PD / Collaboration.   Individual growth and research: 1-2 hours each week
• Additional (not in book)
• Planning PD sessions & staff meetings - varies based on time of year, but probably 2-4 hours minimum
• Meeting with "on call" teachers - staff can schedule meetings with me anytime based on my posted schedule.  This is probably 3-4 hours / week minimum
• Planning for a Coaching Session
• We need to have a plan in our "coach-minds", preparing what type of questions we are going to ask.  I have an agenda and plan for each meeting and I generally take 5-10 minutes the morning of to review the meetings for the day.  If there is something specific I know we'll be debriefing or prebriefing, I'll plan out the questions I want to ask.
• **Use Coaching Session Planning Tool on page 235 for question prompts
• Steps:
• Where does my client need to go?
• This has been much easier since I've intentionally been doing better at "notetaking" during the meeting on our agenda doc and setting up a plan for the next meeting as we conclude each meeting. 
• Who do I need to be?
• Convey a sense of calm - allows them to feel like they can slow down and learn.  Take care of myself so I can be that way for them!
• Before walking in, "activate my compassion" for my fellow - imagine what their day has been like
• A Coaching Conversation
• There IS a structure to a coaching conversation; sometimes you must make this explicit to the fellow.
• Flow:
• General check-in - I have "How's your Weather" as the first agenda item to remind myself to do this. Make sure they are brief; possibly make an agreement about how long we will spend on the check-in phase.  Also, be careful how much personal information I reveal to them - I don't want them to feel like I am emotionally unstable in any way.  
• Transition to "coaching meeting" and create the plan - It is my responsibility to shift the conversation once this "warm-up" is over.  Possible questions: "What's on your mind today? What would you like to talk about?" - I generally preview the agenda we have set (which they can add to throughout the week) and ask if there is anything else they wanted to add or if they have a priority order for things that may be on the agenda.
• I also have a "business items" part of the agenda where we confirm the schedule for the next week
• Follow-up on any items from last week / hold them accountable. (page 238)
• "Last week you decided you wanted to try ____... how did that go?"
• "Last week you committed to ____... what happened?"
• I have my fellows do a bit of journaling every week, and usually it is about something they were going to try during the previous week. 
• Where I struggle is when fellows don't follow through with what they said they were going to do.  I think being more explicit in the previous meeting about the expectations for them and then always following up specifically will help with that.  Aguilar says that we need to "release some attachment to outcome" (page 244) and think through why the fellow isn't following through.  Is the task too difficult? Did he/she just agree to please me?  Who decided the fellow was going to do these things - the fellow or the coach?  Good sentence starter: "'I've noticed that you haven't done the things you agreed to.  This is a pattern.  Can we talk about what's going on?'  Find a way to be curious about what's going on rather than frustrated" (page 245)
• This may end up constituting the entire coaching conversation because of reflection / debrief.
• Move the discussion to the agreed-upon agenda
• Make sure to agree on a prioritized list of things, especially because there are usually more items than we have time for on the list.  How long do we want to spend on each item? 
• I need to utilize a timer more to help us stay focused.
• Use various coaching stances through listening, questioning, and learning activities
• Have question prompts out and handy.  I had printed copies of these most of last year and the beginning of this year.  I need to pull them out again and make sure I am continuing to use them well and in the right times.
• *Take notes throughout meeting with 2 foci - first, to remember things (the meetings I get so engrossed in the conversation I forget to take notes I forget it because I will literally sit there an hour later and not remember everything we talked about!).  Second, write down words or phrases the fellow says that I might want to return to.  I don't do this as often but I'd like to be more specific in that. 
• Aguilar recommends handwritten notes - I prefer typewritten because I can type much faster and because I can type while still keeping my eyes glued on the fellow. 
• Determine next steps *Be specific!
• What is the plan for next week?  I have a spot in my agenda for "next meeting topics".  Sometimes things get copy-pasted from this week's agenda that we didn't get to, and sometimes we make other specific plans.
• What are the actions the fellow is expected to take over the next week?  When will it be done by?  What will I be doing to support those steps? (i.e. will I be coming in to observe, will I be providing any resources, etc)
• Reflect on conversation and ask for feedback
• I've never actually done this, but I'd like to
• It is my responsibility to "calmly wrap up a meeting so that the [fellow] can feel a sense of closure and be clear on next steps." (page 239)
• Questions on page 242.
• Follow up with fellow - Aguilar sends an email summary to clients after each meeting.  I send one a week, usually in mass, on either Thurs or Fri of the week.  I have general reminders for all fellows, all that refer to them to their specific journal or their specific agenda.  I have several fellows who always read it and take care of it and then of course the few that don't even pay attention to it because it's one more email.  I still haven't found the most effective way to do this.
• Coach responsibility during conversation
• Lots of roles:
• Guiding conversation
• Keeping fellow history & goals in mind
• listening deeply
• using questioning strategies to advance fellow's thinking
• looking through different lenses to get multiple perspectives
• offer activities that deepen learning
• managing time and taking notes
• monitoring my own mental / emotional processes
• We must pay attention to their verbal and nonverbal cues!!  Listen in for clues of emotional distress that may be a signal they are shutting down.  Ask for permission to explore it further.
• Reflecting on a conversation:
• Does the fellow feel more optimistic about what they can do/
• Does the fellow feel more empowered?
• Did the fellow reconnect with his vision / values / abilities?

