Coaching Your Classroom

Coaching YOUR Classroom

Coaching YOUR Classroom HOW TO DELIVER ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS

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K–12 teachers will: aximize student self• Analyze the impact of learning-centered efficacy and growth by classroom language and formative assessment providing high-quality on student learning feedback students can act on.

• Understand the importance of effective In Coaching Your Classroom: communication in the classroom, as well How to Deliver Actionable Feedback as how giving feedback works and what a to Students, authors Garnet Hillman student-centered culture looks like and Mandy Stalets share a • Embrace the qualities of actionable feedback and examine the effect on student engagement fresh perspective on effective and intrinsic motivation classroom feedback for all grade • Learn how to deliver individualized next steps levels and content areas. Explore and support students through the feedback the parallels between teaching loop and gradual release of responsibility students and coaching athletes, • Benefit from real-world accounts and examples and then learn how to coach every from teachers who have successfully coached student to success every day. their classrooms

“Coaching Your Classroom is the perfect companion book for educators desiring to emphasize feedback over point accumulation. Hillman and Stalets have translated the theory of grading and assessment reform into practical language for teachers to understand and model.”

—Matt Townsley, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa Visit go.SolutionTree.com/assessment to download the free reproducibles in this book.

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HILLMAN • STALETS

“Garnet Hillman and Mandy Stalets have done a tremendous job combining important research with practical considerations to make a book that will benefit all teachers who read it. With a strong element of ‘What does this look like in the classroom?’ this book is guaranteed to make you think and reflect on your own teaching practice.”

—Bradley Busch, Author, The Science of Learning

How to Deliver Actionable Feedback to Students

Garnet HILLMAN Mandy STALETS

Copyright © 2019 by Solution Tree Press Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked “Reproducible.” Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher.

555 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404 800.733.6786 (toll free) / 812.336.7700 FAX: 812.336.7790 email: info@SolutionTree.com SolutionTree.com Visit go.SolutionTree.com/assessment to download the free reproducibles in this book.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Hillman, Garnet, author. | Stalets, Mandy, author.

Title: Coaching your classroom : how to deliver actionable feedback to students / Garnet Hillman and Mandy Stalets.

Description: Bloomington, IN : Solution Tree Press, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018058925 | ISBN 9781947604339 (perfect bound) Subjects: LCSH: Interaction analysis in education. | Communication in education. | Feedback (Psychology) | Classroom management. | Student-centered learning.

Classification: LCC LB1034 .H55 2019 | DDC 371.102/2--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018058925 Solution Tree Jeffrey C. Jones, CEO Edmund M. Ackerman, President Solution Tree Press President and Publisher: Douglas M. Rife Associate Publisher: Sarah Payne-Mills Art Director: Rian Anderson Managing Production Editor: Kendra Slayton Senior Production Editor: Tonya Maddox Cupp Content Development Specialist: Amy Rubenstein Copy Editor: Kate St. Ives Proofreader: Elisabeth Abrams Text Designer: Jill Resh Cover Designer: Laura Cox Editorial Assistant: Sarah Ludwig

Table of Contents About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Navigating This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 1 Adopt a Language of Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Why Does It Matter? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Moving Language From Negative to Positive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Aligning All Facets of Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Maintaining a Growth Mindset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Taking a Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 How Does It Work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Transitioning From Teacher to Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Auditing What Exists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Emphasizing Learning Before Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Guiding Students to Productive Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Incorporating Positive Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Expecting Missteps and Initial Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Maintaining Consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 What Does It Look Like? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Katharine Hertz, Grades 9–12 Language Arts Teacher and Instructional Coach . .17 Adam Dyche, Grades 9–12 Social Studies Department Head . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Reflection Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Chapter 2 Coach Every Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Why Does It Matter? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Taking a Step Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Fostering Student Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Knowing That Relationships Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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COACHING YOUR CL ASSROOM How Does It Work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Shifting From Whole Group to Small Group and Individuals. . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Allowing Classroom Practice Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Providing Clear Learning Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Tailoring Feedback to Student Proficiency Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Looking for Error Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 What Does It Look Like?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Jessica York, Grade 1 Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Jason Ozbolt, Dean of Students and Grades 9–12 Social Studies Teacher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Dana Spies, Grades 6–8 Physical Education Teacher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Reflection Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Chapter 3 Craft High-Quality Feedback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Why Does It Matter?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Finding the Right Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Making Feedback Student Friendly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Managing Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Distinguishing Between Praise and Feedback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 How Does It Work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Including Feedback’s Essential Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Ensuring Timely Feedback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Distinguishing Among Three Categories of Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Focusing on Errors, Not Mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Utilizing Skill-Specific and Task-Specific Feedback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Delivering Feedback Through Different Avenues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Ensuring a Call to Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Mirroring Academic and Behavioral Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 What Does It Look Like?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Jennifer Wargin, Grades 9–12 Art Teacher and Instructional Coach . . . . . . . . . 53 Joy Kirr, Grade 7 Language Arts Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Perry Finch, Middle School Principal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Reflection Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Chapter 4 Utilize Feedback Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Why Does It Matter?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Selecting a Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Modeling the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 How Does It Work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Conferencing With Students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Table of Contents Using Summarize, Explain, Redirect, Resubmit (SE2R). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Using Here’s What. So What? Now What?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Using TAG—You’re It!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Using Comment Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Using Single-Point Rubrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Holding Three-Minute Conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Leading With Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Taking Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 What Does It Look Like?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Becky Peppler, Grades 6–12 Science Department Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Susan Jachymiak, Grade 4 Teacher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Reflection Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Chapter 5 Ensure Productive Responses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Why Does It Matter?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Observing Productive Responses Inside and Outside the Classroom . . . . . . . . 78 Developing Self-Regulatory Learners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Evaluating Feedback Through Student Response. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 How Does It Work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Establishing Trusting Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Requiring a Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Implementing Portfolio Reflection Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Monitoring Growth Through Learning Targets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Using Progress Monitoring Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Communicating Results to Parents and Guardians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 What Does It Look Like?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Lucinda Miller, Adjunct Professor and Clinical Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Abby Rader, Elementary Physical Education Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Aric Foster, Grades 9–12 Language Arts Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Reflection Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Chapter 6 Employ Self- and Peer Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Why Does It Matter?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Completing the Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Increasing Engagement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Sharing Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 How Does It Work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Training the Coaches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Creating an Environment That Supports Coaching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

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COACHING YOUR CL ASSROOM Encouraging Self-Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Implementing Peer Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Pairing Carefully. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Making It Meaningful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Encouraging Student-to-Teacher Feedback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 What Does It Look Like?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Katie Budrow, Grade 6 Science Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Antoinette Senese, Elementary Instructional Resource Specialist . . . . . . . . . . 111 Reflection Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Epilogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 References and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

About the Authors Garnet Hillman is an educator, author, presenter, and learner.

