nstrumental Knowers as Feedback Receivers: “Tell Me What | Need to Do” As we began to consider in chapter 3, adults who make meaning with an instrumental way of knowing tend to see the world in concrete, dualistic terms: they believe that there are right and wrong answers to problems, and right and wrong ways to think and behave. Because instrumental knowers are run by fulfilling their needs, wants, and desires, they respond well to feedback that helps them u

e feedback conference—an E so . t teachers Faring ee Nonetheless finding time should be a major priority, given tha’ is no eas . > professional growth is at stake. EDBACK CONFERENCE TECHNIQUE 8: PROVIDE THE TEACHER WITH FE USING OBJECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL DATA because they see it as i the feedback conference, . el defensive as they enter , ; erceive the Many ation of their competence. Their defensiveness will ig ae re objective ane iecti i urate, or irrelevant. Lhe ’ ; . ata to be subjective, inaccurate, OF | ; ‘otaping, or selective a asroomn events—such as is provided by Ee audow’? Me they genes verbs tim is crucial. Teachers might be surprised by what the data , yerbatim— ; . . tructive. i t the data as valid and ins +. For example, ally Wis important to realize that observational records a nd =aimte a events, DU . . ‘ i excellent record of classroom ; : video videotaping POV ae judgment, skill, and biases of the person operating the thing. Furthe , - , i e recording. . f these im- “on vier i be tempted to dismiss the observational record because . ante ei setions ie a supervisor, you can acknowledge the teacher’s const the deta achieve wae ile all data are imperfect, some data are better on th mn You might wish to in- contain level of objectivity, there is much to be learned Hom te the ath water” wok the time-honored saying, “let’s not throw out the baby ord to the teacher as soon as ve have found it best to present the observational recor: 4 orofessichal'intone ie in the feedback conference. This approach is neutral an ene ie 7 ihe cee eater t like, “Let’s look at the data we have collected,’ 1s eed , refresh the teacher’s ore numerical of involve the use of symbols, you first might need to are num ey mean. . the teacher memory of eae iE teacher reviews the observational record, you mp te, sup describe-n0l evaluate—what the record reveals about th — too long to get the to pe teacher looks at a video recording and says, Wow. It took vinntes passed #010 ease settled down.” Your response might ee —. a Woe the rainutes are known, the su- ; : i tion began.” On bl i ell rang to the time instruc hat a reasonable servis woe teacher can discuss whether the minutes are too many and w Pervisor ight be . ime limi ling the class down mig . . ‘ve verbatim (see aren i ber exaraple consider the teacher who examines a an a growth veld st ‘9) and says, “I didn’t explain the Malthusian theory of ech our explanation. Soe AS a supervisor, your response might be, “You're not happy i how you went about Bu before we make any judgments about it, let's try to undessian d, would you walk me Bu sining the theory to the class. So, looking at the selective record, We exp ation?” . os ine that under- throw a cnnte teacher to focus on description, the supervisor is reveaing scriptionll ‘i ; is the priority rather than a “rush to judgment. aia articular features of the stan ae or incomplete, the supervisor can help out by clarifying pach reduces the threat <pservational record or by asking clarifying questions.) This app 0 T Conference Technique 8: Provide the Teacher with Feedback Using Objective Observational Data 137 of the feedback conference for the teacher and provides a better foundation for developing a plan for improving the teacher’s instruction. . Interpretation of the observational record follows naturally from a careful descriptive analysis of it. The teacher and supervisor together can look for possible causes and conse- quences of observed teacher behavior; theories, values, and beliefs to explain the cause- effect patterns, and alternatives to try in the future. For example, observation of students’ at-task behavior during a class period might show their interest in an instructional activity waning after 20 minutes. The teacher might interpret these data as indicating a weakness in the activity or as a normal consequence of students’ limited attention span. Depending on the interpretation, decisions for change will vary. If the activity is judged inappropriate, it can be modified or changed substantially in future lessons. If it is interpreted as appro- priate but too long, it might merely need to be shortened. Deciding what changes to make. in future instruction can take many forms. Decisions can relate to any elements discussed in the planning conference. For example, the confer- ees might conclude that one or more of the following should be changed: * the objectives of the lesson or unit. * what the teacher does during the instruction. * what students do during instruction. Decisions vary in magnitude. At one extreme, the teacher might decide to leave teaching as the result of systematic observational feedback, (We have seen instances of this.) At the other extreme, the teacher might decide not to change a thing. (This has not happened, in our experience; teachers who believe they are perfect must be very rare.) More often, teachers think of several aspects of their instruction that can be changed. The teacher might decide to experiment with these changes one at a time and analyze the ef- fects. Usually the effects can be observed by the teacher without repeated visits by a su- pervisor, but in some cases a supervisor will be needed. Occasionally a teacher reaches a decision as the result of viewing data without mak- ing any comments during the feedback conference. For example, a teacher might resolve to get rid of an annoying mannerism noted in watching a videotape or to spend more time working with a particular student after analyzing observational data about the student’s behavior. We recall one teacher, who was ‘using a low-key style during a videotaped session, display a very dynamic style during the next observation (also videotaped). The supervi- sor asked about the obvious and abrupt change in teaching style—a matter that had not been mentioned in the previous conference. The teacher replied, “It wasn’t until after I saw that first tape that I realized how undynamic I was. I swore I’d try something much different the next time!” Such a radical change is unusual, but this teacher found he was capable of a more energetic approach to teaching—at least occasionally. Science makes use of accurate, objective data to understand, predict, and control. Similarly, when presented with accurate, objective data rather than a supervisor’s opinions and criticism, the teacher is in a position to use the data to propose changes in his or her instruction and predict their effects on students, The supervisor provides verbal feedback during this process, but it is focused on the objective record, and it emphasizes efforts to understand rather than to evaluate.