...Until Chapter 14...

Order my new book (released May 2016) today!  Click here for more details and to place an order!

Reflections on Recent Readings (weekly)

• Writing and factoring quadratics | partially derivative
  fun activity idea. Low prep needed, can use for Alg1 Quadratics or Alg2 Quadratics / Polynomials / even Rational Functions
  tags: blog
• Harry & Rosemary Wong: Effective Teaching - Teachers.Net Gazette
  tags: blog
  • Instructional coaches are not guides by the side or mentoring buddies.  They coach; they train; they teach.  Football season is here.  A typical professional football team has 18 assistant coaches.  Their job is to impart knowledge and skills, to train and bring out the potential in every player and mold them into a team that achieves success together.

     
    
  • Effective teachers make the difference.  Trained teachers are effective teachers.  Districts that provide structured, sustained training for their teachers achieve what every school district seeks to achieve—improving student learning through effective teaching.

     
    
• Five Things to Consider Before Becoming an Instructional Coach | Edutopia
  tags: blog
  • Motivation has to be intrinsic all the time; this is a particular challenge.
• 5 Tips To Transition From Teacher To Coach
  tags: blog
  • “It wasn’t enough to share my ideas as a teacher; I had to figure out why those ideas work.”
  • “I had to keep reminding myself the instruction was my focus and the content was the teacher’s focus. I can work on instruction regardless of the content.”
• http://blog.williamferriter.com/
  simple, straightforward, and to the point. I think all teachers should do something like this!
  tags: blog
• Guest post: From teacher to coach (The more things change…) | Your Instructional Coach
  tags: blog
  • One of the biggest overlaps between teaching and coaching is the fact that both depend heavily on relationships.
  • While you might have some goals in mind, make sure that you don’t lose sight of the goals that teachers have as well.
  • I like the structure and even refined it a bit so that I mostly try to give “considerations” in the form of questions.
  • Asking more questions, instead of giving suggestions, has helped me shift from acting like an expert with all the answers (not my goal at all!) to being more collaborative.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Book Notes & Reflections: The Art of Coaching (Chapter 12: Directive Coaching Activities)

I've never blogged my notes and thoughts through a book, but I figure there's never a better time than NOW!

My goal is to create a reference & reflective place for me as I continue growing as a coach.

See my notes from all book chapters on my Coaching Page.

Direct quotes from the book are in blue.

