The Art of Coaching

by Elena Aguilar

  Would it be OK if I shared some advice that I think might help you? You're welcome to take it or leave it, of course.

  I'd like to suggest…

  Tips for Using a Prescriptive Approach

  Use the prescriptive approach to direct behavior around legal, safety, or ethical issues.

  Use when client lacks confidence or can't direct her own learning.

  Use with caution.

  Coaching for Systems Change: Institutional Mind-sets

  I have worked in dozens of schools and I've noticed that just as individuals develop mind-sets and rut stories about what has happened to them, organizations (large and small) also develop narratives about their experiences. These stories become shared by a community, told in many ways year after year, and reinforced. They are often reflected in the school's policies, personality, and climate. Such schools seem to attract staff who are inclined to take up these stories, for whom they resonate, where they can fit right in. The stories (which can be empowering or destructive) affect the way decisions are made and the way people treat each other. For coaches who are working with leaders or who are engaged in whole school transformation, helping the staff in a school to identify these mind-sets can be transformational. When confronted with the story they are telling and when supported to create a new one, the majority of educators are willing to make a change.

  I coached a principal and teachers at one school that had adopted a victim story. They spoke about their school as being under siege (“The district is just trying to close us down. They never wanted us here in the first place.”) Whenever a central office administrator came to visit the school, the principal would warn the staff, mandate that they dress up, fix their bulletin boards, and bribe the kids to behave well. “They're looking for any reason to ding us,” he said. This story permeated the site: there was little joy in classrooms, just a feeling of impending doom. Teachers would say, “I'm just waiting for the axe to fall,” and “Nothing we do is good enough; I'm not even going to try to do anything ambitious this year.” Regardless of this story, five hundred children showed up day after day ready to learn.

  The observations I'd made in my first months at the school crystallized on a fall afternoon when I was leading an exercise with the staff. I'd given them a prompt asking them to think in metaphors. I asked, “If your school was something in the natural world, what would it be?” Their responses—which they wrote on sentence strips—included the following: “A tree stump,” “a rabbit caught in a snare,” “a decaying leaf,” “a blue whale,” and “a lone wolf.” While there were a couple of exceptions, the overall depiction was of the victim story.

  I taped the sentence strips onto a whiteboard. “What's the story here?” I asked. “What is possible for this school if the story you tell is one of powerlessness? And what are you all getting from holding onto this story?” I pushed on, hoping to create some cognitive dissonance. “What do you think is the effect on your students? Who do they need you to be?” Finally, I said, “You are the authors of this narrative. You created it. Are you willing to give it up? Could we create a new one?”

  Two years later, the staff had cultivated such a different institutional mind-set that they had even amended the name of their school to include a word reflecting this empowered new story and they adopted the bristlecone pine, a tree that can live for a thousand years, as their mascot. A few teachers had left, unwilling or unable to take apart that web of beliefs. But most had slowly, cautiously taken up a mind-set that allowed them to learn and grow. According to every indicator of the health of a school (culture and climate, suspension data, test scores, instructional practices, and so on) the school was a transformed place—a much happier, more successful place. And with that, the rumors leaking from “the district” that the school might be closed stopped.

  Site-based coaches or those who work with several teachers and leaders at a school are well-positioned to hear dominant stories, consider how those affect the functioning of the school and learning for children, and to interrupt them if necessary. As coaches engaged in transformation of systems, a high-leverage area to work in is the way an institution thinks about itself. If we find an entry point, if we can take up this work, we can make profound changes.

  Common Challenges and Helpful Responses

  Challenge: I'm coaching at a high school where I often hear teachers make all kinds of negative generalizations about African American kids, many of which have offensive racial overtones. They say the kids are like animals and that they need cages, that they are untamable beasts, that some of them should be “put down.” I'm tired of hearing this—can I just confront them?

  Lens of Inquiry. You could use a confrontational approach to guide them down the Ladder of Inference. I once coached at a school where a number of staff held attitudes such as these, but also where many were concerned about the achievement of African American boys. I suggested to the leadership team that I help them gather some qualitative data on this population. We identified a black male “focal student” and I followed him through a day of eighth grade to see what his experience was like. “Marcus,” who was neither a “big discipline problem” nor a stellar student, didn't notice me trailing him. I had informed the leadership team that I'd just jot down everything that was said to Marcus by adults at the school.

