1 Coaching for CompetenceState Conference 2016 Kim St Martin & Caryn S. Ward

2 Session Objectives Distinguish between types of coaching (Systems vs Instructional) Define the focus of coaching and time allocated to each focus area Review required skillsets of coaching Review systems coaching competencies Provide an overview of one of the systems coaching competencies: Change Facilitation

3 1.0 Distinguishing Types of CoachingSystems vs. Instructional Level Coaching

4 Why Coaching? Increases the effective use of concepts and skills that were taught during professional learning Assists practitioners to contextualize the concepts and skills to their settings Increases the likelihood of sustainability of the practice Reduces staff turnover Aarons, Sommerfeld, Hecht, Silovsky, & Chaffin, 2009; March et al., 2008; Neufel & Roper, 2003, Cohen et al., (2016); Curtis & Metz, 1986; Joyce & Showers, 2002; Trotter, 2006; Zins & Ponti,1996; Fagan & Mihalic, 2003; Joyce & Showers, 2002; Kealey, Peterson, Gaul, & Dinh, 2000; Sparks, 2004

5 Types of Coaching Systems Coaching: (MIBLSI emphasis): Coaching to develop the capacity to effectively implement a program, practice, or approach to enhance student outcomes (effective innovation) Instructional Coaching: “Content / practice-level coaching” to help teachers improve instruction in a discipline using a particular strategy, practice, or program to improve student outcomes

6 Systems Coaching to “Effectively Implement”Develop the district’s ability to: Choose innovations wisely: effective innovations that are usable so they are doable, teachable, learnable and readily assessed in practice Create conditions to use innovations as intended: effective leadership, organizational (structures, data collection and use across staff and schools), and competency supports Initiate and manage change: adaptive leadership Sustain and improve effective innovations at scale: hospitable district environment to support innovations, scaled across schools, and reach all students

7 Activity Read the “concepts or skills” section from the District Implementation Team Coaching Service Delivery Plan and the Explicit Vocabulary Coaching Service Delivery Plan Which bucket do each of the plans belong in and explain why?

8 2.0 Focus Areas of CoachingTime Spent in Focus Areas

9 Focus of Coaching Develop knowledge, skills, and abilities of practitioners New Skills: 60% of time; Fidelity met: 20% of time Encourage reflection and accurate self-reporting while analyzing data” New Skills: 20% of time; Fidelity met: 60% of time Provide personal support 20% of time whether new or fidelity met (NIRN, 2015) Ask participants

10 Activity Reflect on the focus of your coaching or your coaches this past month. List your percentage of time for the three areas: Skill Development Accurate Self-Reflection Personal Support Does your data support where your time is spent?

11 3.0 Required Coaching Skillsets

12 Required Skillset Relationship developmentExpert knowledge, skills, and abilities: System change, infrastructure development Instructional Practice Proactive teaching skills Clear / descriptive communication with practitioners, administrators, and others

13 Proactive Teaching SkillDescriptive praise for doing what was required Rationale – personal; goal related Description of what needs improvement Practice – set up, practice doing and saying, constructive feedback, repeat until confident Descriptive praise for engagement, accepting advice, and learning Discussion of plan for next interactions with students

14 Activity Given the focus of coaching and required skillsets to be an effective coach, which do feel are opportunities for you to grow as a coach or for your school’s/district’s coaches Provide your rationale.

15 4.0 Systems Coaching CompetenciesChange Facilitation

16 Competencies Systems Coaching Engagement and CollaborationFacilitate Implementation Innovation Development Coaching: Foundational Skills Assess Need & Context Conduct Improvement Cycles Team Development Relationship Development & Maintenance Support Stakeholder Co-creation Engagement and Collaboration Change Facilitation Discovery and Diagnosis As systems coaches, we build others capacity to build capacity. So we need to reflect on how we define competency. We define this by a jurisdiction’s ability to select effective interventions, use effective implementation methods, and develop enabling contexts. Therefore, these competencies represent capacity to us and in order for coaches to be innovation fluent, they need to be fluent in these competencies so that they can build these competencies in others. (c) Allison Metz, 2012