She has served as an instructional coach at Caruso Middle School and as a Spanish teacher at Lockport Township High School, both in Illinois. She consults around the United States on the topics of assessment, grading, and student motivation.

A passionate educator, Garnet values student learning above all else.

Through her consulting work, Garnet emphasizes healthy grading and sound assessment practices. She has worked with a variety of school districts that desire to improve instruction, provide relevant and respectful assessment, cultivate grading practices that support learning, and increase student motivation. She provides rationale for a paradigm shift in grading methods and a practical, step-by-step process to implement the change.

Garnet holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Aurora University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Ohio University. She has also completed graduate coursework in instructional technology.

To learn more about Garnet Hillman’s work, follow @garnet_hillman on Twitter.

Mandy Stalets works with a wide variety of teachers, undergraduate students, and school districts to improve assessment and grading practices to maximize communication and student success. She provides rationale for the need for change in our current grading practices, as well as practical steps for implementation. Mandy is a teacher and learner who is passionate about sound assessment and grading practices, as well as standards-based learning. Along with her consulting work, she is currently a high school mathematics teacher at Illinois State University’s laboratory schools. She is also the ix

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co-moderator of Solution Tree’s assessment Twitter chat, #atassess, and co-author of the book Standards-Based Learning in Action: Moving From Theory to Practice.

Mandy received her undergraduate degree in secondary mathematics education and graduate degree in teaching and learning from Illinois State University. She received her National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Mathematics in 2017.

To learn more about Mandy Stalets’s work, follow @MandyStalets on Twitter.

To book Garnet Hillman or Mandy Stalets for professional development, contact pd@SolutionTree.com.

Introduction Great athletic coaches bring out the best in their players. Likewise, great teachers bring out the best in their students. Both help shape learners into resilient, driven, knowledgeable human beings. They teach them not only how to perform on the court or in the classroom but also how to have grit, responsibility, respect, and discipline—qualities that last far beyond the coaching or classroom experience.

Whether discussing the athletic field or the educational classroom, coaches and teachers change lives.

Although teachers and coaches aren’t traditionally viewed as having the same role, the similarities between the two are many. Both are responsible for teaching, shaping, and growing young minds. Both guide learners through the process of acquiring new information to improve and sharpen their skills, all while providing individualized feedback. They can facilitate excitement, or they can stifle enthusiasm.

When teachers coach in their classrooms, feedback guides the learning process and provides a platform on which students thrive: A teacher who coaches focuses on facilitating learning and development. The goal is to help students improve their own performance. As a result, the classroom is more flexible and open than the traditional model. Its culture is one of shared responsibility, with an ongoing feedback loop between teachers and students.

(Simpson, 2017)

This book points out the parallels between teaching and coaching so teachers can look at their classrooms in a different way, provide the most effective feedback, and create a student-centered learning experience.

Readers will see many examples of what coaching looks like in the athletic arena and in the classroom. We hope that our readers see these comparisons and not only find areas of growth but also celebrate how much they already do! The examples are a chance to see what feedback and the learner’s role look like, both inside and outside 1

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the classroom. Feedback matters (Hattie, 2009; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).

It plays a vital role by honoring where an athlete or student is with his or her learning and guiding next steps toward proficiency and performance.

Coaching, when done well, is a reciprocal relationship that fosters ongoing interaction between the coach and the learner. When coaching, a person confirms where his or her learners are as they enter practice (preassessment), teaches a skill, and then observes practice to see how well learners have processed the information—all while providing feedback based on those observations. The learner is prompted to act through the feedback; he or she is motivated by the coach’s information, which is focused on the action necessary to improve. Athletes are the active learners in practice, and the coach is there to guide and push them forward. Coaches look for moments when they might need to stop practice to give whole-group instruction and when to coach a small group or an individual instead. Athletes come to practice knowing they are there to work, and they trust that their coach is there to help sharpen their skills. Let’s take a look at sports performance consultant Alan Goldberg’s (2017) twenty criteria for effective coaches and consider their connection to the classroom: 1. The very best coaches get their athletes to believe in themselves.

2. The really effective coaches do not use embarrassment [and] humiliation as teaching tools.

3. Great coaches are great life teachers.

4. The best coaches keep the game in perspective.

5. Great coaches do not let their egos and self-worth get tied up in the outcome.

6. Great coaches understand individual differences in their athletes.

7. The best coaches coach the person, not just the athlete.

8. The best coaches are flexible.

9. The great coaches are great communicators.

10. Good coaches take the time to listen to and educate their athletes’ parents.

11. Good coaches “walk the talk” with their athletes and parents.

12. Good coaches keep the learning environment emotionally safe.

13. Great coaches continually challenge their athletes to do better and push their limits.

14. The best coaches continually challenge themselves.

15. The very best coaches are passionate about what they do.

16. Good coaches are empathic and tuned into the feelings of their players.

Introduc tion 17. Good coaches are honest and conduct themselves with integrity.

18. The best coaches make the sport fun for their athletes.

19. Good coaches are not defensive in their interactions with their players or parents.

20. Great coaches use their athletes’ mistakes and failures as valuable teaching opportunities!

Coaching goes far beyond designing and executing plays. Teaching goes far beyond solving an equation, conducting an experiment, using fitness equipment correctly, or writing an essay. The influence coaches have on their learners goes far beyond the court or field. The influence teachers have on their learners extends far beyond the classroom walls.