  The following week I brought the transcript to the leadership team. “What do you think this data will look like?” I asked before sharing it. Their predictions were a stark contrast to the data. Here's a sample of the transcript, of what Marcus heard during part of his day in school:

  “Take your hoodie off…Hurry up and sit down…Where's the other paper?…You need to raise your hand…Quiet now…That's a warning…I don't want to ask you again…I asked you for that already…We covered that last week—don't you remember?…Wrong…Keep your hands to yourself. Don't run. Take your hoodie off…Pay attention…Sit up straight…You have thirty seconds to sit down and be quiet…Wrong. Check your work…You're mumbling—speak clearly…”

  The leadership team was shocked by the number of negative interactions that Marcus had experienced. Of the total number of adult-student interactions that day, 97 percent were corrective or negative. “This kid isn't even a problem,” said one of the teachers. I named a white student whom everyone knew—one who also wasn't a problem, but wasn't an exceptional student. “What do you think the data might read like if I was to follow him?” I asked. Very different, everyone agreed. This data set was an entry into examining issues of race at this site.

  Challenge: I'm using lots of coaching stances with my client and our conversations are powerful. We have such an easy rapport and there's so much to talk about, I don't feel we need to get into the goals. Do I need to look at the goals?

  Lens of Inquiry. You might want to reflect on the effect of the conversation on the client's professional growth and student learning. Is growth happening in areas that weren't articulated in the work plan? Are specific topics consistently addressed in conversations, and are you working toward an outcome? Sometimes the work that was determined for the work plan wasn't the right work to do at that time—the goal was too ambitious, or the learning wasn't broken down enough.

  However, if learning isn't happening, there might be a problem with this conversational style. Do you feel that you can use confrontational approaches when necessary? Do you feel you can push your client to the edge of her comfort zone? Has the client bought into being pushed and challenged? What do each of you expect and want from a coaching relationship?

  And what exactly is discussed? Are conversations all over the place? What are the results of the conversations? What action is the client prepared to take after a coaching session? How does the client feel about the conversations? Would she agree that rapport is easy and goals are unnecessary? What are her hopes and expectations for coaching?

  Sometimes when rapport is too easy, and conversations are all over the place, there might be some avoidance going on—on th
e part of the coach or the client. A starting place would be to use an inquiry lens in a conversation with the client about how the coaching has been going, where the client is feeling successful and seeing her own changes in practice, and what the client might need or want from coaching. Finally, perhaps there's nothing wrong with feeling comfort and having good rapport when we're learning.

  Chapter 12

  Directive Coaching Activities

  Read this when:

  You are not sure what to “do” as a coach

  You are coaching someone in a new role—a new teacher or new principal

  Your client is a “doer” and likes to engage in coaching activities rather than just sit around talking

  Further Engaging in Learning Activities

  As a new coach I sometimes sat in my office, twiddling my thumbs, wondering what I should do as a coach. I knew I should probably observe teachers, but observe for what? And then what would I do with that observation? And what else could I do? This chapter presents some activities that a coach can engage a client in that are directive in nature—that is, the coach will push, nudge, and direct the teacher or principal into a learning experience.

  Directive or instructive activities are sometimes the most appropriate way for a coach to work—when coaching new teachers, for example, or teachers who are implementing a new curriculum. However, while new teachers need modeling, feedback, and elbow support on lesson planning, they also need to engage in facilitative learning activities to release emotions, develop their own visions, and become thoughtful, reflective practitioners who can direct their own learning. As I mentioned in Chapter Eleven, to some extent the way I've divided up learning activities is a false dichotomy: reflective questioning should always be incorporated into each of these activities, the data that is gathered in the following strategies must always be put forth for the client to interpret as he wishes. Transformational coaching always honors the autonomy of the learner.

  How does a coach decide which activities to engage a client in? She first uses the analytical frameworks presented in this book to understand a client's situation.

  The activities listed in this chapter are not presented in sequential order. A coach needs to suggest an activity after considering where the client currently is in his learning, where he's going (his goals), and the data we gather by applying a set of analytical frameworks. We engage clients in activities that we hope will deepen their learning and propel them toward their goals, therefore we are very intentional when we make decisions.

  Observations

  Administrators: many of these tips on observations and giving feedback could be relevant to your observations with teachers.

  It's common for a teacher to invite a coach to observe her, or for a coach to suggest this activity, but observations can be very tricky things. Although many teachers and principals say they welcome observations and feedback, without clear agreement observations can be problematic. There are several keys to making an observation be a learning experience for the client.

  Focus. It is critical that a clear, narrow focus is agreed on before the observation. Whereas a teacher might say something like, “I'd love to have you observe my class,” a coach needs to help the teacher identify a specific area of practice or focus for the observation. What exactly does the teacher want the coach to look at or look for? Ideally, the focus is connected to the client's goals and usually, the narrower the focus the better. It is essential that this conversation happens before the observation (not on the side of the classroom as the students are entering). In this planning conversation, the coach needs to use clarifying questions and paraphrasing to ensure that she's accurately understanding the client's needs and requests, and that there's a clear agreement on what will happen during the observation.

