Coaching Labs in Missouri

I just spent a few days with a wonderful group of new reading coaches in Missouri. They are a lovely group of committed and professional educators. In our work together, I was reminded how complex the process is for getting a coach established in this new role. At moments, I felt overjoyed and at others I felt overwhelmed, and I’ve been doing this for over 10 years! We used a Coaching Lab model for our two days together and it was incredibly supportive and valuable.

Coaching labs provide coaches with the opportunity to meet with a small group of colleagues and observe a fellow coach who acts as a lab host. The goal of the lab is to provide coaches with an observation of practice as well as time for rigorous reflection. Participating coaches walk away with new ideas and tools for their work and get a time-out in their busy professional lives to reflect on their practice. The labs require a host who is not necessarily viewed as an “expert”, but rather as a learner who is willing to bring something s/he is grappling with to a group of peers. They also require a lab facilitator who understands how to support both the host as well as the observers. Finally, labs require a small group of approximately 5-8 observers.

Last week we were able to observe a coach collaborating with her principal. We benefited from hearing the two of them work side-by-side to grapple with issues related to school culture. The other observation was of a coach as she planned with a teacher. This was her first coaching cycle and she wanted to be sure she was on the right track. The differences between the conversations reminded us of the broad scope of a coach’s work and the importance of providing support for each of these areas.

It was such a thrill to be with coaches in their own school setting as a group of supportive, caring, and dedicated professionals. Not only did the host coaches take away important new thinking, so did the coaches who observed. What a great way to support dedicated educators in a difficult job!

The "Big Money" Question

That teacher you have been trying to get into coaching finally comes to you and asks you for help in the classroom. You ask, “What is it you are thinking about working on?” And she responds, “I need help getting my first graders going in guided reading.” Your head swims with possibilities, after all, you taught guided reading for years and this is an area that you feel comfortable with. But then it hits you, there are too many possibilities…where should you start? You hold back from throwing out a thousand ideas and ask the “big money” question, “What is it that you want your students to be able to do as readers?” Suddenly the conversation shifts, and you are on your way to a focused and clear conversation that is about student learning.

Modifications for Secondary-
The same conversation takes place but replace “guided reading” with any of the following “classroom management, student engagement, or rigor” and you are in the same coaching place. You ask the same question, “What is it that you want your students to be able to do?” and you are off and running.

If I were to suggest having one vital question in your back pocket this would be it. As you get into a cycle, this question can be changed to any of the following, “What are we seeing that the students are doing?” “What do we still hope for among our students and what have they accomplished?” The bottom line is focus questioning on students more and on the teacher less.

Coaching Cycles vs. Drive-By Coaching

Coaching can feel scattered and superficial at times and this feeling makes the coaches I work with feel nervous. They aren’t sure there will be any noticeable outcomes from their work with teachers and this leads them to worry about issues around their own efficacy. A wonderful group of coaches in St. Joseph, MO coined the term “drive-by coaching” to describe the crazed coaching they were finding themselves doing most of the time.

To address this concern, we worked together to implement coaching cycles which I describe as:
- In-depth work with a teacher or pair of teachers, lasting approximately 6-9 weeks
- The focus of a cycle is determined by the learner (the teacher) rather than the coach
- The focus of the cycle comes from examining either formal or informal data and is ideally student-centered rather than teacher centered
- Coaching cycles include regular planning sessions, such as a 30-50 minute planning session per week and 1-3 times per week in the classroom for co-teaching, modeling instruction, or observing the teacher
- Coaching cycles are not predetermined by a school leader or coach, this fails to allow the teacher to engage in the cycle and it encourages the attitude that the coach is there to “fix” teachers
- Coaching cycles are a portion of a coach’s work. In addition to cycles, coaches facilitate small and large group learning for teachers, gather resources for teachers, informally plan with teachers, etc.

If you are a full-time coach, you can most likely take on no more than 3-5 cycles at a time, this leaves you lots of time to manage your other duties and also continue with some informal coaching conversations. If you are a part-time coach, than that number may have to be scaled back.

In future postings, we’ll discuss how to get teachers to participate in a coaching cycle.