Feedback lies at the center of this influence. Goldberg (2017), who works with athletes, states that feedback is the breakfast of champions. Education researcher John Hattie’s (2009) research shows that feedback, when used well, makes a bigger positive difference on student achievement than peer influences, small-group learning, early interventions, or homework. However, giving effective feedback takes practice, and teachers must first establish a culture of learning. A culture of learning is where growth and improvement take center stage. Instead of focusing on grades, teachers and students focus on learning, which helps eliminate the fear of making mistakes.

Rather, mistakes and errors are seen as opportunities to learn. A culture of learning invites students to feel comfortable receiving and acting on feedback.

Regardless of feedback method or delivery avenue, high-quality feedback has three essential components.

1. It starts with a recognition of a strength of a demonstrated skill.

2. It continues by connecting that skill to the current learning target or standard.

3. It clearly communicates next steps to the learner.

Since feedback should be actionable (Chappuis, 2015; Wiggins, 2012), the best feedback is data based and looks to answer the question What’s next? As a coach, the teacher is communicating the following: Here is your current level with the target, and here is your next step to move forward. When completed, we can determine the next step to help you get closer to mastering this target.

This book offers the same guidance and support that coaches and teachers provide. Here, K–12 teachers will learn how to give effective feedback.

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Navigating This Book This book helps teachers learn how to coach their students by effectively using feedback. The book’s organization is as follows: chapter 1 will look at how changing a classroom’s language can create changes in culture, while chapter 2 extends that by looking at how to coach each learner in the classroom, even when time is at a premium. Before they can determine the best fit for feedback delivery (individualized, small group, or whole class), teachers must consider students’ characteristics.

Therefore, chapter 2 helps teachers learn about students first; chapter 3 establishes the importance of addressing the needs that teachers have learned about by employing the strategies in chapter 2. Chapter 3 looks at the qualities of effective feedback, leading into chapter 4, which details feedback methods to ensure that each learner receives the right amount of coaching. Chapter 5 shifts the lens to look at ways of ensuring productive responses on the part of the learner. Finally, chapter 6 invites students to also become coaches in the classroom as they take on more leadership in their learning.

Each chapter is organized into the following sections.

• Why Does It Matter? is the rationale for this aspect’s coverage.

• How Does It Work? explains how to accomplish a particular aspect of effec-

tive feedback.

• What Does It Look Like? gives examples of how real teachers implement

effective feedback in real classrooms.

• Reflection Questions ask readers to reflect on what they have just read to

help shape their next steps.

Getting Started Through these chapters, teachers will learn how to coach their classrooms with effective feedback, as well as how to create self-regulated, driven learners who are ready to take charge of their own learning. While we designed the book to be read in its entirety, readers can also determine their individual starting place through the chapter titles and subheadings.

When teachers implement the aspects of this book that work best for them and their students, it can be helpful to remember what author John Whitmore (2009) says: “As with any new skill, attitude, style, or belief, adopting a coaching ethos requires commitment, practice, and some time before it flows naturally and its effectiveness is optimized” (p. 4). Teachers must remember that they are learners much like their students and change is a process. Stay the course and be patient; lasting change will happen.

Chapter 1 © 2019 by Solution Tree Press. All rights reserved.

Adopt a Language of Learning A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.

—John Wooden Feedback has the power to transform any classroom from a culture of compliance to a culture of learning, all while maximizing student self-awareness and growth.

By intentionally using the language of learning in the classroom, teachers create a culture of vulnerability, encourage risk taking, reduce competition, and build confidence in their learners.

Shifting the ways that teachers and their students communicate about learning and interact with one another initiates a powerful transformation in the classroom.

Students come to know that it is acceptable to reach proficiency at different times, and their teachers will coach them to that level of understanding. Making simple changes such as speaking about next steps instead of what is incorrect, talking to each student individually about his or her current proficiency, and teaching students how to communicate about their own learning helps transform the culture. The teacher’s language choices create the narrative of the culture, whether that is teacheror student-centered.

Why does it matter when teachers carefully choose words? How does this work, and what does it look like? This chapter answers these questions.

Why Does It Matter?

Everything teachers do in the classroom is communication. Whether it be the way they address the entire class, their body language, or one-on-one conversations with students, they are sending and receiving messages continuously. Students are watching and listening and in turn modeling what the teacher does. The language with which teachers deliver feedback plays an important role; it can support student

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growth and reflection, or it can leave students unsure of where they are and where to go next. Aligning all facets of language is critical for effective communication and a positive and productive response to feedback.

This section talks about moving language from negative to positive, aligning all facets of communication, maintaining a growth mindset, and inviting students to take risks without fear of failure.

Word choice matters. When we are criticized, rejected, scared, or marginalized, our bodies “produce more cortisol, a hormone that shuts down the thinking center of our brains and activates conflict aversion and protection behaviors” (Glaser, 2014). On the other hand, when we receive positive comments or experience positive conversations, our bodies produce oxytocin, a hormone that “elevates our ability to communicate, collaborate, and trust others” (Glaser, 2014). The chemistry of conversations reiterates the fact that word choice is critical, especially when it comes to learners.

Negative language can hinder confidence (Deci & Ryan, 1985) or fuel a fixed mindset (Dweck, 2016). While the intent is to promote learning, using language that centers on what is wrong with an assignment or assessment can be counterproductive. Instead, language can evolve to focus on what students did well and what they need to do next. These two styles communicate similar information, but one focuses on what was, while the other focuses on what’s next: Feedback should be positive. Being “positive” doesn’t mean being artificially happy or saying work is good when it isn’t. Being positive means describing how the strengths in a student’s work match the criteria for good work and how those strengths show what the student is learning. Being positive means pointing out where improvement is needed and suggesting things the student could do about it.

(Brookhart, 2008, p. 30)

Students want honest language from their teachers, but it is only useful if the language indicates practical next steps that foster a hopeful mentality. Language that supports growth is positive. It communicates high expectations paired with words that support self-efficacy: “People thrive on positive reinforcement. They can take only a certain amount of criticism and you may lose them altogether if you criticize them in a personal way . . . you can make a point without being personal” (Bill Walsh, as cited in Roskvist, n.d.).

