Questions in a Learning
Focused Conversation
February 1, 2013
Academic Coach-Math Training
Bernard Rahming
Cynthia Cuellar Rodriguez
Learning Intention
Success Criteria
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Learning Intention:
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We are learning how to create and refine our
coaching questions.
Success Criteria
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We will know we are successful when we can
respond to a concern with a coaching question
containing the essential elements.
Why Can’t I Just Tell Them?
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Questions hold the power to:
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cause us to think,
create answers we believe in, and
motivate us to act on our ideas
Asking moves us beyond passive acceptance
of what other say, or staying stuck in present
circumstances, to aggressively applying our
creative ability to the problem
Redefining Relationships
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Advising, mentoring or consulting
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I am the expert
Role makes me superior (knowledge)
Questioning, asking for their ideas
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Peer
Honors coachee as a person
Communicates coachee is valued as an equal
Questions leads to listening
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Less about my thoughts, my inputs, and how
to steer the dialogue around the answers I
think will work
Leads to really listening
The more you listen, the more you see how
capable they are, how much they can do with
a little encouragement and what wonderful
individual they are
5 Reasons to Ask Instead of Tell
1.
All information is with the coachee
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2.
Creates buy-in
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3.
Always know far more about the situation than the
coach
Key to change is being motivated to do
More motivated to carry out own ideas and solutions
Empowers
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Often know what to do, lack of confidence to do
“you have great ideas. I believe in you. You can do
this.”
4.
Develops Leadership Capacity
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5.
Leadership is ability to take responsibility
Moves people from depending on you for answer and
toward taking leadership in that situation
Creates authenticity
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Relationship building; trust
Asking significant questions, listening to the answer
communicates that we really want to know who a person
is at a deep level
Coaching Questions: A Coach’s Guide to Powerful Asking Skill by Tony Stoltzfus
Turn and Talk
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I wonder….
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I am concerned with….
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I am excited to….
Questioning
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Opening Thinking (Inquiry)
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(Lipton & Wellman, pp. 58-62)
Questions that extend and illuminate thinking
Invite multiple responses
Support a colleague in exploring issues, problems,
concerns and ideas
Communicate an exploration of information and ideas
“As you reflect on this unit, what are some ways
you might assess students on their understanding
of the concepts and terms?”
Questioning
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(Lipton & Wellman, pp. 58-62)
Focusing Thinking (Probing)
 Questions that intend to focus thinking for
increased specificity of information
 Elicit examples, criteria, details that support
precision of language and thinking
“As you think about your assessment practices,
how do these practices assist in meeting the
diverse needs of your students?”
3 essential elements
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Invitation to engage and think
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Content to think about
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As you reflect
Unit planning and assessment
Cognitive focus for thinking about the topic
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what are some ways (list, explain, evaluate)
“As you reflect on this unit, what are some ways
you might assess students on their understanding
of the concepts and terms?”
Elements of the invitation…
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Attending Fully
Approachable voice
Plural forms
Exploratory language
Positive Presuppositions
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Nondichatomous forms
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Presupposition
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Presuppositions are the hidden meanings in
sentences, phrases, or individual words that work
covertly or indirectly (Churches & West-Burnham,
2008).
Presuppositions are hidden messages in language
that impact motivation, confidence, and action.
They are assumptions about human behaviour,
experience, communication or potential that
engage emotions and influence behaviour (Love,
1998).
Negative Presuppositions
“Maybe you could try one new thing with your class”
 Statement contains many negative presuppositions
in addition to the meaning of the actual words
being spoken.
 In addition to the words, this sentence suggests
many limiting things.
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“Maybe” suggests that the teacher may not try.
“Could try” suggests that there is a good chance of
failing. “
“One new thing” suggests that the teacher doesn’t try
many new things.
Contrast
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Negative Presupposition
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“Maybe you could try one new thing with your class”
Positive Presupposition
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“Of the many new things you are considering, which
one will you implement first because you are familiar
with the needs of your class?”
Adding Positive Presupposition
“Of the many new things you are considering, which
one will you implement first because you are familiar
with the needs of your class?”
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“ Of the many things you are considering” you consider
many things; you think about things in advance.
“which one will you implement first?” you have a choice;
you will use others later; you get to choose.
“because you are familiar with the needs of your class” you
are competent; you understand the needs of your class.
Our Beliefs Influences Our Use
of Positive Presuppositions
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Belief that all teachers care about students
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Belief that all teachers plan lessons using the curriculum
guide and correlate student outcomes to state standards and
appropriate resources or want to learn how to do that
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“When you think about the needs of your students, what guides the
decisions that you make?
“As you planned this lesson, which planning documents—the
curriculum guide or the state standards was the most helpful to you?”
Belief that all teachers interact with the parents of their
students.
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“What was the parent’s reaction when you talked with her?”
Blog By Edna Harris, PCC
Coaching for Results Global
Restate the Question
Examples
Non-Examples
As you examine
the data,
what
Tables
1 and
5 are some
of your findings?
Did you look at the data?
When you think
about
Tables
2 your
and students’
6
needs, what strategies might be most
appropriate?
Do you know what your students
need?
While you monitor
what Are you planning to assess
Tablesstudent
3 andlearning,
7
are some indicators of success you look
student learning in this lesson?
for?
In considering
multiple
instructional
Tables
4 and
8
strategies, how did you decide
cooperative learning was best for this
lesson?
Did you think cooperative
learning was the best strategy
for this lesson?
Learning Intention
Success Criteria

