Observing and Planning Effective Conferences with Beginning Teachers

Before an observation of a lesson, you should:

Discuss together the goals of the lesson to be observed. Keep the goals simple at first. For example, you might want to focus on a clear statement of objective, the clarity of directions to the students, and overall management of the class.
Discuss together the success indicators of the lesson. Ask: “How will you know if the students are on task?” or “How will you know if they are successful?”
Discuss the materials needed for the lesson.
Discuss approaches, strategies, and decisions that may need to be made during the lesson.
Explain the methods of data collection you will use for the observation. Some observation methods involve anecdotal writing, timing, tallying, or coding. Explain these methods to the beginning teacher before you use them so that your post-conference will be more meaningful.

During an observation of a lesson, you should:

Focus on the observation goals agreed upon before the lesson.
Write down questions and suggestions for later discussion.
Look for positive aspects as well as areas for improvement.
Collect data on both teacher behavior and student behavior that may prove useful to your intern/student teacher teacher.
Focus on behaviors that the intern/student teacher teacher can change. Frustration is only increased when a person is reminded of shortcomings over which he/she has no control.

After an observation of a lesson, you should:

Pick an appropriate time and place for your discussion. Talk to your intern/student teacher teacher as soon as possible after the observation of the lesson. Remember that timing is important. However, if it has been a rough day for both of you, it might be best to save the conference for the next day.
Sit in side-by-side chairs, not across from one another. You want to emphasize the feelings of collegiality.
Talk with your intern/student teacher teacher in private. Never offer criticism in front of students or in the presence of other faculty.
Begin by asking the beginning teacher how he/she felt about the lesson. Encourage him/her to discuss some of the success indicators of the lesson. Ask: “How could you tell that the students were engaged?” and “How could you tell that they were successful during guided practice?” If your beginning teacher “draws a blank” when you ask these questions, begin by pointing out a few positive aspects that you observed. This may help to “prime the pump” and get your intern/student teacher teacher talking.
Share the data you collected during the observation. Together, summarize impressions and assessments of the lesson.
Check for clarity of communication.
Give your intern/student teacher teacher an opportunity to ask questions. Remember that feedback is most useful when the receiver formulates questions which the observer can answer.
End on a positive note. If the lesson was a disaster, remind the beginning teacher that tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity. Concentrate on what has been learned from this lesson and how it can be effectively used next time.

You may find some of these questions from Cognitive Coaching, by Arthur L. Costa and Robert J. Garmston, helpful in planning your post-observation conferences.

The Language of Coaching: Questioning

A direct correlation exists between the levels and syntactical structure of questions and the production of thought. Effective coaches deliberately use questions in ways that produce desired mental processes in the mind of the teacher. Following are some examples of desired mental processes and the syntactical signals in a question that might produce them.

Planning Conference
If the desired thought process in the teacher is to:		Then the coach might ask:
(Describe) State the purpose of the lesson.		“What is your lesson going to be about?”
(Translate) Translate the purposes of the lesson into descriptions of desirable and observable behaviors.		“As you see the lesson unfolding, what will students be doing?”
(Predict) Envision teaching strategies and behaviors to facilitate students’ performance of desired behaviors.		“As you envision this lesson, what do you see yourself doing to produce outcomes?”
(Sequence) Describe the sequence in which the lesson will occur.		“What will you be doing first? Next? Last? How will you close the lesson?”
(Estimate) Anticipate the duration of activities.		“As you envision the opening of the lesson, how long do you anticipate that will take?”
(Operationalize criteria) Formulate procedures for assessing outcomes (envision, operationally define, and set criteria).		“What will you see students doing or hear them saying that will indicate to you that your lesson is successful?”
(Metacognate) Monitor their own behavior during the lesson.		“What will you look for in students' reactions to know if your directions are understood?”
(Describe) Describe the role of the observer.		“What will you want me to look for and give you feedback about while I am watching this lesson?”
Reflecting Conference
If the desired cognitive process in the teacher is to:		Then the coach might ask:
(Assess) Express feelings about the lesson.		“As you reflect back on the lesson, how do you feel it went?”
(Recall and relate) Recall student behaviors observed during the lesson to support those feelings.		“What did you see students doing (or hear them saying) that made you feel that way?”
(Recall) Recall their own behavior during the lesson.		“What do you recall about your own behavior during the lesson?
(Compare) Compare student behavior performed with teacher behavior planned.		“How did what you observed compare with what you did?”
(Compare) Compare teacher behavior performed with teacher behavior planned.		“How did what you planned compare with what you did?”
(Metacognate) Become aware and monitor one's own thinking during the lesson.		“What were you thinking when you decided to change the design of the lesson?”
(Analyze) Analyze why the student behaviors were or were not achieved.		“What hunches do you have to explain why some students performed as you had hoped while others did not?”
(Cause-Effect) Draw causal relationships.		“What did you do (or didn't do) to produce the results you wanted?”
(Synthesize) Synthesize meaning from analysis of this lesson.		“As you reflect on this discussion, what big ideas or insights are you discovering?”
(Self-prescription) Prescribe alternative teaching strategies, behaviors or conditions.		“As you plan future lessons, what ideas have you developed that might be carried forth to the next lesson or other lessons?”
(Evaluate) Give feedback about the effects of this coaching session and the coach's conferencing skills.		“As you think back over our conversation, what has this coaching session done for you? What is it that I did (or didn't) do? What assisted you? What could I do differently in future coaching sessions?”

These questions are only examples and are not meant to be prescriptive or complete. The purpose is to show how skilled coaches intentionally pose questions. Their intent is to engage, mediate, and thereby enhance the cognitive functions of teaching. The questions, therefore, are adroitly focused on, composed, and posed to deliberately engage the intellectual functions of teaching.

Excerpted from Costas, A. L., & Garmston, R. J. (2002). Cognitive coaching: A foundation for renaissance schools (2^nd ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.