I’m Worried About Becoming the “Assessment Queen”

So I was talking with a friend about whether or not coaches should be doing tasks like reading inventories, ELL assessments, etc. in the first days or weeks of school…after all, everyone is busy and coaches usually have time in the first few days of school. After some back and forth, we decided it’s just like eating ice cream… it’s about moderation. There is good stuff in ice cream like calcium, but you just don’t want to go overboard and eat it all day, every day. So, set limits. Offer to do a few assessments and be helpful, but let folks know that you have another role as coach and this is a short term offer of assistance. My friend also suggested that when the year is up and running, you should make it clear that you won’t have time for that and will be focusing on your coaching work. That way you are holding your role sacred but also building relationships and supporting your colleagues.

Technology Ideas for Engaging Teachers

So I have to admit, I’m not the most technological person around. In fact, I’m pretty thrilled that I know how to pay bills online and manage this blog. Wow! That’s a step! For this posting, I’d like to enlist some help from one of our friends; Sean Nash from Benton High School in St. Joseph, MO.

Sean has masterminded an incredible website that serves as a networking tool for the teachers in his high school. Check it out at: http://virtualsouthside.ning.com/. When I first saw the site, I started thinking about all of the untapped technologies that are out there to support coaching. And Sean has gracefully agreed to teach us a few things about how he went about this process including: how he went about setting it up, as well as what benefits and challenges he has found when using this sort of technology. Sean, take it away…

As always, anyone with other ideas, chime in as well.

Inspiring Books to Use with Teachers

In an earlier post, Kathy wrote, "Our coaches attended a workshop today, and the presenter shared a book called "Write On! A Guide for Babies of All Ages" that several of us are planning to use as a read-aloud to our staff members. It's a perfect analogy to being a new coach . . . crawling, pulling up, trying to walk, falling, and finally running." That got me thinking about the use of great books to motivate, encourage, and excite teachers who are just coming back from summer break.

Last year, I was in Florida working with a district and their coaches used the book, "So Few of Me" by Peter Reynolds (who also wrote Dot and Ish). I loved it as a way to acknowledge staying creative and happy in the midst of an overhwelming workload. I love the line, "Leo wondered, what if I did less but did my best?" This would be a great read aloud for a staff of teachers.

Another friend turned me on to the book "Scaredy Squirrel" by Melanie Watt. She uses it to encourage teachers to take risks and learn new things. A great line is, "He'd rather stay in his safe and familiar tree than risk venturing out into the unknown." Another book with a similar theme is, "She Taught Me To Eat Artichokes" by Mary Kay Shanley. It's about reaching out to friends to learn new things. It is a bit longer but also a great read aloud with great illustrations.

What other books have you used with teachers? Let's get a list going... and thanks Kathy for the idea.

Keep visiting and join in the discussion

Each week or two, I will add a new post to continue the conversation. Please respond to one another and I will respond as well. Visit regularly as the topics will change and evolve.

What should I be doing on the first days of school?

As a teacher I loved the hot days in late July when I'd return to duty to set up my classroom. The book bins would be just so. The desks set up in groups. The daily schedule carefully penned next to the board.

Then I became a literacy coach. Instead of setting up my own classroom, I started wandering aimlessly around the school offering my services, "Would you like help moving desks?" "Need help organizing book bins?"

The hardest part was the first day of school. I observed as the teachers carried their class lists out to the blacktop to meet their new charges. Children with their new school clothes and backpacks were lined up and ready to love their new teacher. Hugs were shared, welcomes given, they marched into their classrooms; and there I stood. It was too early to start “coaching” and I didn’t really know what that meant anyway. I couldn’t hang out in the front office or everybody would know that I didn’t have anything to do. What should I do?

Since coaching depends on relationships, what might you do in the first days of school to get coaching off on the right foot? Please share some things you have tried or ideas that you might try? What has worked? What questions do you have?

Let's Get Started

Thanks for visiting our blog for new coaches. To get started, please introduce yourself and let the group know what type of role you'll be playing in your coaching work. Are you a full time coach? Part-time? Elementary, middle, or high school? What else should we know about you?

Welcome to Our Blog for New Coaches

We are excited to bring back our blog and use it to support brand new coaches in their first year. We hear over and over again about the challenges related to getting started as a coach. What should I be doing on the first day of school when everyone else is teaching? How do I build trust? How do I get into classrooms with teachers? How do I create a schedule? How do I document my impact as a coach?

If these questions sound familiar, we would love for you to join in our conversation. (Psst. if you are an experienced coach, you can come along too!). We will continue the conversation throughout the year and topics will be guided by you and moderated by me (Diane Sweeney- author of Learning Along the Way). The more voices, ideas, opinions, and experiences the better!