When this happens, there is a sense that not only is learning always happening, but it is also possible for everyone in the classroom. This is not to say that learning is easy all the time or that it doesn’t generate challenge or struggle. Both ease and struggle are a part of learning, and positive language helps students through

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Moving Language From Negative to Positive

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the frustration that can accompany acquiring new knowledge. Using language that shows students they can achieve seems like a straightforward action. That action is essential because it brings all students to the table. Everyone can and will learn.

Aligning All Facets of Communication

Verbal and nonverbal messages affect student attitudes and achievement (Bambaeeroo & Shokrpour, 2017). Nonverbal communication refers to anything that someone communicates without words—facial expressions, body movements, posture, and proximity between teacher and student, among others. In other words, “one of the keys to effectively influencing behavior through communication is to remember it’s not just ‘whatcha say’, it’s ‘howya say it’ (and when!)” (Gavoni, 2015).

Even if the feedback is positive and looks forward, lack of eye contact or crossed arms could inadvertently send a negative message. For feedback to elicit a productive response, all modes of communication must align to a language of learning.

Maintaining a Growth Mindset Students need a growth mindset to learn—otherwise, they will have the perception that their intelligence is fixed and that no amount of effort will affect their learning (Dweck, 2016). Some already have a growth mindset and use growthoriented language; they crave feedback and are always wondering what they need to do next to improve their work. Others will easily transition their language to generate positive feelings about learning and a productive response. A productive response is one where students take the feedback provided by the teacher and act on it in an attempt to improve their understanding and skills. Yet another group of students will subscribe to the ideas and language they receive in feedback, but will take longer to put it into practice, especially pertaining to their own performance. They will nod their heads when the teacher introduces the idea of a growth mindset yet feel let down when they do not achieve perfection on their first try. These students might feel they should get everything right, and if they don’t, they are failing. Teaching students to take setbacks in stride is a necessary step to helping them change their beliefs and, eventually, their language.

On the other hand, there are students who have fixed mindsets about their abilities to learn. All students are able, but over time some learners disengage when they

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Selecting language carefully and making sure body language and affect (feelings) match the words impact students and how they respond to feedback. Educator Susan M. Brookhart (2017) explains that “word choice should be respectful of students as persons and position them as active agents of their own learning” (p. 40). Since the goal of feedback is for students to take action, a teacher’s words, body language, and affect must support that mission.

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struggle. They believe that learning, at least in school, is not for them. The responsibility for changing the language and culture of the classroom falls on both students and teachers alike, but with these students, it’s up to the teacher to take the lead.

According to Carol Dweck (2016) in her book Mindset: Even when you think you’re not good at something you can still plunge into it wholeheartedly and stick to it. Actually, you sometimes wonderful feature of growth mindset. (p. 53)

It takes time to change a mindset, but with patience, students will believe that they can achieve. The growth mindset is not just a switch that flips and is suddenly permanent for learners. All students slip into a fixed mindset from time to time.

Finding the way out is the critical next step, and teachers help students take that step.

Taking a Risk Language must support risk taking in the classroom, because there is always an element of risk when learning something new. Frederick Wilcox (Quoteland.com, n.d.) puts it this way, “Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” Risk taking can be challenging for students, and there are usually moments of uncomfortable apprehension throughout a student’s school experience, but understanding that they will feel this way from time to time invites a play from a coach’s playbook.

Teachers and coaches alike want to get the most out of their pupils and when fear arises, the time comes to turn it into productive action. Language at these moments must reiterate that risk taking in the classroom is safe, which starts with conversations about learning and growth. These kinds of conversations help students develop confidence and know that it is not a question of if they will learn. Rather, learners are secure and know that learning will happen, and they have support during the process. For example, a student who has long struggled with writing is ready to turn in a first draft of an essay. The teacher has taken the time to get to know the student and is aware of the fear that accompanies this action. The student is afraid of judgment; he has had negative experiences in the past. When the teacher is aware of the situation, coaching and reassuring the student make all the difference. A verbal reminder that learning is ongoing, and this is just a first attempt with many to follow, can change the dynamic in a short amount of time. After all, “risk-taking students are those who love to learn for learning’s sake. . . . Any student can love to learn, given the right circumstances” (Chiang, 2017). Providing such circumstances—those that support risk taking and are supportive—is of utmost importance for teachers, and changing the language is an essential first step.

© 2019 by Solution Tree Press. All rights reserved.

plunge into something because you’re not good at it. This is a

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How Does It Work?

The following sections talk about transitioning from teacher to coach, auditing what exists, emphasizing learning before tasks, guiding students to productive language incorporating positive tone, expecting missteps and initial failure, and maintaining consistency.

Personal Narrative—Garnet Hillman When my sons were in preschool and kindergarten, their teacher created a culture that supported a coaching mentality and the five Cs. It was a Montessori school that uses learning progressions throughout three-year cycles rather than assigning particular skills to a grade level or age. Their teacher was exceptionally clear about her expectations for the students, their environment, and their interactions with one another.

She mapped out and carefully monitored the learning progressions, but she served as a coach throughout. You could find her working with individual students or small groups at their levels and on the skills they needed to move forward. When I observed, the teacher was not up and at the front of the classroom while the students quietly listened. She was working alongside them, providing feedback and inviting input from the students. Along with her feedback, the teacher modeled language that the students could use. For example, when talking about division she explained it was akin to sharing. This helped the students see the connection to their lives outside of school while introducing new vocabulary (division ) that they could start using. Students were an essential part of the coaching process, helping one another whenever possible. The culture resoundingly promoted collaboration between all learners in the classroom and made it clear that each one was a valued member of the community.

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Making learning-centered language work in the classroom takes focus and attention to detail. Entrepreneur Farshad Asl (n.d.) articulates five Cs of coaching— (1) clarity, (2) communication, (3) collaboration, (4) commitment, and (5) culture.

