Weekly Coaching Roundup, Week 49: December 4, 2020

We kickstarted December by looking at a few ways to strengthen connection in remote environments, why one IC believes teachers can benefit from the “See Think Wonder” protocol, how teachers can empower their students by giving them voice and choice in their learning, and more. Enjoy!

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3 Ways to Strengthen Connection in Remote Environments

Ashley Taplin shares how she recommends strategies, highlights best practices, and listens intentionally while working both in person and from afar.

“I believe
providing space for one-on-one conversation is an important part of coaching, especially as we all try to navigate situations we’ve never encountered before. Whether I’m collaborating on a lesson plan or talking through the day’s stress with a teacher,
I feel it’s important to listen first as a thought partner.”

Using Images in Coaching

Stephanie Affinito believes that teachers benefit from the “See Think Wonder” protocol and explores how she uses videos, images, and targeted questions to enable it.

“One of my favorite activities is to project an image representing some aspect of teaching for teachers to analyze. This might be a picture of the classroom overall, an image of a specific classroom location, a picture of students engaging in small group instruction or anything else you want to draw teachers attention to. . . . If you think your teachers are up for it,
you could take it a step further and challenge them to capture images of their classroom that are working well or that are examples of innovations other teachers might also want to try.”

Using the Gradual Release in Remote Learning

Barbara Blackburn overviews the “Gradual Release Model” of learning that helps students gain more independence in their learning.

“It’s important for teachers to keep in mind that
we need to give students support at an appropriate level throughout the learning process, whether we’re teaching face to face, completely online, or in a hybrid model. . . . Sometimes students need to see you model something once; other students may need multiple explanations and models.”

Collecting Feedback on Your Coaching Practice

Kim Cofino highlights three ways ICs can gather feedback on their craft from teachers, parents, and students.

”
It can be good to get feedback from a small group, to allow them to share and connect around their experiences with you to really flush out their thinking. . . .
To facilitate their conversation, you can ask a trusted colleague to use some question prompts that you (or they) design together. The great thing about this method is that they have the opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other.”

The IKEA Effect

Steve Barkley talks about “sweat equity” and how teachers can empower their students by giving them a voice and choice in their learning projects.

“I have often pointed to
the motivation that results when students have responsibility for deciding upon and planning the process as well as doing the “work” of reaching a learning outcome. . . . The teacher’s task in addition to providing the opportunity or challenge for the learners is to provide the necessary motivation and scaffolding.”

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