faulker008

The old year is drawing to a close, and we are looking with hope towards 2018.  That probably involves some reflection on the year gone by, considering its favorites and also its faults and flaws.  A debrief conversation when coaching is a lot like this end-of-the-year reflection.  A teacher may be more comfortable looking back on a lesson if she is using the reflection to look forward – to consider teaching moves she might make in the future – rather than focusing too much on the lesson that has already occurred.  I call this coaching forward. When we coach forward, we use post-conferences to connect reflection with future practice. The lesson has passed, and it is useful only as the pillar that holds the bridge to future lessons.  The phrase, “As we think about the next lesson….” becomes a pivot point from past to future for both the high points and the low when coaching forward.  “As we think about the next lesson, what do you want to be sure to hang on ...

“The important thing is not to stop questioning.”    –Albert Einstein Asking questions is a powerful coaching tool for gathering information, engaging others in discussion, clarifying perspectives, and facilitating self-discovery.  By asking questions, coaches encourage the teachers they are working with to flesh out their own objectives and search for answers. An important attribute of powerful questions is curiosity.  When coaches ask with genuine curiosity, we communicate respect and show faith in the teacher because we demonstrate that we value what she has to say.  It can be hard to pull away from our own knowledge and experience enough to ask an authentic question.  We have to mentally set aside the answer we would give enough to care about the teacher’s response.  We don’t just care because it tells us what the teacher knows or doesn’t know.  We care because we recognize that the teacher knows her students and her objectives better tha...

It’s dangerous to label people. We don’t like labels that convey fixed-abilities or disabilities; we opt for more open-ended language.  But being able to label what we do as coaches can help us be more thoughtful and intentional about those moves.  This week, I learned about third points, a tool I have been using without knowing the label.  Now that I’ve got a way of talking about this approach, I know I’ll be using third points more effectively.  And by the end of this post, I hope your awareness will increase your effectiveness, too. People usually value two-point communication – the two points being the two people communicating, looking directly at each other.  In professional situations, two-point communication is usually a way to build personal relationships and trust.  But in difficult conversations, two-point communication can do just the opposite.  And that is where third points come in. A third point is something (anything!) that shifts atten...

Reflective teachers are better teachers.  Although reflection is important in any profession, teachers have a special need for reflection because they usually carry out their responsibilities in isolation from their colleagues.  Because they neither see nor are seen by peers as they teach, the best avenue for growth is self-reflection. Reflection is about careful thought: conscious consideration of actions for the purpose of learning.  Reflecting gives the brain an opportunity to pause amidst the busy-ness, untangle and sort through observations and experiences, consider interpretations, and create meaning. This meaning can inform future decisions and actions. For teachers, this meaning-making is crucial for ongoing professional development. For some, reflection comes naturally.  Others know the definition but don’t really understand the process.  Reflection requires slowing down and taking a mindset of curiosity.  It also means taking personal responsibili...

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”  - Friedrich Nietzsche CHANGE is a big, scary word for most people. We know our routines and we are as comfortable in them as in our favorite jeans.  So when we are asked to change, that can make us uncomfortable.  And change is hard work. So how do we find the energy to move change forward?   Knowing our “why” can help fuel the change. Several years ago, I was tasked with adopting new literacy materials for the elementary schools in my district.  More important than just updating old books, we had to have a purpose for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on materials. We had to find out why.  So we created philosophy statements to guide our work and then searched for materials that aligned with them. Statements like: The learner must be at the center of literacy instruction. Literacy instruction equips students to construct meaning, think critically, form educated opinions, and make knowled...