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COACHING YOUR CL ASSROOM
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.
