Have you ever been stuck as a coach? You’ve tried every coaching move you know to build trust, collaborate, scaffold learning and support change, but it seems you can not make progress. You may be feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and myriad other emotions. Where to turn?
While frameworks/models are imperative for the work of coaching, they often fail to include training on understanding adult human beings, the most complex of all creatures! We work with Humans, not Hondas: there is no manual to look up how to “fix” an issue!
Coaching with the Brain in Mind will help coaches develop a working knowledge of brain development to understand behaviors that seem to impact the quality of coaching. Some important brain considerations explored:
- The negativity bias: the brain is designed to scan for what is missing/what is wrong. How does this impact teachers’ ability to see the “good” in children with challenging behavior, to notice positive changes in their practice, or to adopt a new teaching strategy and apply it with fidelity? In parallel, how does the negativity bias impact the coaches’ ability to see the “good” or effort for change in teachers?
- The Green Zone versus Red and Blue Zones: when teachers seem stuck in one way of thinking, this may be a sign of being trapped in their reactive versus responsive part of the brain. How can coaches identify this pattern in both themselves and the teachers? How might coaches support teachers, and themselves, to develop an integrated, or balanced, brain?
- Seeing is believing and Believing is Seeing: we all have mental models, or schemas, for how we see the world. These values, perceptions, and beliefs impact how we interpret reality. How might coaches help teachers “update their software,” their beliefs, about children’s behaviors as the foundation for implementing new strategies with fidelity?
- Basic Needs and Drives: the brain is designed to meet our basic needs for physical and emotional safety, satisfaction, and connection. Behaviors can be understood as the brain’s drive to meet these needs by approaching, avoiding or attaching. How might coaches use this information to create a nurturing and responsive coaching environment?
I train teachers to “See the Child Behind the Behavior,” to look for the brain reason for challenging behavior: the child is attempting to avoid, approach, or express an emotion about something in order to fulfill an unmet need. I encourage coaches to do the same with teachers: what might the brain reasons be for their “resistance” in coaching? When the coach understands some of the brain principles above, they begin to work smarter not harder in preventing or resolving coaching dilemmas.
Given the depth of this topic, I suggest doing a series of trainings that are iterative. Please contact me to discuss the training or series of trainings I may create to meet your specific needs.
Listen to Laura discussing more about this topic on Pre-K Teach and Play’s podcast episode “Seeing the Adult Behind the Behavior”: