Beyond Paraphrasing and Re-stating to Scaffolding Planning
Responding to urgency that teachers and principals express to see tangible results from each coaching session, I draw from what I know about teaching and learning, particularly constructivist learning, by providing scaffolding for thinking. In this way, they can generate new ideas, clarify what matters, reflect on and synthesize their ideas.
This is a natural sequence for productive thinking for any kind of coaching situation including peer coaching. After a while using this sequence becomes internalized so you naturally follow it in the course of your coaching interactions.
- Listen: Allow the speaker uninterrupted time to tell the story and frame questions.
- Clarify: Make sure you understand. Did you get enough of the facts and details for a full picture?
- Probe: Offer questions that prompt considerations from new angles.
- Reflect: Think about implications, connections, further questions. If the discussion is focused on a plan, identify strengths, questions, potential gaps that you see in the plan.
- Apply: Discuss actions to put the new ideas into practice. Articulate assets to build on before gaps to address.
Clarify Actions
- Identify goal(s)
- Ask: What do you need to stop doing in order to achieve this goal?
- Ask: What should you continue doing to achieve this goal?
- Ask: What will you start doing to achieve this goal?
- Review responses. Which steps will get you to your goals?
- Create a timeline.
Reflect and Synthesize to Take Action
- Ask: What have you learned?
- Ask? So what? What are the implications for you of what you’ve learned?
- Ask: Now What? What are the outcomes you want to see? What actions will you take to apply this learning to realize those outcomes?