• Reminders for any of these activities:
• "Chunk" learning
• Understand fellow's ZPD
• Have plan for GRR (Gradual Release of Responsibility)
• Directive - "the coach will push, nudge, and direct the teacher...into a learning experience" (page 211)
• Great for new teachers or those who are teaching a new curriculum
• Even when use directive, you need a balance of facilitative learning experiences. 
• How to make observations effective:
• Focus - must agree on a clear, narrow focus before observation, should be a specific area of practice.  "The narrower the focus the better" (page 212).  Ask clarifying questions / use paraphrasing when meeting with fellow before the observation to best understand their needs / requests for what their focus is for the observation.  Goal is to have a clear agreement of what will happen during the observation before it actually happens.
• Data Collection tools - Use data tracker or a two-column note taker (time stamp, teacher words & actions, student words & actions).  Share notes with fellow with caution, because they most likely include some of our judgments / perceptions that need to be "cleaned up" before shared with the fellow.
• Debrief - "Whenever possible, the debrief should happen on the same day as the observation." (page 213)
• Be very careful during debrief if I noticed something outside of the area of focus during the observation...
• Reflections: I have asked for a "focus area" before I observe but sometimes it's hard for the fellow to identify and I don't push it.  This is definitely an area of growth for me.  What's the point of me being in there if it's not to give feedback / support as a coach?  And, I want to give feedback on what they want to get feedback on.  One of the struggles is teachers identifying where and how they want to grow within themselves.  How can I help to "get this out of them" better (i.e. what questions can I ask that would better lead them to the place I want them?).  Also, the debrief doesn't usually happen the next day, but at the next coaching meeting.  Because we have a weekly schedule set up, the debrief is just a part of the next meeting, which sometimes can be 3-4 school days later.  How can I make this better?  We'll always do a mini 1-3 minute debrief near the end of class or during passing period, but it's not a deep reflection.  Is this something in addition to their weekly commitment already?  A debrief sometimes can take a whole hour depending on where it goes!  Hmm... need to think about this.
• Giving Feedback:
• "It's...hard for a coach to effectively deliver feedback, and it's often very hard for us to hear feedback." (page 215) "We might see these possibilities [actions the teacher could take that would immediately result in a positive change in the classroom] jumping out at us and yet be unsure of how to communicate our observations in a way that the client will hear us.  Delivering feedback is an art that takes coaches many years of practice." (page 216)
• Suggestions:
• Assess for trust
• Always ask for permission - "Can I share a couple of things I observed that might help you...?"
• Ground feedback in observational data
• Restrict critical feedback to one or two key points (take time between observation and debrief to digest and decide on what is most important to share)
• Find the phrasing
• Invite reflection (ask how the feedback was received and plan for next steps)
• Reflections: I did a very poor job of this a few weeks ago and I can tell the fellow didn't take it well.  I knew it my mind it might not be the right timing but I said it anyways.  I felt the "immediacy" was important, and she was teaching it again the next period so I thought she could try it in a different way.  But, instead of coming across positively, it was more like "I think the way you planned it sucked.  Do it my way" (but not in those words, obviously).
• Using a Data Tracker as an observation tool (example on pages 218-220)
• List of all interactions.  Note positive / negative / neutral.  Note male / female. Note ethnicity.  Column for any other notes.
• Idea - use when doing video analysis.  Questions to reflect on (from page 220)
• What do you notice in these data?
• What surprised you?
• What feels good to see? What's affirming?
• Is there anything that raises questions for you?
• What do you want to know more about? Is there anything you want me to collect more data on?
• Is there anything you might want to work on now that you've reviewed these data?
• Reflections: I definitely need something more structured like this when I do videotaping next year, because the fellows didn't really know what to look for and we had no concrete data at the end of it. The columns might need to change, but the idea of a data tracking sheet would be really helpful.
• Modeling
• Be selective about what and how we model.  We don't want to overuse it - it's a form of "direct instruction" and we should keep in mind the Gradual Release of Responsibility.
• Agree on the specific behaviors that a coach will be modeling - not just a lesson, but an instructional goal.  What exactly will the client observe?  Are they actions the client can do on their own fairly soon?
• What is the client supposed to be doing while the coach is modeling?  Are they collecting data? Looking for specific things?
• Pay attention while modeling to things that you do that the client may or may not notice so you can bring them up in the debrief.
• Debrief within 24 hours
• Avoid modeling our personality or charisma... we don't want our clients to be us!  They can't be!!
• Ask for feedback during debrief - "Did you notice anything that I didn't notice?  That I could have done better? That wasn't clear?"  (page 222) This helps to model being a reflective learner always looking for feedback - exactly what we want them to do!
• Reflections: I need to improve on identifying the specific behaviors I'm modeling and making sure it's not my personality, but an instructional strategy.  If I'm modeling, what is the fellow actually looking for and observing - they shouldn't just be "another helper" in the room if it's a model.  They should be observing me and students for something specific.
• Elbow Teaching
• Basically co-teaching.  Might model and then turn the lead over to the teacher.  Great for the immediacy of practice.
• Reflections: I like this a little better than modeling because it means I'm not just "taking over" and they can actually be an active part of it that day. 
• Lesson and Unit Planning
• *important to consider the fellow's ZPD and how they are responding to these activities so they don't shut down
• On-the-spot Coaching
• Very tricky!  Can be useful, but a high level of trust must be present so the fellow is not embarrassed.
• Feedback needs to be discrete and something they can do or fix on the spot, not something that requires them to think too deeply in order to do. 
• Reflections: I have fellows who the trust is high enough for me to do this, and others who completely shut down.  I need to be very aware and make sure I don't do this with those that I know will take it in the wrong way, as I mentioned in the story above.
• Field Trips
• The coach must accompany the client on the observation!!
• Tips:
• Identify the specific behaviors to observe
• Ensure quality in terms of who you choose to observe
• Talk ahead of time about what specific data will be gathered
• Model the data-gathering throughout the observation with the fellow
• Debrief with reflective questions.  What will the client take back and act on?  Get specific - have them choose one or two things they will implement in their class.  As a coach, our role is to "elicit reflection, encourage experimentation and risk taking, and then push for our client to do it." (page 226)
• Reflections: I've offered to cover my fellow's class so they can do an observation, but this makes me completely rethink that.  If I should be a part of the observation, then how can this happen, unless it becomes a school-supported thing or we do it during their prep period...
• Shared Reading - find articles to read and learn from together
• Reflections: I really like this idea, for two main reasons.  First, if I send them an article to read on their own, most likely it doesn't happen.  I have a lot of excuses about busyness, which I understand, but at the same time there needs to be time made for professional growth.  Secondly, by doing it together during a coaching meeting we can learn and reflect together and I can model for them my learning process.  The only concern is that they might see it as "wasting a coaching meeting" just reading an article together and not actually planning anything specific.
• Looking at Data (page 227 for more questions / sentence stems)
• Four steps:
• What do we expect to see or learn?
• What was actually seen? What patterns emerged?
• Why did we see what we saw?
• So what? Now What?
• Coaching on Time Management
• Four quadrant discussion (Steven Covey)

