Sunday, July 1, 2012

Session 3 - Question 4

Chapter 10 is titled, "What Makes a Good Coach?". How would you answer that question?

44 comments:

  1. What makes a good coach is someone who is all around loving, understanding, empathetic, nurturing, and caring for the best for their kids and students. The book highlights Communication, Facilitation, Inspiration, Modeling, etc. If you are willing to respect each child and their family, I feel like you can make a great coach. There is a section talking about how to help parents be a good coach at home. This connection is such a huge part of communication that we need to continue to build and strengthen.

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  2. A good coach is someone who communicates effectively, has effective facilitation, and is a source of inspiration. A good coach has to clearly express his/her needs and wants while understanding the child’s needs and wants. A good coach’s focus should be on teaching children how to think not what to think. A good coach walks with the child through the difficult times while motivating and providing the foundation needed to navigate through those difficult times on their own.

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    1. In response to Melanie Dulworth:
      I completely agree. A good coach doesn't tell the kids what to think, but instead how to facilitate their own thinking. A good coach is definitely motivating and helpful through tough times and also when things are going smoothly.

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    2. In reply to Melanie Dulworth, July 10, I agree that a good coach walks with the child during the tough times, while helping them learn how to solve problems on their own. We need to empathize and listen to our students, and teach them the proper tools that will enable them to be successful throughout their lives.

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    3. In response to Melanie's post of July 10, it is vital to model coping strategies to students. Some of our gifted students are perfectionists, and when a difficulty arises, it is crucial for them to learn how to work through their perfectionist tendencies, and a good coach both at school and home is a must.

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  3. A good coach is someone invested in teaching a child how to independently think for him/herself, not what to think, to achieve a desired outcome. A good coach is knowledgeable about the unique characteristics of giftedness and various coping strategies. A good coach has a well-developed skill set which includes:
    • Active/quiet listening
    • Good communication – calm, centered, child-focused
    • Emotional detachment
    • Consistency
    • Understanding of non-verbal cues
    • Cueing and reflection strategies
    Lastly, a good coach creates a “safe” environment full of encouragement and inspiration while showing respect for the child as a valued individual.

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    1. In response to FMoore:
      This checklist is such an important part to being a good coach. When we create a safe environment, we help our students feel comfortable and willing to share their ideas. This list is a great way for teachers to remind themselves of the important aspects of being a good coach.

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    2. In response to FMoore's post of July 10, I like all your bullets. They are a great reminder to all of us on what we should strive for as teachers. I especially like the way you ended it in saying we should create a safe environment that encourages and inspires each student. This is so true!

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  4. Good coaches remain calm, focused, centered. They keep their eyes on the ball, so to speak. They inspire their students to be resilient. Our kids need to know that we all fall down sometimes, but what is important is that we get up, brush off our knees, and keep trying. They also inspire kids to take academic risks. They create an environment where kids are encouraged to do so.

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    1. In response to travelingbug on July 10, I agree that we need to teach our students to take academic risks. It is hard to do, especially if they are perfectionists. I also agree that it is important that we do teach them it is okay to “fall down,” but we also need to teach them to be resilient and try to find the positive. A lot of things have been discovered by accident! They may discover something while trying to find their answer!

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    2. In response to travelingbug...
      Good coaches remain calm and focused...this is so important too and hard as well. As teachers walk alongside their students, remaining calm and focused is a good thing, so as to not rattle the child. If teachers show their frustrations, then the child and the teacher can become stressed and in the end it does not benefit anyone. If the child sees the teacher can handle whatever may be happening, then the child will feel ok to do the same.

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    3. In response to Amy, July 11
      You bring up a great point about teachers modeling appropriate responses and calmly handling whatever may be happening. Being composed, centered, and focused during a crisis and afterward, during a debriefing/reflection, is one of the best life skills we can model for our students.

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    4. To travelingbug July 10
      You are right when you say a good coach creates an environment where students feel it is safe to take risks. I believe that a good coach also creates an environment where it is safe to fail. A good coach motivates students to get back up and try again.

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    5. In response to Travelingbug, a good coach needs to motivate students to keep trying..it is okay to fail but get back up and try again and learn from what went wrong the first time.

