The #educoach hashtag is used by instructional coaches around the world. We chat each Wednesday at 8pm CST on Twitter and use the hashtag throughout the week to share resources, ask questions and collaborate with instructional coaches.
Hi! Lauren, Instructional Coach, Indiana. Looking forward to co-moderating with @KathyPerret tonight. My #eduwin is being back at school with students and staff after a relaxing winter break and learning and growing alongside @MisterMinor this week! #educoach
Hello for OKC. Elementary instructional coach. My win this week was going from having an empty calendar for January to a full one with great coaching conversations and impact cycles on the horizon #educoach
Just back from Christmas holidays. Aussie schools enjoying summer vacation for another few weeks. My #eduwin was getting a book chapter published with @Obi_Jon_@flipthesystemoz 😊 #educoach
“Appy Hour” is where I shared tools and strategies, discussed the why and allowed teachers to “play” with the new tool/strategy! Voluntary, after school time. #Educoach
Not yet. We are just starting them, so this first round, we are only observing and leaving immediate positive feedback. We want the Ts to get use to us being in there and it not being evaluative. #educoach
I hosted an “Appy Hour” with teachers to Introduce new tools & strategies. I introduce tools & strategies, the “why” around using the tools & had Ts practice and discuss right there! They were excited to learn and play! @edpuzzle@PearDeck@padlet@Screencastify#Educoach
Q1 it shows you are constantly learning from your practice. Also helps teachers know you are reflecting together and not targeting a persons teaching or flaws. #educoach
Just back from Christmas holidays. Aussie schools enjoying summer vacation for another few weeks. My #eduwin was getting a book chapter published with @Obi_Jon_@flipthesystemoz 😊 #educoach
A1 I do not think teachers or coaches can find their current reality and what that means for their practice without being open to reflection. And without current reality its hard to have a starting place. #educoach
Hi, #educoach! Sorry to join late. I'm Jennifer, a math coach in Oregon. My #eduwin was a Number Talk in a 1st Grade classroom today, modeling in the other 2 classrooms tomorrow and Monday for the whole team.
A1: Reflective questions make the learning about the teacher, not the coach's expertise. Empowering teachers and providing space for reflection are big parts of shifting instructional practice. #educoach
A1 Reflective questions takes me, as a coach, out of the picture. They help the teacher (and in my case when coaching coaches) do the reflecting. The questions are a guide. #educoach
A1: It involves looking inward at one’s practices and allows for the next steps to evolve through deeper meaning making rather than just being told. #educoach
A1 I wonder if we truly believe that coaching is about promoting teacher agency, shouldn't most of our (early) questions prompt some form of reflection? #educoach
Decide on tools/strategies you think would be beneficial for your teachers, decide on a date and hold it after school or before school for a “Breakfast Byte” #Educoach very engaging!
In reply to
@KrisMoon324, @edpuzzle, @PearDeck, @padlet, @Screencastify
Hi, #educoach PLN! Genevie, Literacy Coach and #CoachCollaborative moderator, joining from Texas!! My eduwin has to be all the reading goals my student groups are making.
A1. I'd say if coaching is a journey, then questions are the engine the car, they lead to goals, strategies, implementation plans, and adaptations. #educoach
A1 Reflective questions invite thinking and engagement from the coachee. They invite the coachee to pursue sense-making and clarity, and in doing so raise awareness and commitment to act. #educoach
The best part is that it was requested - not just because I offered! An experienced T asked me to come in and her colleague said "if you're coming anyway, you should do one in my room, too!" #educoach
I did wonder if questions are more reflective at the early stages of coaching conversation and become more precise or closed towards the action stage. #educoach
A2: Having time to reflect...
But also having questions ready that are open ended and don't feel forced. Providing the right amount of wait time is another challenge to asking reflective questions in coaching.
#educoach
Giving the message that it’s a team approach to build upon student success. We both look back to decide how to move forward. #judgementfreezone#educoach
Here is a blog post I wrote on the KEYS to Coaching Conversations. It may help with some barriers https://t.co/blRWKpgYPY#educoach I'd love to hear your thoughts later.
A1 I often say that as a coach, any contribution from me should be in service of the coachee's thinking or understanding - this could be a question or a paraphrase. #educoach
A2: Questions starting with 'why' are the most tempting choice when attempting to prompt reflection, but they are the most fraught with danger as they have the potential to put Ts on the defensive. We must choose our question wording carefully. #educoach
A3:
What did you notice about how students responded?
What part of the lesson did you feel good about?
What might you try differently next time?