  Data Collection Tools. Once the focus of the observation is clear, then the coach engages the client in a discussion of how the data will be collected. A principal, for example, might want a coach to pay attention to his communication with a variety of stakeholders. This data could be collected through a script of the principal's exchanges with others, or on a quantitative record that tabulates the number of questions he asks, the groups he has exchanges with, the nature of interactions with students, and so on. Many schools and districts have created tools that they use to gather data on teaching effectiveness, leadership and instructional practices, and classroom observations. Some of these can be very useful; some schools may even mandate that coaches use these tools. What's essential is that there is agreement about what will be used. You don't want to surprise a teacher by showing up in her class and using a checklist that she's never seen before.

  The Two-Column Note Taker. If no data tracker exists, then a coach can use a two-column note taker to script what teachers and students say. This is a raw form of data that can be used to begin a reflective conversation. Sometimes it can also be useful for a coach to jot down her own questions, “wow and wonders” or noticings. These should be shared with a client with caution—our questions and “wows and wonders” are often laden with our values and judgments. We can gather wows and wonders for our own purposes—so that we can reflect, see patterns, and come to conclusions, but we have to be careful about sharing this raw data. I like to keep a separate document where I record the questions I have. My preference, when there's no specific data-gathering tool, is to gather just the kinds of data presented in Exhibit 12.1 (a basic data collection tool for observations) and use this as a conversation entry point. I might direct the client to a piece of data, but I'll also leave some space for the client to direct his learning.

  Debrief. The third essential agreement to make with a client before doing an observation is about the debrief—when will it happen? Where? Whenever possible, the debrief should happen on the same day as the observation. The client will be anxious to hear your feedback and the details will be fresh on everyone's minds. But a coach should always use her best judgment—if she observed a particularly difficult encounter, the client might want to postpone the debrief until he's had some time to process it alone, or he might be anxious to debrief immediately in order to get the coach's support in processing what happened. Frequently, a coach will observe a client and notice interesting data that falls outside of the agreed-on focus. For example, the teacher may ask a coach to observe how students engage in a cooperative learning structure but our attention might be drawn to the teacher's interactions with students. We may notice, perhaps, that when interacting with male students the teacher is notably more impatient, brusque and demanding. However, in the debrief on this observation, we need to be careful about how we bring up these observations. If the teacher didn't feel like she gave the coach permission to observe those interactions, she can feel defensive and distrusting. We might try to lay the groundwork for us to be able get the teacher's permission to gather data about this dynamic. Or, sometimes, we might try raising the data point and seeing what happens. The next section elaborates on how to give feedback.

  Exhibit 12.1. Classroom Observation Tool

  Teacher: Debbie Cohn Date: 4/11/11 Time: 10:15–11:00

  Time

  Recorded every 5 minutes Teacher words and actions Student words and actions

  10:35 We're going to start with reading, we'll do choral reading with the same groups that we had this morning. So this group is 1; can you start choral reading the first paragraph? One, two, three.

  Stop. We did read this before but we're going to use it to pick out these elements. OK, second group next paragraph, one two three.

  OK, when we are reading chorally, as a reminder, group 1, when another group is reading what should you be doing? Do you have pencils in your hands? I believe I said pencils down, Dawanna.

  I believe I said pencils down, Dawanna.

  We're not writing anything, we're reading. If your group isn't reading, you're following along. I want you to be reading in ready position. OK, group 3, one two three. 4 students asked to choral read; I can hear 3 stude
nts' voices.

  3 students asked to choral read; I can't hear them from where I'm sitting.

  Dawanna: “I'm going to write my name.”

  Group 3 choral reading.

  10:40 All right, group 1 next paragraph. One two three.

  I would like everybody to read the last paragraph together. One two three.

  You know, this particular passage I believe the setting is pretty explicitly stated. Where does this story take place? Turn to your neighbor and tell them where you think the story takes place.

  Teacher at front of room, talks to a student sitting alone Dawanna looking around, opens notebook.

  19 of 24 students reading. 2 students are looking out window. 1 is leaning under table scratching foot.

  All students turn to neighbor and talk. The two pairs in front of me are talking about the setting.

  S1: It's in the forest.

  S2: In the trees.

  S1: That's the forest.

  S2: Do you ever go there? To the forest? I do.

  S1: Sometimes we go.

  Giving Feedback

  Feedback is very tricky. We all need it, many of us know we need it and say we want it. But it's also very hard for a coach to effectively deliver feedback, and it's often very hard for us to hear feedback.

  Part of the reason that feedback is so tricky is that the big picture in education right now is a cruel, unforgiving, and frightening place. Teachers have been blamed for far more than their share of the failure of schools; in general, those who work in schools are suspect until they show the test scores. Appreciation for educators is token and infrequent. We are all very sensitive when it comes to feedback on our work, particularly if it comes from people who haven't been in our shoes.