Transitioning From Teacher to Coach

Transitioning From Teacher to Coach

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.

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.”

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

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

“Complete this work for tomorrow.” “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 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.

“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.” “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, 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.

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.

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.

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?”

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

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.”

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.”