#educoach
Reflection itself is complex and often misunderstood. I love the work of Stephen Brookfield here. A good coach helps to present and prompt different 'lenses'. #educoach
A2: Asking those questions requires a T to be vulnerable & courageous. Since that’s tough, sometimes we speak for each other or a team instead of for ourselves. #educoach
A3: "What are your thoughts on...?" "Can you please say more about...?" "How might we...?" Any question that provides an open-ended opportunity to talk about thoughts and feelings relating to a T's own practice are great starting points. #educoach
A1 Reflective questioning allows the teacher or student to think through area of need and verbalize area to improve. Coming up with answers instead of having someone TELL you everything processes the learning. #educoach
A2 Falling behind already! I think a potential challenge could be teacher resistance to actually engaging with the reflection that the question prompts. Do they see this as your role? Are they waiting for you to tell them what to do? #educoach
A2 Trust can be a barrier. If that trusting relationship is not there sharing reflections can put people in a position where they may not be as willing to be that vulnerable. #educoach
Our team of Instructional Coaches is looking deeper into Impact Cycles. I'm facilitating the discussion Friday on questioning to set goals. I appreciate the video links. #educoach
A3 My favourite reflective questions encourage 'envisioning' from the coachee by presenting different lenses e.g. What would that look like? What would be the benefit of that? What would that get you/your students/your team? What would you/they notice? And what else? #educoach
A2: Challenges I have encountered 1. not asking a ? that gives me a "grand tour" response -- 2. Asking questions that project an answer. -- 3. Not est. "understanding" beforehand that silence/time to think is ok #educoach
#educoach It can be challenging because this process can lead to difficult conversation. Listening, restating to let them know you hear them, and then being HONEST in reflection isn’t always easy. However, it’s necessary in this learning opportunity.
A4 Follow-up questions are often what the Solutions Focussed coaching people would call 'conversation expanders' - Tell me more about ... What would that look like? What else would you notice? So it sounds like... ? #educoach
A4 @JohnGCI@ChristianvN and @CmunroOz have taught me great ones too: What advice would you give yourself? What advice would you give someone in your situation? Which option gives you the most energy? #educoach
A5: Admin in my district have studied Learning Focused Supervision and included coaches in the training. It has nice tools for creating good questions.
https://t.co/a1KARFKUJl#educoach
Hello #educoach! I’m excited about a chapter on mentoring and coaching that I’ve written for my monograph on professional learning. Due out later this year!
A5 As a coach I started out with the ORID framework. Asking questions in the O.R.I.D order help frame a conversation and end on decisions. https://t.co/REHOyJRgjt#educoach
A2 Another challenge for the coach is avoiding what @boxofcrayons describes as "making a suggestion with a question mark on the end". Straying into doing the thinking for them and coming out with leading questions! Don't pretend your asking a curious Q - be honest. #educoach
A6: Providing space for reflection in debriefing can nurture a culture of professional reflection. Finding time when teachers are on the day to day hamster wheel can be challenging! #educoach
Great! This question is powerful because it calls to action and lets both parties hear if the commitment is there. The coach can then probe more into commitment and energy around options and/or go for more precision on next steps. #educoach
In reply to
@KathyPerret, @realAllisonW, @jimknight99, @JohnGCI, @ChristianvN
Yes, providing time and space for reflection is so important. Time is always a need, yet helping to establish a culture where reflection is a way of being rather than being done to it. #educoach
Honest and transparent with my own learning process. Staying current about instructional strategies to hopefully show competentcy. Also being willing to be vulnerable.
A7: I have found that if you are consistent in asking reflective questions, they will start asking themselves the same question, or they will ask their colleagues the same questions. That also helps create a reflective culture. #educoach
A7 I wonder if that starts with us reflecting on how we pose our own reflective questions. Sometimes I actually ask myself the @boxofcrayons questions, "What's the real challenge? What do I want?" #educoach
Using Brookfield's lenses can be helpful in gaining perspective on our practice and assumptions. Here's a short article that might help: https://t.co/iQmrFCMzbj#educoach
I think you're right, Jim. Effective coaches need to be highly self-aware and manage their own 'way of being' so that they show up in the most helpful way for the coachee. Reflective practice sessions for coaches can help here. #educoach
A7 Modeling the way. I often share when and how coaching has helped me. Also building time for peer coaching. When We've done peer coaching we've first modeled in a a fishbowl type setting. I also like @SweeneyDiane Lab approach! #educoach
Absolutely! I've found that some of the easiest people to coach are those who've been coached before or trained as coaches themselves. Their self-talk changes. I know my own has over time and I hear this from many other coaches. #educoach
I missed most of the chat, but I had to suggest a book. @TaraMartinEDU#REALedu is awesome! It's perfect for coaches building relationships and having REAL conversations with T's. #educoach Check it out!
A8 I've had teachers express that through coaching they realized they transformed their teaching and didn't want to go back to their "old way" of teaching. #educoach
:-( locked for ?s3-5 of #educoach Letʻs try A6:@educationhall &@AlisaSimeral ʻs bk & @casas_jimmy bk gr8 resrcs.For reflection to become part of the fabric of everyday life-principals must constantly model and encourage this process. Celebrate attempts, growth- welcome push back.
A8: Results? Difficult to name a particular result. Doesn't reflection lead to results? I'm not sure I have seen many results not associated with reflection. #educoach
I think this is why I have a slight concern about "the best questions" - the best question is the right question at the right time - that means it has to be in response to what they've just said (what they are thinking) :) #educoach
In reply to
@realAllisonW, @KathyPerret, @jimknight99, @JohnGCI, @ChristianvN
A3 An honest and genuine desire to help lays the foundation to ask about & reflect on strengths, weaknesses, and issues at hand. Asking what they are willing to change and offerring help shows support. #educoach
A3 I really like the "on a scale of 1-10" how would you rate....then dive deeper into why and what would be different cause the rating to move. Learned this strategy from @jimknight99 I find it is so helpful for taking me out of the role of judging the teacher or data #educoach