17 Focus Today Change Facilitation Facilitate ImplementationInnovation Development Coaching: Foundational Skills

18 Importance of the Foundational Skills

19 Nominal Group Process Concerns Based Problem Solving Motivational Interviewing Facilitation Skills Skills / abilities for raising the iceberg = “Coaching -Foundational Skills” Addressing Adaptive Challenges Conceptual Frameworks Ability: Develop and Communicate Big Ideas Maximizing Feedback Ability: Accept and Receive Feedback & Improve Communication Developing and Maintaining Relationships Ability: Provide Meaningful Recognition Connecting Through Rationales Ability: Develop and Provide Rationales Getting and Giving Information Ability: Observe and Describe Behavior

20 4.1 Systems Change CompetenciesGiving & Getting Information

21 Nominal Group Process Concerns Based Problem Solving Motivational Interviewing Facilitation Skills Skills / abilities for raising the iceberg = “Coaching -Foundational Skills” Addressing Adaptive Challenges Conceptual Frameworks Ability: Develop and Communicate Big Ideas Maximizing Feedback Ability: Accept and Receive Feedback & Improve Communication Developing and Maintaining Relationships Ability: Provide Meaningful Recognition Connecting Through Rationales Ability: Develop and Provide Rationales Getting and Giving Information Ability: Observe and Describe Behavior

22 Outcomes Provide reasons why it is important for coaches to be able to accurately observe and describe the things they see and hear Outline the steps for how to observe and describe what coaches see / hear (behaviors) Identify the times when it is critical to be specific with the teams / people you coach

23 Outcomes (cont.) Define a “second hand observation”Provide reasons why it is important for coaches to have good second-hand observation skills Identify barriers to being able to accurately observe and describe behavior

24 4.1.1 Defining Getting and Giving Information

25 Definition Ability to:Directly see and hear observable events and behavior Describe the observations to others Verbally “replay” past events to others Solicit clear descriptions from others Describe the observable behavior and label or match the behaviors to key concepts / skills

26 What to Observe and DescribeWhat matters: Antecedents and context: what was happening before the behavior (what you saw / heard) occurred Behavior (verbal and non-verbal) Consequences or results: Immediate consequence or result Delayed consequence or result

27 Antecedents and ContextTo get and give good information about antecedents and context look / listen for the following: History and circumstances Is there a more “distal” (distant, previous job or experience with a person) but relevant history of events / relationships Who was present? When did the behavior occur? Where did the behavior occur? What happened immediately prior?

28 Selecting things to Observe and DescribeWhat matters: Antecedents and context: what was happening before the behavior (what you saw / heard) occurred Behavior (verbal and non-verbal) Consequences or results: Immediate consequence or result Delayed consequence or result

29 Behavior Look / listen for the following: What was said? By whom?To whom? Non-verbal behavior? Intensity of the behavior? Frequency of the behavior? Duration of the behavior Absence and presence of behavior?

30 Selecting things to Observe and DescribeWhat matters: Antecedents and context: what was happening before the behavior (what you saw / heard) occurred Behavior (verbal and non-verbal) Consequences or results: Immediate consequence or result Delayed consequence or result

31 Consequences or ResultsLook / listen for the following: What was the observed outcome(s) or result(s) of what you saw / heard? How did you and others respond verbally and non-verbally? What decisions were made as a result? Important consideration: Consequences may become the antecedents or the context for the next set of interactions (residual effect)

32 Reflection Review the “Getting and Giving Information” Look / Listen Fors.” Think about an interaction you observed during a district or school team meeting. In retrospect, what things could you have been more focused on observing or listening?