...Until Chapter 13...

Order my new book (released May 2016) today!  Click here for more details and to place an order!

Book Notes & Reflections: The Art of Coaching (Chapter 11: Directive Coaching Conversations)

I've never blogged my notes and thoughts through a book, but I figure there's never a better time than NOW!

My goal is to create a reference & reflective place for me as I continue growing as a coach.

See my notes from all book chapters on my Coaching Page.

Direct quotes from the book are in blue.

• Directive coaching is useful when a fellow has a "mental model" that hinders their ability to experience transformation.
• Mental Model / Mindset: "our values, beliefs, and a series of assumptions about how the world works" (page 198) 
• Goal is to help fellows make their mental models visible, see if there is anything problematic with the current mental model, and explore how to change / replace / demolish current mental models
• We can't approach it as "destroy the current mental model" without building another mental model for them... they must have somewhere else to go!
• We must have a "potent combination of toughness and compassion" (page 202) 
• APPROACHES:
• Confrontational Approach - "Interrupting"
• Questions on pages 202-203
• Informative Approach - Imparting knowledge and information.  Proceed with caution that we aren't just telling them what to do. We must build fellows' capacity to be autonomous!!!
• Aguilar mentioned it is easy for a coach to fall into the trap of just telling a fellow what to do.  Instead, we need to use questioning techniques to help the fellows make their own decisions, with us providing information and insight along the way to help them in that journey.
• Question starters on page 204
• Prescriptive Approach - Give directions, recommendations, or advice; focus on directing behavior and not beliefs or being
• Sometimes we have to give advice in this stance, and we must make sure it is "caring, candid, practical, wise, and well-timed - given only when a client is open to hearing it" (page 205)
• Question starters on page 205

...Until Chapter 12...

Order my new book (released May 2016) today!  Click here for more details and to place an order!

Book Notes & Reflections: The Art of Coaching (Chapter 10: Facilitative Coaching Activities)

I've never blogged my notes and thoughts through a book, but I figure there's never a better time than NOW!

My goal is to create a reference & reflective place for me as I continue growing as a coach.

See my notes from all book chapters on my Coaching Page.

Direct quotes from the book are in blue.

