What’s one of the first questions you tend to ask a teacher after you’ve broken the ice in a post-conference? Here’s one I hear very often: “How do you think that went?” I cringe a little when I hear that question. The reason is something I learned the hard way early in my coaching career. That question can lead to teachers protecting and the moment protection enters the conversation, reflection usually leaves it.
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Podcast Transcript:
[00:00:00.340] – Steve [Intro]
Welcome to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast. As instructional coaches and school leaders, you are tasked with guiding continuous teacher growth to create student success. This podcast looks to support you with strategies from experienced guests, as well as my own insights that I’ve gathered over the years. I’m thrilled to have you with us. Thanks for tuning in.
[00:00:29.840] – Steve
Starting post-conversations that lead to reflection. What’s one of the first questions you tend to ask a teacher after you’ve broken the ice in a post-conference? Here’s one that I often hear: “How do you think that went?” I have to admit, I cringe a little when I hear that question. And the reason is something that I learned the hard way early in my coaching career. Back then, I could feel the tension that both the teacher and I brought into those first moments of the conference. I knew it was important for the teacher to do the talking, but I wasn’t always sure how to begin. So I went with what felt like a natural opening. “How do you think that went?” Well, pretty quickly I discovered that that question often created the wrong environment for deep teacher reflection. Instead of opening thinking, it frequently led to surface-level safe responses. Sarah Cottingham and Adam Kolbeck from Cognitive Coaching describe this as the problem with what they call, “the vague opener.” While the question seems reflective, it actually asks teachers to scan across an entire lesson and produce a summary evaluation. And perhaps even more importantly, the question can cause the teacher to wonder, “What happens if I say something went well that the coach thinks didn’t?” So, instead of reflecting, the teacher begins protecting.
[00:02:30.350] – Steve
And the moment protection enters the conversation, reflection usually leaves it. Suddenly, the message we’ve been working so hard to communicate—that coaching is not evaluative—gets unintentionally undermined by our very first question. Teacher voice is key in generating the reflection that leads teachers to a “what’s the next step” thinking and decision-making. Consider that the coaching post-conference should be a conversation, not a report delivered by the coach. I suggest a minimum goal of having a 50/50 coach-teacher voice goal for post-conferencing. And I love the idea of working towards a 75% teacher voice in post-conferencing. My approach to the post-conference is based on using questions that help me understand what the teacher is thinking and maybe even more importantly what the teacher observed while teaching that is influencing that teaching. Here are some questions that can encourage the teacher to re-enter the lesson rather than to judge their lesson. Was there a spot during the lesson that made you smile? How did the movie you imagined when you planned the lesson compare to how things unfolded? What were you paying closest attention to while the lesson was unfolding? How much of what you did was planned, and where did you modify or ad-lib the lesson based on what you observed?
[00:04:33.610] – Steve
Were there surprises during the lesson? You asked me to record the questions you asked as you moved among cooperative groups. What do you think you’ll find as you review the list of questions I collected. You had asked me to focus on the two new students during the lesson. What did you notice? If in the pre-conference the teacher’s focus was set and how the coach would collect the observational data was established, the coach can now use the data to reinforce or extend the teacher’s reflection. Here’s an example of an opening to a post-conference. Coach: When you planned this lesson, you had a picture in your mind of how the group discussions would sound and feel. As you think back now, how did that movie compare to what actually unfolded? Teacher: I think the opening went pretty close to what I had imagined. Most of the groups jumped right in. Some of the other groups, though, did need more prompting than I had expected them to need. Coach: What were you noticing that told you some groups needed more prompting from you? Teacher: They were offering options quickly, but not really building on each other’s ideas. I found myself stepping in more than I had planned to.
[00:06:20.130] – Steve
Coach: You mentioned in the pre-conference that you were curious about the kinds of questions you asked as you moved between groups. Before we look at the list that I collected, what do you think you’ll notice when you review it? Teacher: I’m guessing I ask a lot of clarifying questions, probably more clarifying than probing questions. Coach: What makes you think that? Teacher: Because I was trying to get them unstuck instead of focusing on pushing their thinking. Coach: Let’s look at what I collected. I tried to record as many as I could, but I know that sometimes I got interested in the learning interaction and I missed your next question. As you scan the list of questions, what stands out to you? Now, at this point, the coach would share that recorded data, probably seated side by side with the teacher. The teacher might continue, Yeah, there are more of ‘What do you mean by that?’ kind of questions than I expected, and fewer follow-ups like ‘Can someone build on that?’ Coach: What do you make of that in relation to what you were hoping students would be doing during the discussion? This kind of conversation now sets the stage for reading a coachee’s readiness to explore future steps or actions.
[00:08:07.320] – Steve
My approach in my post-conferences is to question and paraphrase with curious and interested nonverbal communications. As the coach helps build my clarity of understanding their planning, observing, analyzing, and predicting. This work on the teacher’s part supports their own reflection and likely highlights some of their emotions and their insights. They understand more as they work to get me to understand more. Coaching is a human experience, and often the reflection part begins with the very first question we ask. Before your next post-conference, consider planning your opening few questions in advance. Not the feedback you want to give, not the suggestions you’re thinking about offering, just the questions you want to ask first. Because the first questions often determine whether the conference turns into a report or a reflective conversation. What opening questions might support the teacher to do more of the thinking than you’re doing as the coach? I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions. Remember, you can always reach me at barkleypd.com. And thanks for listening.
[00:09:57.170] – Steve [Outro]
Thanks for listening, folks. I’d love to hear what you’re pondering. You can find me on Twitter or LinkedIn @SteveBarkley. Or send me your questions and find my videos and blogs at barkleypd.com.
