Coach Stephen Garnett. He is the assistant basketball coach for Whitman College. And he has an impressive pre-game handshake ritual, individualised for each player on his roster.
He knows his team and I think he understands that leadership means moving alongside each team member and supporting them in ways they need to be supported. I believe that when individuals feel valued and appreciated and noticed, they will work in a way that reflects that belief.
Think about the leaders at your school. Do they notice you? Do they value you? How do you know?
Think about the students in your class. Do they feel appreciated? Important? Valued? How do you ensure this is so?
Think about the people you work with – your co-teachers, team members. How do you make sure you allow for individuals to exist within the confines of a partnership or a team?
A few days ago, I posted about Conceptual Co-Teaching and I got a comment from a friend and former colleague asking “what about when the differences are so different?” I think that is when we really have to step up and look for commonalities in what we believe. When the conversation about beliefs with regard to teaching and learning are difficult, that is all the more reason to have them. Of course, it is easy to say this here – the reality when working with another person can be quite different.
Beth and Nicky – the teachers who created the Conceptual Co-Teaching framework – posted a video of one of their co-planning sessions on Twitter. It is a great example of the type of conversation that elevates learning for students and teachers. I would use this video to show what collaborative planning can (should?!) look like. Here is what I saw when I watched the video:
- The focus is on the students, the context for learning, the connections that can be made, and the scaffolds that can be put in place to support learning.
- Very few (if any?) “activities” are mentioned.
- Standards and curriculum objectives are referenced and a lot of time is dedicated to the idea of modeling transferable skills.
- Space is embedded in the planning for students to inquire.
- Technology is used to support and extend learning through the addition of Skype and bringing an expert in to amplify the conversation.
- Time was used SO efficiently – so much was planned in such a short time and all consolidated into two (large) post-it notes.
Obviously, this kind of relationship doesn’t develop overnight but is the serious work of teachers who want to make it work and are supported in doing that by leaders who care about the individuals in their team.
sonya terborg 