The first two Cs, clarity and communication, are critical as the teacher’s role changes and those Cs are the foundation of student-centered language; this section examines that evolution. As stated, language matters, and word choice is crucial. Getting to the place where this knowledge is second nature takes time. Just as they would with students, teachers should be patient and know that their learning will happen.

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Transitioning From Teacher to Coach

Table 1.1 provides a few examples of how to make some shifts in classroom language and highlights the differences between the examples.

Table 1.1: Shifting Language Traditional Classroom Language

Learning Language

The Difference

“This assignment will be worth thirty points.”

“For this assignment we will be practicing the skill of writing an effective thesis statement.”

In the Learning Language column, the focus is not on the task, but on learning—the skill. It speaks to what students will practice, not how it will impact a grade.

“Today in class we’ll be working on activities two, seven, and ten. You have thirty minutes to work on them.”

“Today in class we’ll be working on placing fractions on a number line. To begin, we will work through some practice together to reinforce the process for this. If you feel confident, you can work ahead, and I will stop by to check your work.”

In the Learning Language column, the language focuses on what students will accomplish through the practice. It also gives students choice and values each learner’s natural process.

“You missed questions three and four. Please fix them and turn it back in.”

“The strengths of your work are in the first two questions that ask for identification. There are a few mistakes on items three and four that I would like you to take a look at. These questions ask for an explanation of your answers for one and two. Take a look at an example from your formative work and try it again.”

In the Learning Language column, the language speaks to a strength, relates the work back to the target, and invites the student to keep learning. The focus is on what comes next, instead of only what was wrong.

“Complete this work for tomorrow.”

“Here is some practice on the skills we worked on today in class.

If you have questions, please bring those back to class tomorrow, along with your completed work.

I am confident you will be able to show your learning.”

In the Learning Language column, students hear that the learning will continue tomorrow. The teacher is still communicating a deadline as well as offering support.

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The coach’s role, no matter the setting, is to work alongside a learner in a joint effort to achieve a goal. They talk with their athletes and model when appropriate, but coaches know that the athlete must do the learning, and doing it for them is not an option. Coaches cannot step onto the playing field in the place of their athletes.

The language they use with athletes guides but does not dominate the learners during the game. Coaches can model good plays but then must turn the learning and performance over to their athletes. Effective teachers do the same in the classroom.

Students see good coaches and good teachers as advocates and supporters.

Adopt a Language of Learning

As with any learning, and just like teachers will, students will make mistakes, need some gentle reminders and prompts, and slide back into traditional classroom language. Eventually the new language will become a natural part of the classroom and support a coaching environment.

Taking a closer look at the language that effective coaches and teachers use provides a glimpse of how to keep language learning centered. Consider the examples of coaching language in table 1.2 and how they mirror language used in the classroom.

Table 1.2: Effective Coaching and Classroom Language Coaching Language

Teachers’ Coaching Language

“To begin, we will make sure you have a strong approach and jump off the diving board.”

Science “To begin, we will review the vocabulary you need to use to successfully complete a lab report.”

“Today we are working on your dribbling skills. This is how I want you to do the first drill.”

Physical education “In class today we are going to work on dribbling the soccer ball. Watch me do it first, and I’ll let you know what to watch for. Then I want to watch you do it.”

“You ran the race well. Now let’s focus on getting out of the blocks.”

English language arts “You did very well citing your evidence from the text. Your next step will be to write about how that evidence supports your thesis.”

“Why don’t you show the others your backhand?”

Mathematics “I really appreciated how you approached this problem.

Would you mind sharing your approach with the class? This isn’t the only way to solve the problem, so I welcome other approaches when she is done.”

“We will take this game one step at a time—we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves and forget the moment.”

Social studies “We will dissect this primary source document one step at a time, first by identifying any vocabulary that is unfamiliar to you. By doing this, we won’t get overwhelmed by the text as a whole.”

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As teachers evolve their language, those changes will slowly transfer to students.

A teacher’s change in language may not be enough to create the desired culture; it is just as critical for students to use a language of learning. When teachers explain how important it is for students to talk about learning rather than scores and percentages (or to talk about skills rather than completion), they contribute to an environment that promotes learning for all. Hearing directly from their teacher about a language change helps students become more cognizant of the words that their teacher uses, as well as how they speak themselves.

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Auditing What Exists Changing language in the classroom first requires an audit of what currently exists. If learning is the goal, then all communication needs to support it. This sounds straightforward, but many things can interfere with learning-focused language. Auditing current language can be as informal as setting small personal goals and slowly evolving language, or as formal as inviting others into the classroom to provide feedback.

The following sections discuss taking the focus off grades, as well as how to approach discussions around timing and deadlines.

Take the Focus Off Grades Students like to talk about points and grades before considering what they are learning or how they are going to show it. They will ask questions about the assignment’s point value and due date prior to considering the targeted standard or the learning process to achieve proficiency. Students need redirection when they use this kind of language. Through this transition, students will learn that increased achievement is a direct consequence of engaging with assessment and feedback in a meaningful way.

The teacher can redirect student language back to the standard or target at hand by saying something like this: Remember, we are working on using context clues to determine meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. The more we practice, the better we get! Grades will be determined once you have had ample time to practice and you are confident you can do it.

Consider Timing and Deadlines Another audit to consider is the language centered on timing and deadlines.

Laying out timelines for student learning is natural, given how precious time is in the classroom. Language about these timelines can traditionally come in the form of a hard deadline for learning. Deadlines are important for students, but practicing timeliness (by working to meet assignment deadlines, for example) does not mean

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Coaches and teachers know that they will get the most out of their pupils if their language identifies areas of strength as well as growth. In his video, Positive Coaching Vs. Negative Coaching in Helping Kids Improve Quickly (https://bit.ly/2FSDp53; Positive Coaching Alliance, 2017), rugby coach and National Advisory Board Member of the Positive Coaching Alliance, Jack Clark states that positive, strengthbased coaching yields results from his players, while identifying negative aspects of a performance does the opposite. Utilizing strength-based language bridges coaches and athletes to reinforce the shared goal of learning.

