MDE - Coaching/Observation Resources

Coaching/Observation Resources From MDE
The Minnesota Department of Education has recently added a video series on conducting coaching conversations.  There are also some great resources out there for anyone that has to observe a teacher and then provide feedback to the teacher.  The resources were developed to assist in the teacher evaluation process from the Minnesota Department of Education.  There are some excellent tools and resources provided by MDE.  If you are a principal or peer observer, you will want to check it out!

Conducting Coaching Conversations Link

Better Conversations - Life-Giving

Life-Giving Conversation
The last of the six beliefs from Jim Knight's book Better Conversations will be discussed this week.

6 Beliefs to Better Conversations

1. I see others as equal partners in conversations.
2. I want to hear what others have to say.
3. I believe people should have a lot of autonomy.
4. I don't judge my conversation partners.
5. Conversation should be back and forth.
6. Conversation should be life-giving.

Life-Giving Conversation

"When I believe conversations should be life-giving, I go into the conversations expecting that my conversation partners and I will leave conversations feeling more alive for having experienced them" (Knight, 57, Better Conversations Companion Book).  The prime example of this is when you have a conversation with someone and you walk away thinking you learned so much and you have that feeling like you really were into that conversation.  During these conversations time seems to fly by.  It's really a culmination of the five previous beliefs.  If all these pieces come together, more often than not the conversation is life-giving.

Life-giving conversations are engaging and energizing and they increase your sense of well-being.  If the topic at hand is something we are invested in, then we are more likely to engage in deep conversation about it.  Again, if we are equals, and truly listen to others, give them autonomy, not judge, and the conversation is back and forth, the conversation will more than likely be life-giving and we will walk away energized.

On the opposite end, we have all had conversations where we walk away physically and mentally exhausted.  These conversations are the opposite of life-giving conversations.  Sometimes these types of conversations are necessary, but if we engage in conversation like this on a daily basis, it will likely burn our desire to have a better conversation.

Next week we will wrap up this series on better conversation.

Better Conversations - Back and Forth Conversation

Belief 5
For the past two months we have examined what it takes to have better conversations with people using the book Better Conversations by Jim Knight.  Two weeks ago we talked about not judging your conversation partners.  Today we will look at belief 5, conversation should be back and forth.

6 Beliefs to Better Conversations

1. I see others as equal partners in conversations.
2. I want to hear what others have to say.
3. I believe people should have a lot of autonomy.
4. I don't judge my conversation partners.
5. Conversation should be back and forth.
6. Conversation should be life-giving.

Belief 5: Conversation should be back and forth

"During a better conversation, my conversation partner and I become more thoughtful, creative, and alive when we talk in ways that open up rather than shut down our thinking and talking" (Knight, 49, Better Conversations Companion Book).  Conversation should be back and forth, you should gain something and I should gain something.  If it's always me talking, what will I gain from the conversation?  Controlling the conversation also implicitly puts the person talking in a one-up scenario.  Whether intentional or not, we need to be aware of how much we are talking in a conversation and the words we are using.

Granted there are times where the purpose of our conversation is not back and forth, but rather me giving you information.  Again, there are times and places for all six beliefs.  In a better conversation, we need to try to listen as much as we talk and learn as much as we teach (Knight, 51).