Coaching Lesson 6: Setting Goals Together

1. Coaching Lesson 6: More on Setting Goals Together

2. Review: the 3 Steps to Powerful Interactions Coaching • Step 1: Be Present to Coach • Step 2: Connecting as a Coach • Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning

3. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning Using Your Coaching Stance Use your coaching stance and apply a strengths-based perspective by inviting the practitioner to talk about something he/she feels confident about in his practice. “Let’s think together about the practices in which parents, caregivers, and children are engaged in learning.” You may suggest that you might observe (or video or photograph, with parent permission) these moments so that together you can analyze how these moments work so well.

4. Coaching to Extend Learning Using Your Coaching Stance Periodically offer a reminder about your role and that of the coachee. You might restate that the coachee’s interests, needs, goals, and questions determine your shared agenda. The focus of your work is to support him/her in creating a high-quality practice to support families of children with disabilities. • Then explain that you are collaborating in a learning partnership and you each have much to learn from the other.

5. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning • This step – coaching to extend learning – is a 2-way professional development conversation in which you apply the four interrelated Extend Learning Strategies to stretch the coachee’s learning: • Focus on goals you set together • Notice “moments of effectiveness” • Use prompts/questions toencourage “thinking together” • Document plans andprogress together

6. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning • 4 interrelated Extend Learning Strategies to stretch a coachee’s learning: • Focus on goals you set together • Notice “moments of effectiveness” • Use prompts/questions to encourage “thinking together” • Document plans and progress together

7. Coaching to Extend Learning Setting Goals Together Have you thought or heard another coach say, “My goals for her are . . . “ or something like, “She isn’t really focusing on my goals?” Why do you think this happens? • By appreciating the current level of competence in the person you are coaching, coaches value the natural learning processes of those they coach. • Encouraging coacheesto clarify what they want and need, build on their strengths, and experiment in the service of mutually agreed-upon goals empowers them to take more initiative and responsibility for their own learning and professional development. • (Tschannen-Moran & Tschannen-Moran 2011a)

8. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning Setting Goals Together Some coaches who used Powerful Interactions didn’t get the results they expected and realized they were not setting goals together with their coachee(s). They simply expected practitioners to do so, and then felt frustrated when practitioners didn’t stick with the goals they set for themselves. As a coaching team, they decided to set some coaching goals for themselves and revisit them regularly. This helped them see from the coachee’sperspective that it helps when goals are stated clearly and there is communication and follow up to discuss progress and next steps.

9. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning Setting Goals Together Another group of coaches realized that their attention was focused on what was happening in the moment in their work with practitioners leading them to fail to focus on the goals previously set and discussed. They committed to take notes and use the notes as reference in providing feedback and discussion linked to the coachee’sgoals. • The notes proved useful in assessing progress toward reaching goals and useful in future/ongoing conversations. By reviewing their notes, the coach can talk about insights from previous sessions, which helped coach and coacheedeepen their exploration and understanding of a topic.

10. Coaching to Extend Learning Setting Goals Together Reality Check: • When the relationship is not developed as a learning partnership and goals haven’t been clearly articulated, the hidden message underlying the conversation may be “Whose agenda is this anyway?” • During a conversation, the coachee may be thinking, “When will this be over?”The coach may be thinking, “Why is this person so resistant?” • In this situation, it is vital to do what our colleague, Helena calls a “relationship reset.” She suggests saying, “Something isn’t working between us. Let’s see if we can get back on course.” See video #19:“Helena acknowledges tension and how to repair relationships”

11. Coaching to Extend Learning Setting Goals Together Extend the Learning Strategy 1: Setting Goals Together Shared goals are established through conversations between coach and coachee. The goals began by the coach observing and noticing strengths the professional he/she is coaching demonstrated. When the coach shares the strengths he/she noticed and then remains quiet so the coacheecan reflect and respond, the coach creates a space for the practitioner to describe aspects of the work that are important to him/her.

12. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Focusing on Goals • Be explicit – define goals, action steps, outcomes, and timelines. Write down agreements jointly made. Before the end of a feedback session or in an email prior to the next visit, raise the question of goals. Ask – “do you want to keep this focus, narrow it down, or shift to another goal?” • Restate the goal each time you meet to maintain shared focus – Reference the goal in reminder texts/emails. When you work together or observe, quiet your static and remind yourself of the focus/goal.

13. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Focusing on Goals • Look for moments of effectiveness that are small steps towards the goal – Even if the steps needed to reach the goal have been missed, look for moments of effectiveness in the other person’s practice that could be built upon to reach the step to reach the goal and describe those effective moments and the impact they had on the parent (or on the caregivers and/or the child).

14. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Focusing on Goals • Make sure the steps to reach the goal are manageable – an important part of goal setting is recognizing what is involved in achieving the goal. Helping coachees clarify, narrow down, and state measureable goals is important. • Follow up and encourage follow through – Coach Jaquie shares, “I try to be conscientious about following up and asking how something we’re focusing on is working. If I don’t , I find that each time I come to the site, we are focused on the crisis of the day. If we shift directions every time, it undermines my sense of being effective and the practitioner’s too.”

15. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Focusing on Goals • Link coaching goals to other required goal setting – Many programs have required goals incorporated into evaluations or school improvement goals, etc. To support coachees, connect the work they do with you (their coach) to other requirements they have to address. • Review what has come before – support coacheesin seeing their progress by documenting their progress and help them make connections in their work. Whether you use forms, a tablet, video or other portfolio to document the work and monitor progress, this is also an important way to model teaching behaviors that support both adult and child learning.

16. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning • 4 interrelated Extend Learning Strategies to stretch a coachee’s learning: • Focus on goals you set together • Notice “moments of effectiveness” • Use prompts/questions to encourage “thinking together” • Document plans and progress together

17. Digging Deeper into Step 3 Coaching to Extend Learning Extend the Learning Strategy 2: Notice “Moments of Effectiveness” When the coach offers strengths-based feedback to the coachee, the coach describes the effective practice observed (like a mirror for the professional he/she is coaching) and explains the positive impact the practice has on parents, caregivers, and children. Moments of effectiveness are stepping stones that create a path between where a practitioner is today and where he/she can be as you work together Example [preschool director to classroom teacher]: “I noticed you intentionally labeled your shelves with both words and pictures and that helps children learn to match the word with a picture. I’m interested to hear about this decision and how the children are responding.”

18. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Using “I Notice” Statements • See through distractions to look for strengths – Refresh yourself about your coachee’s goals and focus on actions/practices that support his/her reaching the goal. Question ideas about things you think “could be better” to determine, “is it best practice?” “does the practice aid learning?” I can give the coachee better feedback if I can figure out not only what is important but why it is important. • Write down your statement before offering it as feedback – It’s difficult to come up with clear/specific observations and impact statements without recording them on paper or digitally. Record your “I notice” statements so that you can provide clear feedback. Showing a practitioner that you actually documented a factual observation is even more validating than saying it aloud.

19. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Using “I Notice” Statements • Be specific – The more specific you are when you describe an effective practice, the more likely your coachee will be able to replicate it. • Always link the “what you saw” to “why it’s important” – Connect your feedback to a DEC RP or other best practice and to the coachee’s goal(s). • Promote intentional decision-making – Link your feedback to your coachee’sgoals and ask questions to encourage the coachee to reflect on his/her decision-making. “Let’s think about your conversation with Mrs. Jones during the IFSP meeting. What information did you want to get from Mrs. Jones? What information did you want to share with her? How do you want her to be involved in the meeting?

20. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Using “I Notice” Statements • When possible use photos – When the coach and coachee review photos and/or videos together, the coach can encourage the practitioner to notice the specific, effective actions he/she does and the words spoken that support learning whether it’s in their work with adults or with children. • Resist opinions and judgment – If I say, “that was a great way to end the meeting,” I haven’t helped my coachee learn what it is he/she said that was effective. By eliminating opinion and judgment, I not only describe a specific action and explain why it’s effective, but I validate the coachee’s practice.

21. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Using “I Notice” Statements • Leave the laundry list behind – Point out one or two strengths (preferably aligned with goals) you noticed and describe the impact those practices had on learning (parent, caregiver, or child). • Encourage your coacheeto notice, too – Intentionally invite your coacheeto hone in on the specifics of observations they share with their coach: “If a therapist tells me about a child who was particularly focused on an activity, I encourage her to think about and put into words what the child did that was different and how to promote this behavior again in other sessions.”

22. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning • 4 interrelated Extend Learning Strategies to stretch a coachee’s learning: • Focus on goals you set together • Notice “moments of effectiveness” • Use prompts/questions to encourage “thinking together” • Document plans and progress together

23. Digging Deeper into Step 3 Coaching to Extend Learning Extend the Learning Strategy 3: Use prompts/questions to encourage “thinking together” Do you ever catch yourself slipping into “fix it” mode? Offering advice on how to do something “better?” Telling someone how to address a concern they’ve just shared? Coaches say this is familiar territory. Irene writes that as she continues to learn Powerful Interactions coaching techniques, she is “working on talking less and doing more thoughtful questioning and listening.” That is the essence of this strategy.

24. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Using Prompts and Questions • ASK if he/she would like a suggestion – Sometimes a coacheewill say they’re not sure how to do something. That’s the coach’s que to ASK, “Would you be interested in hearing what I’ve seen others try?” or “I have some ideas about that, if you’d like to hear them.” • By doing this, the coach expresses respect for the coacheeas a professional and as a learner and allows him/her to ask for ideas.

25. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Using Prompts and Questions • Invite reflection using prompts and questions – Invite back and forth conversation/reflection by using prompts and questions. “I’m curious . . . How do my observations compare to your own?” “Why do you think that strategy worked well for engaging the parent?” “Tell me more about ____.” • Ask about the coachee’sdecision-making – Demonstrate respect by inviting the professional you’re coaching to talk about his/her thinking and decision-making. You might start a conversation by noticing that the parent was engaged in joint problem-solving with the therapist. Ask the coachee to talk about the decisions he/she made to engage the parent effectively.

26. Step 3: Coaching to Extend Learning • 4 interrelated Extend Learning Strategies to stretch a coachee’s learning: • Focus on goals you set together • Notice “moments of effectiveness” • Use prompts/questions to encourage “thinking together” • Document plans and progress together

27. Digging Deeper into Step 3 Coaching to Extend Learning Extend Learning Strategy 4: Document Plans and Progress Together The process of documenting work together needs to address all three steps of a Powerful Interaction: Be present: (take a moment to look back over notes) Connect: (ongoing conversations, written communications, etc focused on the work together and building the relationship) Extend learning: (writing things down allows coach to step back and clarify thinking. Figure out together how to keep it going to support intentional goal setting)

28. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Documenting Plans and Progress Together • Extend learning – Documentation extends learning (step 3 of a Powerful Interaction). In the coach-coachee relationship, rather than simply relying on conversation and memory, the coach moves the learning ahead by using documentation to capture the story of your work together. Write down: • shared goals/plans/next steps • specific actions/responsibilities you each commit to • questions you discuss together • new ideas you want to explore • examples of the practitioner’s moments of effectiveness and WHY (the impact the practice had on caregiver and/or child learning)

29. Coaching to Extend Learning Tips for Documenting Plans and Progress Together • Stay focused on goals – Documentation helps a coach prevent going from one contact/visit to another without focus. • Review/Celebrate progress and change over time – Documentation allows the coach and coachee to look back and reflect on the story of your work together and the coachee’s changing practice. Knowing where you’ve been and where you want to go leads to intentional decision-making about new goals and next steps. But keep documentation simple so it doesn’t take center stage.

30. Putting It into Practice: Coaches’ Homework for Lesson 6: What element or elements of lesson 6 (this lesson) offered you guidance towards your coaching skill goal(identified in lesson 2 as a skill you’d like to strengthen)? Practice using prompts/questions to encourage “thinking together” either with a colleague you coach or with a parent/caregiver in your work. Describe one instance (effective or not). What’s one idea you have for a simple, individualized way to document a coachee’s progress? Coaches will post their answers in the blog space on the team’s site: http://upcoaches.weebly.com/fc-staff-coaches-spot-putting-it-into-practiceprior to Lesson 7 to document work and to be accountable to the team!

31. For Additional Support: • Visit The Powerful Interactions Web site and create a user account (at no cost) https://www.powerfulinteractions.com/coaching-book-welcome/?rq=videos://www.powerfulinteractions.com/ • On the Powerful Interactions Web site: • View Video 28 (in the members’ area): Sarah on “pausing” • View Video 23 (in the members’ area): Sarah on using “I notice” statements • View Video 26(in the members’ area): Diana on framing questions