• Reminders for any of these activities:
• "Chunk" learning
• Understand fellow's ZPD
• Have plan for GRR (Gradual Release of Responsibility)
• Another way to think about facilitative vs. directive coaching: Do they "pull" the client twoard learning or "push" the client toward learning?
• Activities:
• Visualization and Guided Imagery
• Guided imagery is a story / seqquence laid out by coach for fellow to follow.
• Visualization can go in many directions, just given questions to spur thinking
• Role-Playing
• Videotaping
• "...the changes that result after teachers watch videos of themselves far outweigh those that result from principal observations." (page 180)
• You must have a focus question or issue to explore
• Fellow can watch the video alone or with a coach
• I videotaped a lesson for all of my fellows this winter/spring. Only two or three of the ten chose to watch it with me, the rest chose to watch it individually and reflect.  Since this was the first one, some of them were able to identify an area of focus, whereas others we just saw what came about through watching.  For the second one I think it will be easier to pick an area of focus.  It's definitely not natural for teachers to want to be videotaped, but it's so powerful.  My struggle is helping them get from "I'm doing this because it's required as a part of the fellowship" to "I'm doing this because I know I'll learn and grow from the experience."  Our school purchased 3 SWIVL cameras, which makes the recording super easy.  I'm hoping to have it become a more natural part of professional growth on campus next year.
• Surveys
• I also had my fellows give their students a survey at the end of the first semester.  Some chose to give questions solely getting feedback on the effectiveness and engagement of different tech tools, whereas a few did venture into asking questions about classroom environment and teaching practice.  For some of them, it was meant to serve the purpose of introducing them to Google Forms.  For all of them, I hope that they saw the value in collecting feedback from students.  It was such an essential part of my practice as a teacher. [Here are some sample surveys I gave, you are welcome to click through them to check them out, just don't click "submit" at the very end]
• This chapter (page 191ff) includes sample surveys to give - Principal to Staff and Teacher to Students.
• Positive Self-Talk
• Writing
• Exploring Metaphors
• Storytelling
• utilize fellows telling stories about their life outside of work to help make connections to their work and reveal aspects of their character/personality that could be helpful in our work.
• Visual and Artistic Activities

...Until Chapter 11...

Order my new book (released May 2016) today!  Click here for more details and to place an order!

Book Notes & Reflections: The Art of Coaching (Chapter 9: Facilitative Coaching Conversations)

I've never blogged my notes and thoughts through a book, but I figure there's never a better time than NOW!

My goal is to create a reference & reflective place for me as I continue growing as a coach.

See my notes from all book chapters on my Coaching Page.

Direct quotes from the book are in blue.

• Sometimes coaching can feel like a lot of "talking and conversation", but a lot goes into those conversations!
• "A word of caution: As a coach starts pushing and probing into behaviors, beliefs, and being, clients can feel uncomfortable.  Some have described this as feeling that their whole brain is being re-wired as they go through a process of unlearning." (page 164) I have experienced this with several of my fellows.  Sometimes they can get defensive and take things the wrong way, but a little bit of uncomfortableness is necessary for deep change to happen.  Sometimes I have found that if they just simmer on something for another week (or even a couple of days), they come back with a different perspective.  This quote is what makes coaching in small groups rather than individuals so difficult.  In my experience, it's much harder to let the walls down when you are working with a coach in a PLC, even with a trusted group of colleagues. Every teacher has different beliefs, even if they collaborate and work together on most planning.  Because of this, different teachers need to be "pushed" and "challenged" in different ways, and this best happens on an individualized, personalized journey.
• TWO STANCES:
• Facilitative Stance - "A coach pulls and helps the client to be autonomous by using...a cathartic, catalytic, or supportive approach." (page 164)
• Authoritative / Directive Stance - "A Coach takes an instructive or directive role on behalf of the client and...use...a prescriptive, informative, or confrontational approach." Page 164-165)
• These two stances are the "coaching dance".  I've written previously about the three stances of expert, cognitive, and collaborative. No matter what you call it, the same ideas are in all of them.
• APPROACHES WITHIN THE FACILITATIVE STANCE
• Cathartic - help the client to release the emotions that may be blocking progress.  As Aguilar states, "we need to remember that without clearing emotions or working through them we often can't impact real behavioral change." (page 166)
• Some reflective prompts for cathartic approach: Talk through what you planned, why you planned it, what you hoped for, what you saw, and how you felt about what you saw.
• Tips for Cathartic Approach: Ask permission to invite feelings in, acknolwedge the role that emotions play, and affirm the value in processing and releasing emotions. (page 168)
• Catalytic - offer questions that hope to stimulate change.  Purpose is not to force, push, or mandate.  "We design questions based on our understanding of where a client is and where he can go, and if we're right with our assessment, and if the question is offered with care, transformation is possible." (page 169)
• This is most similar to the stance of "cognitive coaching" that I've talked about previously.  Probing questions are the best tool in our toolbox for this.
• Aguilar referred to a protocol called The Five Whys, which you can reference here.
• Tips for Catalytic Approach: Nudge gently through questions, notice metaphor and symbolic language; explore. (page 171)
• Supportive
• Aguilar mentions she had a hard time with this approach as a new coach, and I have felt the same way.  She said that, "Being supportive felt like casting positive judgment on someone and I worried that perhaps the flip side of being supportive was being critical, which was a door I never wanted to open." (page 171).  I have found that sometimes I want to be "supportive" when a fellow is sharing their feelings and experiences, but I don't agree with their complaints nor their philosophy of teaching behind their complaints.  If I am supportive and nod my head in agreement (of trying to understand their perspective), I am afraid it will come across as validating their complaints or philosophy. 
• The goal is not just to make the client feel good about himself, but helping him see all the small movement he's been making towards the goals, which sometimes can be hard to see.  Acknowledge all of the little things that have been adding up!
• Tips for Supportive Approach: Be authentic, be specific, highlight micromovements of growth (page 173)
• Final Thoughts - Everyone moves at different paces when in a coaching relationship.  We will not get "as far" with every fellow as we always hope, and we can never compare growth fellow to fellow because everyone is on an individual journey.  One year of coaching may not be enough to see the growth we are looking for - we must be patient and know that it takes time!  What is most important is that the fellows are becoming reflective educators who are ready and willing to grow and meet the ever-changing needs of our students.