Learning Intention:


We are learning how to create and refine our
coaching questions.
Success Criteria

We will know we are successful when we can
respond to a concern with a coaching question
containing the essential elements.
Responding to Concern
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Pick out one of the teacher concerns
Respond with a coaching question
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Invitation
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Plural forms
Exploratory language
Positive Presuppositions
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Nondichatomous forms
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Topic
Cognition
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Do we really have to do the winter CR when my school
doesn't even collect the scores? Why do it then?”
“I'm looking at the Navigations lessons and there are not
any math problems for practice. When do my kids do
practice problems?”
“I don't have time for kids to log into ST Math, because we
are going over on our time and I just can't get to
interventions. The math instruction is more important than
the intervention time.”
”I don’t know how we are supposed to do all of this when
the pacing guide dictates we need to “keep” moving
through the book! Plus, when the principal is expecting us
to teach a new lesson each day AND turn in all our exit
slips…I mean really this is all nice in theory but what are we
to “really” do?”
Learning Intention
Success Criteria

Learning Intention:


We are learning how to create and refine our
coaching questions.
Success Criteria

We will know we are successful when we can
respond to a concern with a coaching question
containing the essential elements.
Reflection

As we reflect on the coaching conversations
you have engaged in so far this year, what
are something you are noticing about your
conversations?
Milwaukee Public Schools:
Questions in a Learning Focused Conversation
MPS Board of School Directors
Dr. Michael Bonds, President
Larry Miller, Vice President
Mark Sain, District 1
Jeff Spence, District 2
Annie Woodward, District 4
Dr. Peter Blewett, District 6
David Voeltner, District 7
Meagan Holman, District 8
Terrence Falk, At-Large
Senior Team
Dr. Gregory Thornton, Superintendent
Naomi Gubernick, Chief of Staff
Darienne Driver, Chief Innovation Officer
Tina Flood, Chief Academic Officer
Dr. Karen Jackson, Chief Human Resources Officer
Michelle Nate, Chief Operations Officer
Gerald Pace, Esq., Chief Financial Officer
Anita Pietrykowski, Chief School Administration Officer
Denise Callaway, Executive Dir., Community Engagement
Patricia Gill, Executive Director, Family Services
Sue Saller, Exec. Coord., Superintendent’s Initiatives