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learning ends if that deadline is not met. If the teacher says “The assignment is due on Wednesday. If you don’t have it done, I will not accept it late,” he or she communicates that there is a limited time for the learning. There is never enough time, so giving limits can feel like a natural solution to keep the class going.

The deadline could be reframed by changing the language:

Planning out chunks of time for different learning experiences is not detrimental in itself, but framing a deadline with positive, learning-centered language is consistent with the idea that learning is valued above everything else and is the expectation. There isn’t a limit on the time it takes for learning, but there are significant checkpoints, and learning to meet deadlines is an additional skill that requires development. See the section Mirroring Academic and Behavioral Feedback (page 52) for more information.

Emphasizing Learning Before Tasks Another major shift in language involves putting the learning before the task.

The task is just a means to show learning, and learning takes precedence. Speaking to students about standards or targets before tasks—saying “We are going to ‘read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression’” (RF.4.4.b; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGA] & Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2010) rather than “We will complete the poetry worksheet”—lets students know that acquiring skills is more important than completing a task. It does not matter whether teachers use the standards or learning targets in their original language or if they rewrite them in student-friendly language. It is essential that students understand what they should know and be able to do. The skill must take center stage. The tasks provide the vehicle for students demonstrating their knowledge and understanding through the skills.

Research shows that “students who knew the focus or topic of the lesson began and remained more engaged than other students because they sought feedback about their own understandings based on the focus or topic of the lesson” (Pollock, 2012, p. 14). Choosing to discuss the lesson’s focus and topic with students in advance may seem like a small choice, but it is a significant one. What the teacher deems most essential is communicated first. It is easy to fall into the trap of speaking to what students will do first, but this instantly places their focus on the task. Students are likely to focus less on what they will be learning and more on completing the task.

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This assignment is due on Wednesday. Remember that this is practice, but I want to be able to check in on your learning on Wednesday. It will help us decide what to do next. If you cannot meet the deadline, please come talk with me ahead of time.

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Guiding Students to Productive Language Intentional language and question choices guide learners toward positive responses. One way to do this is by replacing the verb do with the verb learn in everyday communications. This has a powerful effect on students’ responses and the discussions that follow. Instead of students asking “What are we doing?” they eventually ask “What are we learning?”

The three simple questions—(1) Where am I now? (2) Where do I want to be? and (3) How do I get there?—provide students fodder for reflecting on the learning target, their current proficiency, and next steps. While these questions don’t need to be asked together, language and feedback should provide students with enough information about their learning that they should always be able to answer all three. The language they use to answer these questions is naturally positive; the questions lead the feedback to a place where students are clear about their current situation without feeling unsuccessful. It simply establishes a starting place with communication about the end goal and progress toward it.

Remember that changing language is no easy task, no matter one’s teaching experience level. At some point in their educational careers, teachers have been immersed in traditional language, through their own practices or their experiences as students, and habits are difficult to break!

Incorporating Positive Tone Effective feedback has positive language that feeds learning. When feedback communicates how students will attain a skill rather than what they have not attained, the emphasis is clearly on learning. Consider a scenario in which a teacher is talking with the entire class about an assignment that didn’t go well for many. Every student hears the same feedback: Most of you missed number nine. We went over this concept many times, and you should have mastered it by now. We are moving on today, but if you need help you can make an appointment outside of class to see me.

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Communication centered on the task’s importance, instead of on the intended learning, also inadvertently conveys a finality to the learning that is tied to task completion. Even if a student ends up struggling to demonstrate learning by the completion of a particular task, it doesn’t mean he or she is unable to show learning in a different way or after receiving feedback. Again, if learning is at the forefront of communication, it sends the message that the task is secondary, and learning should continue until the objective is accomplished.

Adopt a Language of Learning

Looking at this same scenario through a different lens, the teacher might approach the situation by saying this: I see that number nine is still an area of concern. This is an important idea to develop proficiency with adding and subtracting fractions that we need to master, so I’m going to host a mini-teaching session during our work time. If you still need instruction or help, make sure to meet me so I can address any questions or concerns you might have.

This language may be accompanied by a note on the student’s work that directs the student to join a small group; this could also be used in a small-group setting after the teacher has strategically grouped students. The language moves the conversation from punitive to helpful and supportive. Students understand that their teacher is there to coach them forward. This simple change invites the student to stay involved in the learning process, even when hiccups arise.

Figure 1.1 provides some examples of negative language and how to shift the language in a positive direction.

Negative Tone

Positive Tone

“You are really struggling with this.

What are you going to do about it?”

“You will get it. Let’s talk about what could come next in your learning. What do you think your next step should be?”

“You missed five problems.”

“You have done well with factoring the expressions. Now focus on polynomials where your leading coefficient is greater than one.”

“The claim for your paper is weak.”

“Here are some guidelines to follow when writing a claim statement. Take a look at yours and see how it could be improved.”

“The student isn’t able to do it.”

“The student isn’t able to do it yet.”

From a student: “I don’t get it.”

Teacher response: “OK, tell me what you do understand, and we will go from there.”

Figure 1.1: Shift negative to positive tone.

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There is an underlying punitive nature to this statement. (For more about punitive feedback, see Distinguishing Among Three Categories of Feedback, page 45.) This language creates an atmosphere of repercussions if a student does not meet a deadline for learning. The teacher’s intention is not negative; he or she wants to indicate there is still work to be done with a particular concept. The problem is that students may not know which skill they need to work on—they just know number nine is incorrect. And what about the students who got it right? They may feel a small sense of pride because they crossed the virtual finish line in the correct amount of time, but they are not intrinsically motivated to keep learning.

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Expecting Missteps and Initial Failure

The following phrases in everyday learning conversations can help.

• “The mistake you made is a very common one. Let’s reflect on that concept

as a class.”

• “Mistakes happen every day. They provide us with great opportunities

to learn.”

• “Don’t focus on the fact that you made a mistake. Focus on the next step.”

• “It’s OK to not be proficient with this skill yet. It’s not OK to stay there.

Let’s figure out the path forward.”

Students may think that failure is a potential moment of embarrassment in their learning, and that recovery from this embarrassment is impossible. However, reframing failure or setbacks as a regular (in fact valuable) occurrence in all learning whether the setback occurs within the classroom or outside, helps students be open and available to learn every day. Students can also benefit from reading about their role models and heroes and how they overcame failure in their lives.

The easiest word to use with students who take a step backward or fail initially with their learning is yet. This word indicates that learning is on the horizon and there is a path leading them to proficiency and achievement. Yet builds hope for students and promotes self-efficacy and the belief that they can succeed. Feedback and coaching that support a hopeful attitude with students frame a classroom culture of learning.

Maintaining Consistency Creating an environment with a language of learning takes consistency. Teachers might find themselves sliding into a grading mentality and talking about what will happen to a grade if . . . . A student might say, “I’m not smart enough to get this!” It doesn’t matter so much that this occurs; what matters is the response. Everyone in

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Learning is not a straight path forward. This is not a secret, but teachers must remind themselves and students of this. Coaching students through varied paths recognizes each student as an individual and shows him or her that there is no single way to arrive at proficiency. The teacher can use language that indicates missteps along a learning journey are normal, and that he or she and the student can expect them. Many teachers like to use the FAIL acronym—first attempt in learning—to explain this to students. Whatever the explanation, it is key to reinforce the idea that the natural flow of learning goes both forward and backward.

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the classroom needs to look out for each other. When language turns negative, attitude and culture turn negative. However, the opposite is also true. Working together with students makes the change to positive language sustainable.

What Does It Look Like?

Katharine Hertz, Grades 9–12 Language Arts Teacher and Instructional Coach Over my career in education, I’ve slowly waded into a sphere of new ideas and approaches to teaching, one class period, one lesson, one idea at a time. I teach English literature to students of varying abilities, from those identified with special needs to honors students. I am always excited to try new approaches and techniques: new computer software, classroom-management strategies, professional development plans, and content delivery approaches. This excitement always stems from a desire to engage students in the centuries-old literature that I love and a desire to learn how to thoughtfully articulate their cultivated ideas in modern modes of expression.

At the end of one school year, I was especially frustrated with the growing number of students (at all levels) not focusing on the learning process, but rather only on the grade they had received. I’d pulled out all the pedagogical tricks I knew. I’d been trying to articulate my objectives and goals for each lesson, assignment, and activity we would do, but students didn’t seem to care. They only wanted to know the final mark on their assignment and then move to the next task without deepening their understanding of why they do assignments in the first place. In other words, they wanted to just run the race or play the game of education, with little thought about how learning applies in the bigger scheme.

I could understand the perspective of a student who asked “Why should I learn this?” but I was absolutely perplexed when faced with students who didn’t even want to question the reasons they were obtaining an education at all. So, after years of dabbling in a variety of new assessment techniques, I jumped the biggest classroom learning and behavioral management leap I’d taken since starting teaching. I decided to post my grades for students only after I’d had meaningful conversations and feedback discussions with them about their processes.

As an English teacher, the process of uncovering and articulating ideas is my daily existence. So, it is natural for me to embrace learning as a process and not just an endgame. I’ve never expected students to naturally embrace a love of learning

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Educators Katharine Hertz and Adam Dyche give the following first-person accounts of what adopting a language of learning looks like in the classroom.

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I began the school year by discussing my desires with my administration and a few colleagues, and then crafted a letter to send home to parents explaining the change from the traditional approach they might expect. I had two parents express deep concern for the new approach, and one chose to remove the student from my class. Several other parents expressed curiosity and even excitement over the shift in focus from reporting of the grade to teaching students the process of learning.

Then I taught many of the engaging lessons and activities I’d honed over the years with very similar approaches I’d used before, just without logging the grade in the online gradebook—putting feedback before reporting. I still gave assessments that measured students’ knowledge in terms of percentage of content mastered and standards evaluated, and even showed students their percentages on those assessments after we’d discussed what the scores actually communicated to me about their performance. Class time was an ongoing dialogue with both large groups and individuals, setting and resetting expectations and perceptions of what exactly a measurement of 90 percent, 75 percent, or even 50 percent meant for each of the assessments we’d tackle. All discussions, both large group and individual conferences, were framed around the class’s established and shared set of core standards, guidelines, and objectives to ensure understanding and clarity. Students explore these standards, guidelines, and objectives from the first day of class, which are always available in our class digital notebook to give clear performance expectations and help students attain their best success on the rigorous tasks for the year.

Like the parent reactions, students were varied in their willingness to embrace the altered approach to reporting their grades. Some saw it as a welcome release of pressure to perform; others saw it as laziness on my part to not enter a grade for the assessment in the gradebook and forced discussions about how the assignment fit into the class guidelines; and there was every variation of student response in the middle. All were welcome to bring their questions, concerns, and excitement about our learning processes to me when they wanted; students did bring them as the year

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as a process, and so I saw the burden of student engagement as mine to carry fully.

What I failed to realize for almost fifteen years of my career was the power in giving students the ability to measure their own growth and ask them to engage in the assessment process at all levels of assessment, including reporting their grades home.

Don’t mistake me; I’d tried a dizzying number of angles and approaches to motivate and engage students. I’ve always had peer editing processes, self-analysis of assignments, and reviewing answers with students as part of my instruction. What I hadn’t done was really give students the space to authentically examine their own growth without my final mark guiding the comments they would give on the process, or empower them to shape that process to assess themselves given a set of criteria they could grasp. Doing just that has been the game changer!

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unfolded before us. By the end of the school year, though, I was tearfully saying goodbye to each class because of the rich depth of experience we’d all had learning how to embrace the feedback natural to the learning process. I had more joy as a teacher getting to really talk to each of those students and getting to know their fears, confidences, quirks, and passions as we traipsed through each learning experience.

Happily, this is one of those stories that ends well, and not only did my students close the performance gap that had been slowly growing in the previous years, but they actually more than doubled the year’s global average of students who achieved the highest score possible on the exam, and the percentage of my students receiving that high score increased by 10 percent from the previous year. That kind of increase and growth in performance is very rare with high-achieving and driven students taking the Advanced Placement exam! I believe the success has largely to do with the shift in instructional practice to focus on feedback and conversations with students. The change in approach increased student accountability. The students needed to really understand the information they had to learn. As a result, they actually processed their learning more fully. That ultimately translated into not just a better classroom learning environment, but also dramatically improved standardized test results, a win-win no matter how one looks at it!

Adam Dyche, Grades 9–12 Social Studies Department Head Many students perceive school as a performance because, too often, performing is our instructional design’s focus. We’re constantly evaluating student work, with a grade or points, for correctness, accuracy, punctuality, neatness, and completeness. To help move away from this construct, I had to change my entire vocabulary regarding learning in the classroom. If I was going to eliminate the “How many points is this worth?” question, I would have to create an environment where this type of thinking—and speaking—does not exist.

Moving from a performance mindset to a learning mindset required a shift in communication. It meant removing performance-based language from my

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For me, the hardest test was seeing how this assessment format prepared my students for the rigorous AP English literature exam. As a group, my students performed well on this exam historically, exceeding the global averages for performance.

However, in the past few years, it puzzled me to see the levels of that success slowly diminishing, especially as I realized my frustrations with students’ lack of willingness to focus on owning their learning and understanding information. Might the two be related in any way? So, I really tested those very questions as I tried a new approach to classes with students. I felt my students were doing better as we gave feedback more precedence, but how would they do when they faced a globally normed assessment that I hadn’t designed?

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COACHING YOUR CL ASSROOM

instruction. I stopped attaching point values to learning tasks. If an assignment was truly for feedback, I didn’t want points—a term often associated with judgment—to drive the student. I wanted students to focus on what the tasks were teaching them, helping them recognize and identify what success should look like. As long as learning had ties to performance, I did not think it would be possible for my students to perceive the difference.

Through this language shift, my goal is to encourage my learners to reach beyond their comfort zones, where they are free from the pressure to constantly perform and, instead, able to explore and extend their thinking without judgment. For the first time, perhaps in a while, my learners are reacting to the value of revisiting and revising their work to grow, seeking out support and challenges, and engaging me about growth—a true learning environment.

I thought this transformation alone would be satisfying enough until another, equally beneficial outcome emerged from adopting learning language—performance had greater importance. In my class (like all others), performance matters.

Demonstrating mastery matters—just as it does on the football field on Friday night and in the auditorium on Saturday. By deliberately designing instruction that uses language (and practices) specific to learning and performance, that clarity now exists.

My learners know that tasks—simply completing the work—won’t offset low scores, and they acknowledge the test’s gravity. They see and understand the direct link between skill, content comprehension, and their performance. In other words, they cannot successfully perform unless they gain from their practice.

This has prompted me to begin every year by sharing, discussing, and dissecting what learning and performance look like in my class, how I will talk about them, what my expectations are, and why we undertake this approach. Every year my message improves, while the separation, yet interconnectedness, between learning and performance becomes more rewarding for my learners.

© 2019 by Solution Tree Press. All rights reserved.

So, I worked to identify and eliminate any customary performance-based expressions from learning. Assignments became tasks. Due dates became timelines.

Homework became out-of-class work. Formative assessments were renamed check-ins.

I even stopped calling them my students, instead calling them learners. Creatively rebranding my language was hard, but I worked even harder to make these terms the norm. Whether having conversations with colleagues, sending emails to parents, or talking with my class as a whole, I would use these terms as if they’d always been a part of schooling. If a learner asked “How many points is this worth?” my reply was “What is the target of the task?” When a parent would reach out about missing assignments, I shared the tasks that learners were working on. Whenever given the chance to use learning language, I use it.

Adopt a Language of Learning

21

Reflection Questions Teachers may reflect on the following questions, either individually or as a collaborative team. Their answers will inform their next steps. Visit go.SolutionTree .com/assessment for a free reproducible version of these questions.

• What is my biggest takeaway from this chapter? What immediate action will • What language am I using in my classroom that I might tweak or change to

further support learning?

• How can I introduce the idea of learning-centered language to my students?

• How can I involve students in changing the classroom’s language?

• How can switching the lens from teacher to coach have an impact on the

language in my classroom?

© 2019 by Solution Tree Press. All rights reserved.

I take in my classroom?

Coaching YOUR Classroom

Coaching YOUR Classroom HOW TO DELIVER ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS

M

K–12 teachers will: aximize student self• Analyze the impact of learning-centered efficacy and growth by classroom language and formative assessment providing high-quality on student learning feedback students can act on.

• Understand the importance of effective In Coaching Your Classroom: communication in the classroom, as well How to Deliver Actionable Feedback as how giving feedback works and what a to Students, authors Garnet Hillman student-centered culture looks like and Mandy Stalets share a • Embrace the qualities of actionable feedback and examine the effect on student engagement fresh perspective on effective and intrinsic motivation classroom feedback for all grade • Learn how to deliver individualized next steps levels and content areas. Explore and support students through the feedback the parallels between teaching loop and gradual release of responsibility students and coaching athletes, • Benefit from real-world accounts and examples and then learn how to coach every from teachers who have successfully coached student to success every day. their classrooms

“Coaching Your Classroom is the perfect companion book for educators desiring to emphasize feedback over point accumulation. Hillman and Stalets have translated the theory of grading and assessment reform into practical language for teachers to understand and model.”

—Matt Townsley, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa Visit go.SolutionTree.com/assessment to download the free reproducibles in this book.

SolutionTree.com

HILLMAN • STALETS

“Garnet Hillman and Mandy Stalets have done a tremendous job combining important research with practical considerations to make a book that will benefit all teachers who read it. With a strong element of ‘What does this look like in the classroom?’ this book is guaranteed to make you think and reflect on your own teaching practice.”

—Bradley Busch, Author, The Science of Learning

How to Deliver Actionable Feedback to Students

Garnet HILLMAN Mandy STALETS