The coursework models the ae ha cclinark Ps Saas Practices that teacher candidates develo sce grou. : en receive feedback and reflect

“I’d hate that too,” Devona agreed. “But, what if your trainer of trainers met you on your floor, got to know you, and really listened to and affirmed you? What if you became comfortable telling her where you wanted to im ore a the trainer of trainers worked with you, showed you exactly how to improve in your chosen area by working with your patients, and then watched you and gave yo

If I accept you as you are, L will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becom- ing, I help you become that. —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe e Coaches work to achieve their mission by supporting ng self-directed autonomous agents and self-di- f a group. Toward this end, Cognitive Coaches tunities focused on self- Cognitiv people in becomi rected members 0 regard all interactions as learning oppor directedness. The goal of learning Cognitive Coaching is to develop the capaci: o can in turn help to develop ties and identity of a mediator, wh the capacities for self-directedness in others. The skillful Cognitive Coach: - establishes and maintains trust in onese cesses, and the environment. If, relationships, Pt” Exploring the Meanings of Cognitive Coaching 21 Cc envisions, assesses, and mediates for states of mind e * maintains faith in the ability to mediate one’s own and oth- ers capacity for continued growth. The purpose of this book and the traini ; iti . training provided by th for Cognitive Coaching is to support that learning. y the Center METAPHORS FOR COACHING You don’t see somethin i g until you have the right m to let you perceive it. ght metaplir ~~Thomas Kuhn Wik of the term coaching, and you may envision an athletic coach. elike to use quite a different metaphor. To us, coaching is a means of conveyance, like a stagecoach (Figure 1-4). “To coach means to con- vey a valued colleague from where he or she is to where he or she wants to be.” Skillful Cognitive Coaches apply specific strategies to enhance another person’s perceptions, decisions, and intellectual func- — ulate purpose is to enhance this person’s self-directed- simodiyin é aA a he self-managing, self-monitoring, and rien ° snveyanee metaphor, the act of coaching itself, not WHY COACHING? Inati na time when many schools are pressed for time and money, why . . * 2 * | ifi | ] Lh 1. Poe need and want support. Studies tracked the imple- ion of state legislative mandates in 26 national sites. Among

Sara also underscored how social interaction, such as that in this less has the additional advantage of “making content relevant” to the students She explained that she and Kim “always try to have the purpose for wh : we're doing connected to [students’] lives.” Asking students to tell ee own stories not only validates students’ life experiences, but it also re thong amn nev writing skills by applying those skills to content (

Achieving a “sense of success” depends largely on the conditions new teachers encounter at their schools—their roles on the faculty, their rela- tionships with colleagues, the availability of curricula and resources, and the presence of supportive structures that focus the life of the school on teaching and learning. (p. 1) Toward the end of the year, beginning teachers usually need institutional support again during the reflection phase of first-year teaching. Institutional support can help beginning teachers reflect on the school culture from the previous year and anticipate what it might look like in the next year and beyond. As the beginning teacher establishes new networks with colleagues and reaches out to the broader school community, the mentor can assist in facilitating a professional vision. 61

However, as beginning teach- ers settle into their teaching roles, mentors must provide high-quality instructional support. Mentors should ensure that mentees use effective instructional strategies in the classroom, monitor their current level of skill with those strategies, and understand what they can do to improve their level of expertise.

Human beings are highly attuned to the nonverbal signals of others. We communicate our intention and degree of attention to others by our posture, degree of muscle tension, and how we respond verbally and nonverbally.

suggesting that a mentor’s role within such a relationship is to balance three functions: * Offering support * Creating challenge * Facilitating a professional vision

nnectA Bid: Can beaquestion, a gesture,a look, a touch—anysingle expressionthat says “I want tobe connected toyou.” (Gottman &DeClaire, p. 4)Turning Toward:Means to reactinaPositive ways toanother’s bids-foremotionalconnection. (p. 16)Turning Away: Thispattern of relatinggenerally involvesignoring another’sbid, or actingpreoccupied. (p. 17)Turning Against:People who turnagainst oneanother’s bids forconnection might bedescribed asbelligerentorargumentative. Forexample, if amanfantasized aboutowning a passingsports car, his friendmight reply, “Onyour salary? Dreamon!” (p. 17)

When coachesunderstand how to differentiate instruction forall students, including those who are non- orlimited English speaking, have exception-alities, differ in gender, ethnicity, race, andbackground, they will be better able to assisttheir colleagues improve their instruction

AsCHAPTER &. ASKING BETTER QUESTIONSliteracycoachingexpertCathyTollsaidtome,we shouldn'taskquestionstowhichwethinkwealreadyknowtheanswer.Rather,weshouldaskquestionsbecauseweauthenticallywanttohearwhatourpartnerhastosay