...Until Chapter 10...

Order my new book (released May 2016) today!  Click here for more details and to place an order!

Reflections on Recent Readings (weekly)

I'm playing catch-up so a lot of these links from the last month (or more), not the last week.  But still good to share :)

Direct quotes from blogs are italicized in blue.

• When Kids Have Structure for Thinking, Better Learning Emerges | MindShift | KQED News

• How I Got Started Using Technology To Assess Student Learning | TeachThought

  As a starting point... use technology for ASSESSMENT first (not just summative, but moving to formative). THEN, how can the results of that assessment be used in your class? THEN, how can we use technology THROUGHOUT instruction? This might be a good workflow for working with new teachers in terms of starting blocks.

• Flip the Class? | Hilbert's Hotel

• A Meta-Curriculum | Five Twelve Thirteen
  
  
• Show Your Thinking: Ed Tech Myths

  Why blog? To reflect, share resources, and get feedback. Blogging isn't just for teachers with "more free time". It's a choice of how we spend our time. When planning a lesson, first plan the what... THEN you plan the HOW. If technology fits, then use it. This goes with the TPACK model I use with fellows. It's not about paperless, it's about less paper ;) How do you utilize technology and still make sure students interact with each other in person? When is an online discussion more valuable than an oral discussion? How can an online discussion be a jumping off point for an online discussion? You can't learn ALL the technology... but you can learn ONE new thing - try, refine, try again... then try something new!

• Letting Students Lead the Learning |
  • The finished products are a testament to how successful students can be when they are given a chance to lead the learning happening in the classroom.
    
  • I’ve come to realize that if I tell my students how to do their work, I remove the incentive for them to really engage, think critically, and problem solve. It’s so important that students learn how to learn and navigate unfamiliar tasks and challenges.
    
    
• Sliders with a Purpose | Reason and Wonder

  Use sliders purposefully! - with a clear target!

• The Real Issue in Tech Integration Is Self-Efficacy | John Spencer
• Technology-resistant teachers aren't lacking in motivation so much as self-efficacy. They are often excited and scared. We need to be cognizant of that as we create learning opportunities for them. 
• Coaches, fit your own oxygen masks! How do we support the coach’s needs? | the édu flâneuse
  
  
• High Tech Reflection Strategies Make Learning Stick | Edutopia
  • Although reflection is often the first thing to go when teachers run out of time on a project or a unit, activities that prompt students to look back at what they've learned and accomplished isn't just busywork or an unnecessary step, educational experts say. In fact, encouraging students to pause and think about what they're learning and why it's relevant to their lives is a critical piece,
• Reflection4Learning
  
  
• Learning Through Reflection
  • Unfortunately, educators don't often ask students to reflect on their learning. Thus, when students are asked to reflect on an assignment, they are caught in a dilemma: "What am I supposed to do? How do I 'reflect'? I've already completed this assignment! Why do I have to think about it anymore?"
• Music Cues | Matt Vaudrey

  Simply awesome. So many resources. Check it out!

• We’ve Only Just Begun…Now what? Nine Ways to Reignite Your Instructional Coaching | Your Instructional Coach
  
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.