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. As a result, you feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and stuck. Where to turn? Try coaching with the brain in mind!
While models guide the work of coaching, they often fail to include training on understanding adult behavior. What do I do when my coachee doesn’t follow through? How do I handle it when my coachee only sees the negative? Why does it seem like there is so much resistance?
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to these coaching challenges, Laura helps coaches navigate said challenges with the brain in mind. In short, to respond, not react, to challenges by understanding the “brain reasons” for the behavior.
Coaching with the Brain in Mind: the training series
Laura’s training can be done as a stand alone or as a series. Some important brain considerations explored:
- The negativity bias: the brain scans for what is missing/what is wrong. This is called the negativity bias. But how does this impact teachers’ ability to see the “good” in children with challenging behavior? How might it impact the teacher’s ability to notice positive changes in their practice? And if they focus on the negative, will they be willing to adopt new teaching practices? In parallel, how does the negativity bias impact the coaches’ ability to see the “good” or effort for change in teachers?
- Seeing is believing and Believing is Seeing: we all have mental models, or schemas, for how we see the world. Meaning, 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? Basically, coaching must include mining for the person’s beliefs to change behaviors!
- 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?
How might coaching with the brain in mind help me?
I train adults to “See the Child Behind the Behavior,” to look for the brain reason for challenging behavior. With coaches, I encourage them to “See the Adult Behind the Behavior“: to identify the brain reasons for the perceived “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” or visit my You Tube Channel for more information.