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    6. In response to travelingbug response I agree that staying calm is key. I like your statement about falling and getting back up- it's like riding a bike. Encouragement will only motivate the student and ensure success.

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    7. In response to travelingbug, I too believe that the students need to know that no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. It is how we learn. The difficult part is getting the students to understand and believe this about themselves.

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  5. A good coach is someone who can effectively communicate, facilitate, and inspire their students to always want to learn more, to try new things, and to never give up. I like the discussion on page 136 that talks about inspiring students to take academic risks and become lifelong learners. It is important for us to teach students that it is okay to not get the answer the first time, but it is not okay to just give up. This message shows in the way we communicate and facilitate our classroom.

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    1. In response to KMuske's post on July 11th, We certainly should inspire kids to learn new things and in new ways. I especially agree with you when you say we need to let them know that they should never give up. Taking risks is a lifelong goal for all learners.

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  6. A good coach is one who walks alongside the child as he or she is learning independently. A coach facilitates the learning and encourages the student to explore and discover their own things within their learning. If the child stumbles, then the coach is there to get him or her back on track, so that success is achieved to the degree that is appropriate for the child. A good coach cheers and encourages the child on to success.

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    1. To AmyL July 11
      I like how you described a good coach walking alongside the child as he/she is learning independently. The key word in this sentence is 'independently'. A good coach does not take over and control the student's learning. A good coach encourages and guides the student in the right direction.

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  7. A good coach lets the student make the final choice. It takes mutual respect, so the adult needs to listen to the student with an open mind and with respect, not going into the conversation thinking that the coach has the right answers and the student needs to agree. The coach needs to be able to ask the probing questions to help guide the student’s thinking, but not so much they are telling the child what to do. On page 127 it talks about actively listening with eyes and ears so that you notice subtle changes in the child. Most important, a good coach is a great sideline cheerleader, even when the cheer is “That’s all right, that’s okay, we’re gonna beat them anyway!”

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  8. Teachers can “help the child to develop the skills needed to integrate the positive aspects of his intensity into his daily routines at school. Teachers are also in a good position to assist in the refinement of self-monitoring skills gifted children need to learn in order to manage their intensity.”
    Like a parent, a teacher can play an important role in guiding a child and helping that child to make positive decisions that will guide him and help him to mature as he grows. A good coach is an effective communicator and a good facilitator of learning.

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    1. In response to PKassir's post on July 12, the quote you posted is great. It is our responsibility as teachers to assist the gifted child in developing self-monitoring skills that manage their emotional intensities. Being an effecive comunicator and practicing our roles as facilitators of learning, makes for a good coach. Know your kids and help them to make good decisions and remind them to never give up.

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  9. "What Makes a Good Coach?" -- A good coach should be a teacher who encourages students to be their best, even if they fail at something..It is hard for students to fail because then they get a little depressed and withdrawn..I try to encourage my students that even if they fail at something, they have learned something from the failure..but this is a hard concept for students to grasp at the moment. also a good coach should allow students to make their own choices..this is hard when i assign a project and every one wants to do a project their way and i end up getting 20 different projects turned in and it makes it tough to grade each project..However, i need to learn to lose my "control" and let them be in control of the assignment.

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    1. And it's gets even more complicated when you throw in varied personality types, just like on a team. But that's why we love teaching GT kids. Imagine how boring it is when you grade the work from the other classes.

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  10. I think that in order to be a "good coach," you should be more than just an "expert" in your subject. The book talks about communication, fafcilitation and inspiration. In order to be a good coach, you must not just tedach, you should help the kids move closer to their potential.

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  11. A good coach is first and foremost a facilitator of learning. Provide a fun, safe, exciting environment for learning. Allow your students to learn through inquiry and hands-on experiences. A good coach stands aside as you observe the various learning styles and contemplate what can I do next that is best for this child? Evaluate consistently and differentiate always for the individual child. Provide areas/opportunities for students to meet their strengths, their needs, and their special interests. Communicate and acknowledge each student’s successes in order to inspire them to reach their highest goals and even beyond their expectation or yours!