33 How to Give and Get Good InformationBe specific Describe the antecedents, behavior, consequence clearly so others can visualize what they are hearing and could “recreate” the scene you are describing Avoid: Using general terms that require interpretation Using terms that may be perceived as judgmental Using pronouns without a clear event or noun

34 Specificity GuidelinesWhen to be specific: Offering recognition or praise Problem-solving or asking for advice Offering suggestions for improvement or making changes Setting the stage for the next event, meeting, or decision Relaying information to teams

35 4.1.2 Second Hand Observational Skills

36 Definition A behavioral debriefing that results in a clear behavioral description of interactions or events This is facilitated by the person listening to the debriefing’s ability to: Ask specific questions Ask open-ended questions Non-verbally encourage the conversation Summarize

37 Benefits of Second-Hand Observation SkillsAvoid miscommunication Allows support to be giving even though a person was unable to be present during the meeting / event being described

38 Getting Started May want to ask for permission and give reasons for needing a clear picture May need to get the person / people comfortable with a series of questions Let the person tell their story and make judgment calls about interrupting to get more specific information

39 Questions to Ask Three categories: Obvious questionsEncouraging questions General statement questions

40 Activity Access the “Second Hand Observations: Questions to Ask for Clarity” document. Read the different types of questions to ask during a behavioral debriefing. Is there one category over the others that you find yourself asking follow-up questions?

41 Checking Perceptions People first – information secondUseful when situations seem emotional Offer a “feeling” to go with what you are observing / hearing “You seem really confused by her response to the plan?” “Given what he said, might she be feeling left out of the process?”

42 Activity With a partner, access the “Giving and Getting Information Role Play Scenarios.” and select the scenario that most fits your current or previous role with the MIBLSI project. Determine who will play which role. Read the scenario. Role play. Answer the debriefing and reflection questions.

43 4.1.3 Barriers to Give and Get Accurate InformationClimbing the Ladder of Inference

44 Barriers Issues that are not being discussed or acknowledged (“elephant in the room”) Objectivity Assumptions

45 Recognizing and Dealing with the ElephantName the challenge: Stop the action Set the “technical” aside (you know what should be done / what is the answer but the elephant is the issue preventing forward movement) Describe your observations Check your perceptions to see if what you are perceiving is accurate

46 Reflection What are some facilitators (things that would help) and barriers to being able to: Name the elephant Set aside the technical to address the adaptive

47 Climbing the Ladder Of InferenceI take action or make statements visible based on my beliefs I adopt Beliefs about the world and people in it I draw Conclusions I make Assumptions based on the meanings I add I select data and information from all that I have observed. Observable “data” and experiences occur (as a video recorder might capture it). – Visible

48 Why the Ladder? We get in our own way when we behave as though:Our beliefs are the truth The truth is obvious (to us anyway) Our beliefs are based on real data (how we perceive that data and the assumptions we make based on that data shape our beliefs) The data we select are the real data…sometimes the only data

49 Good Ladder or Bad Ladder?Pointless question because you will never get rid of the ladder of inference because it is human nature to interpret meaning and make assumptions based on what you see and hear The only solution is to safely climb the ladder of inference

50 Safely Climbing the LadderDo’s Don’ts Walk others through your thinking Ask for data in an open-ended way Test your assumptions Simply describe the observable data Accuse others of climbing the ladder Talk behind someone’s back about their poor ladder climbing ability (“Boy, she never bothered to check her assumptions.”)

51 Reflection Access the document “Safely Climbing the Ladder Questions and Sentence Starters.” Think about a situation when you less than safely climbed the ladder of inference. In retrospect, what could you have done differently?

52 4.2 Systems Change CompetenciesConnecting Through Rationales

53 Nominal Group Process Concerns Based Problem Solving Motivational Interviewing Facilitation Skills Skills / abilities for raising the iceberg = “Coaching -Foundational Skills” Addressing Adaptive Challenges Conceptual Frameworks Ability: Develop and Communicate Big Ideas Maximizing Feedback Ability: Accept and Receive Feedback & Improve Communication Developing and Maintaining Relationships Ability: Provide Meaningful Recognition Connecting Through Rationales Ability: Develop and Provide Rationales Getting and Giving Information Ability: Observe and Describe Behavior

54 Outcomes Identify reasons why people resist changeUnderstand the two variables that contribute to a team / person having readiness for change Outline the components of a rationale necessary to work with people who are “not quite ready” to change Identify strategies needed to work with people “not quite ready “ to change

55 Begin with the End in MindCoach provides feedback related to a concept / skill the team / staff are learning If a coach were to script out that feedback ahead of time, the coach would want to make sure it includes specific information – one of which is a rationale and another that includes describing what was observed / heard

