Adults Need Closure Too

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of the school year already. And, just like with student learning, closing the learning journey with adults is important. If you are like me, I am trying to find a ways to have closure with my coachees for the school year. Here are some activities you might ask your coachee to complete in order to wrap up the school year:

• Tell a story of your learning journey using visuals or in writing
• List the top five ways your instruction has transformed through coaching
• Use a before coaching and after visual depicting your growth for the year
• Create a timeline documenting learning events and progress over the school year

You also might consider writing a letter to your coachee documenting the successes he or she had over the course of the school year; ask for a response as they reflect and consider areas for improvement for next year. In addition, you might request coachees to take a quick online survey where they can reflect and think about learning they would like in the future.

Whether your technique is reflective in nature or forecasting coaching needs for next year, the important idea here is to wrap up the learning for the school year. By doing so, you will glean important information you can use to assist the teacher the following school year and/or to improve your own coaching practice. In a sense, when using closing techniques with your coaches, you are closing coaching for the school year for yourself.

Denise Pawlewicz
Staff Development Specialist
dpawlewicz@ocmboces.org