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  12. I believe what makes a good coach is to focus on helping the student become independent by giving them tools they needs to be successful. As a coach you should be their to guide the student not dictate to the student. The student should be able to make choices in their learnig and the coach should help assist with that. Mutual respect is the key to success.

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  13. I already mentioned in a previous post how struck I was by the third trait of a good coach is the ability to inspire, so I'll go with another one.
    On page 130, I think the author said it just right. A great coach will be teaching children "how to think, not what to think." Fonseca suggestion that the student come up with projects that they will find enriching is so appropriate.

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  14. A good coach fosters independence through support and communication. He talks with the child in a way that demonstrates respect and interest but also draws boundaries--the child knows who the coach is and respects his or her input, but feels that respect is a two-way street. A coach does not hover but gives the student the opportunity to learn things for his or her own self.

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    1. What a great definition, CWinegar! Fostering greater independence, confidence, and skills are crucial. As parents and teachers, it can be very difficult to let our children and students learn things on their own as they make mistakes, but we often learn most from our mistakes.

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    2. CWinegar- Your statement about not hovering but giving the student an opportunity to learn for themselves is great. Sometimes, I think we forget and want to try to shovel content at students, when the skills to get the information are more important and allow the students to take ownership of the class.

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  15. I believe that the author's comments in Notes to the Teacher, page 133 are right on target. As teachers, we naturally coach in the classroom, often not realizing we are doing it. I thing using the techniques of communication, facilitation and inspiration are what makes a great coach. I believe that the most important technique for me is Facilitation. Facilitation is truly teaches children how to navigate through their emotions and how to problem solve. Using the Modeling, Prompting and then Debriefing, I have found supports students and gives them a framework that they can use again and again.

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  16. A good coach is someone who can (1) communicate effectively with the child. He/She takes note of both verbal and nonverbal communication and responds to them in a non threatening way. (2) facilitate a child in achieving his/her goal. This means going over ways a goal can be met or a problem can be solved... NOT doing it for them. It is said best on p.276 (ereader) "teaching the child how to think, not what to think. (3) inspire the child to continue to do his/her best and to reach thier goals. The child needs to know the parent or teacher really believes in them and their capabilities.

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  17. A good coach is a teacher who can understand their students,listen effectively, communicate expectations, and guide them in the right direction. A good coach is someone who can motivate their students to think for themselves and can give them opportunities and strategies to learn effectively and to be creative.

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  18. A good coach models and gives technical advice. S/he inspires his team members to be their best and surpass previous achievements.

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  19. A good coach is observant and purposefully two steps of ahead of those being coached. She shows and listens more than she talks. She focuses on developing character and skill simultaneously.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Oops, let's try that again...

      n response to S. Acevedo,
      YES!! Being 2 steps ahead is an important point to make! The trick there is knowing which two steps! heh. I also like the shows and listens more than talking. Kids (and adults) appreciate the person that can listen.

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  20. A good coach is someone who creates a set of expectations and is able to encourage students to reach those expectations while making them think it was their own (the students') idea the entire time.

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  21. Yes a good. Ouch has all of those qualities that she describes, but it goes beyond that. A good coach is your biggest cheerleader one day and still not afraid to kick you in the seat the next. It's someone who cares enough to stand up, even when you may not have the strength to get up off your knees.

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    1. @Jeff...you are correct in your statement it is not all rah-rah!

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  22. A good coach is more than just one thing. A coach needs to not only understand the technical side of what is being taught but also must know how to express the knowledge they have in a way that all students will understand. A good coach is also very patient. Being able to identify the learning needs of the student is a must. Everyone does not lean the same way. Being able to identify if the student is an introvert/extrovert learner also helps. Lastly I think focusing on how to make the child independent is a must. Teachers and parents will not always be around so it is imperative that the child have confidence in their opinions, learning and relationships.

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  23. In defining coach I think of how they are the same and different then parenting. Coaching is really different in that the coach is not vested emotionally in the child's success as a parent might be.
    A coach offers the opportunity to stretch oneself with the security of a net to fall back on. A good coach also realizes failure can be a learning experience.

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