56 Concept / Skill Feedback CriteriaConcept Label: the coaching concept / skill Purpose: Glow (recognition) or Grow (improvement) Rationale: aligned with the team’s / person’s level of readiness for change Illustrations: describe what you saw / heard from at least two to three sources of data or information (giving good information) Directive or reflective: helps inform your request and follow-up to the team / person

57 4.2.1 Understanding People’s Readiness for Change

58 Stages of Change Stage of change for pre-action individuals:Precontemplation – 40% Contemplation – 40% Preparation – 20% “ If only 20% of employees in organizations are prepared to take action…” Prochaska, Prochaska, and Levesque (2001)

59 Resistance and Change MindsetCoach needs to have the mindset: There is no such thing as resistance to change – only inadequate preparation It is not “their” problem, it is my (our) problem

60 Assessing Readiness for ChangeTwo variables: Importance Confidence

61 Assessing Readiness for Change (cont.)Asking questions to assess readiness related to each of the two variables Importance questions: How important is this change How do you feel at this moment about this change? How important is it to you? Confidence questions: How confident are you that we can make this change? Right now, how confident do you feel that we can be with this change?

62 Formula for Readiness for ChangeImportance + Confidence = Readiness for Change

63 Example Comments Not important Not confident“I’m not interested.” OR “Everything is fine the way it is.” Not confident “The risks are greater than the benefits.”

64 Example Comments (cont.)Important, but not confident “I’d be interested in doing this, but I don’t know what to do or how to participate.” Important and gaining confidence “I’m on board and starting to feel comfortable with the change!” Important and confident “This change will make a positive difference and we can do it!”

65 Activity Let’s practice:“We have been down that road before and it didn’t work.” “I loved what I heard and think it will be great for my students but my colleagues?…Not so much.” “We have been doing similar work for the past several years and it worked. Our kids are doing well. Things are fine the way they are without having to do something new.” “I connected with a colleague about the strategies. She shared her materials with me and I can actually use them in my classroom! My kids will benefit from this!”

66 4.2.2 Strategies for Working with the “Not Quite Ready.”

67 Strategies Provide information Reflect concerns Roll with resistanceResistance is a signal to change your strategies New perspectives are invited but not imposed Make the “right” invitation The person’s perspective is a valuable resource in learning more about what is concerning or challenging about the change initiative Miller and Rollnick, 1991

68 4.2.3 Developing a Rationale

69 Rationale Definition Brief statement that is associated with current or future goals that is presented in a logical manner (“if…then”)

70 Benefits Data indicate that providing rationales: Is respectfulIs supportive of honest exploration of issues Promotes choice and “buy-in” Increases confidence in decision-making Promotes understanding of “functions” of the decisions being made rather than fostering compliance

71 Rationale Guidelines for Readiness for ChangeBrief – not a lecture Aligned with the degree of readiness Must be relevant to the individual Requires you to be “on purpose”

72 Activity Access the rationale scenarios. Select two scenarios.Assess the person’s level of readiness for change based on what was written. Write out your rationale. Practice providing your rationale to your partner.

73 Working with the “Not Quite Ready”For people not interested or are thinking about engaging in the change: Promote or provide assurance about the “upside” of taking risks Points out the “downside” of not moving forward – a different view of risk Consider moving this up to the beginning when strategies are introduced.

74 Working with the “Not Quite Ready”Actively listen to the person and expand on themes (e.g., job security, lack of funding, no support / time, uncomfortable with data) – the reasons behind their resistance will emerge Roll with the resistance by confirming assumptions about themes and validating the “big ideas”

75 Reflection Access the document, “Strategies for Working with the ‘Not Quite Ready:’ Questions and Sentence Starters” What is your level of comfort in working with people who are not quite ready? Which of these strategies do you feel you may want to practice using to further strengthen how you develop people’s readiness for change?

76 Summary Coaching for Competence Specific Focus Areas of CoachingSystems Coaching Instructional Coaching Specific Focus Areas of Coaching Skill Development, Accurate Self Reflection, Personal Support Systems Coaching Competencies Change Facilitation: Foundational Skills

77 Karen Blase, PhD. Developer of the NIRN Foundational Skills