Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Whenever I have an opportunity to talk with instructional
coaches about their practice, I feel lucky. It gives me a chance to ask them
about what’s going on in schools and more importantly, it gives them a space to
ask me some questions or voice their concerns about their coaching habits and
routines. I can offer anonymity as they discuss their innermost feelings; I
offer no opinions and they don’t expect them either.
In my most recent conversations with coaches, the
predominant theme that surfaced was one related to doubt and uncertainty about
their coaching roles and support to teachers. “How do I know that I am helping teachers move their practice forward?”
was the most frequently asked question.
As practitioners, we all have those moments of doubt where
we are not quite sure our practice is going in a productive direction. As
coaches, we try to give our teachers the confidence they need and assure them
that they are implementing effective instructional practices so that their
students will reach their fullest potential. We do that by asking questions
that generate deep thinking. At the same time, we need to reflect and ask
ourselves those kinds of questions as well. We need to ask ourselves how we are
helping teachers take ownership of their own learning so that their students
will benefit. We need to ask ourselves how we are making a difference in
teacher practice and how we are helping teachers make a difference in their own
classrooms.
We know that the “before”
conversations provide an opportunity to have these discussions with teachers
and the “after” conversations promote
reflection. The content of those conversations, however, is what makes the
difference. Digging into practice and talking about the overall objectives and
goals of both short term and long term practice is what transforms our
classroom rituals and methods of instructional delivery. It’s not just a
simple, “How should I teach this content”
as much as it is, “What are some of the
ways I can improve student engagement and understand more about how my students
learn?”
Providing that ear (remember two ears and one mouth) as well
as ample opportunities for teaching colleagues to collaborate and discuss
practice will help you understand more about change and how practice moves
forward.
How do you know that practice is changing in your school?
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