Growing Forward: Making the Most of End-of-year Coaching Conversations

As the school year starts to wind down, I am at that point where I am doing my last coaching visits on campuses.  This is always an interesting time because there are generally changes afoot at almost every school.  Spring is the time when contracts go out, teachers start applying for jobs or get notified of assignment/grade changes, administrators start preparing for renovations, moves, summer school, and the list goes on. 

Image by cor gaasbeek from Pixabay 

In light of all the changes that generally occur, it can be a struggle to make those last meetings meaningful.  Going into classes to introduce something new is not really helpful at this point, so instead, I try to find time to meet with each teacher or team to debrief the year and help them plan for how they might grow as they look into the summer.

I call this a Growing Forward conference because it basically consists of asking 2 key questions that lead to an action or recommendation that will help the teacher move forward in an area he wants to grow.  This type of conference could happen at the end of any coaching cycle, but I find it particularly helpful at the end of the year. Here’s what you need to know to have a successful end-of-year conversation:

Question 1: In what areas do you feel you have grown?

This is one of my favorite questions to ask because the answers can be incredibly varied and surprising.  I like to leave it very open because I don’t want a teacher to limit her answer to only the areas that I have coached them.  In some cases, a teacher may have difficulty finding an area, so you want to make sure to have some follow-up questions handy.  (See suggestions below.) You will also want to be ready to tell them areas that you have seen growth, but let the conversation revolve around their reflections.

If the teacher has a response, you might say...

• What do you feel has contributed most to your growth in this area?
• What resources or tools have you found to be particularly helpful to you in this area?
• What made you realize that this was an area that you could strengthen?
• Where did you get ideas or support from in this area? (This may be an author, a Twitter PLN, another teacher, etc.)

If the teacher does not have a response or says “I don’t know”, you might say...

• What is something new you tried this year? 
• What is something you were more consistent with this year?
• What is something that you changed over the course of the year? Why?
• In what areas do you feel your students have grown this year? What did you do to support that growth?
• What is something that went better or worked more smoothly for you this year than in the past? What was different?

Question 2: In what areas would you like to continue to grow?

I have found this question is generally followed by a long pause….which also tells me it’s a pretty good question.  Many teachers may not have taken time to think about an area that they WANT to grow.  How a teacher answers this question will give you some insight into how (or if) they think about and plan for their own personal growth.  I ask this question to teachers even if they are retiring, moving to a new position, or leaving the profession for some other reason. The follow-up questions should lead teachers in thinking about actions they could take. The answers that teachers give will inform your resource recommendation, so listen carefully. 

If the teacher has a response, you might say...

• What will growing in this area help you to accomplish or allow you to do?
• What trainings, books, or other resources have you found that might help you with learning more in this area?

If the teacher does not have a response or says “I don’t know”, you might say...

• What is something you would like to try in the next year? (follow up with questions above)
• What is something you have always wanted to know more about?
• How do you want to feel at this time next year? What is one thing that would have to happen for you to feel that way? What is one thing you will have to learn or do to make that thing happen?
• What is one thing you want to accomplish by this time next year? What is one thing you will have to learn or do to make that thing happen?

Recommendation

To wrap up the conference, I usually try to offer at least one resource or recommendation for the teacher related to the area in which he wants to grow.  If it is an area that I don’t know a lot about, then I try to help them think of ways to get information.  As a coach, this is why it is so important that you are constantly learning and growing yourself.  You want to be able to recommend books, websites, conferences, articles, and ideas you’ve seen, tried, or just heard about.

If you find that you don't really have a lot of resources to offer, you might take some time to ask yourself these same questions and perhaps discover areas that you may want to stretch your learning.  Remember, you don’t have to be an expert in every area, but you should definitely be an expert in growing and learning.

Happy Growing!