Celebrating Small
Small is better. Less is more.
Effective Trajectory Coaches live in small groups. They thrive in them. They push to create them.
The classroom of today may have 5, 25, or 125 students in them, but if we want those classroom experiences to be successful, addictive, and relevant, then we must learn the fine art of making “many” into “few.”
A few weeks ago I ran across this post over at The Savvy Technologist blog. It stopped me cold. It made me think. Best of all, it made me realize something new…
“I’m starting my third year as a “technology integrator” and I, too, am more convinced than ever that I will be more effective as a one-on-one “coach” rather than a “trainer” who conducts large-group sessions. I’ve done too many training sessions and workshops with almost no discernible impact over the past two years. Casting a wide net just doesn’t work.”
Trajectory Coaches think big. We’re visionaries. We’re early adaptors. We’re - to borrow from Tim Wilson (above) - smart casters.
Trajectory Coaches are big thinkers, but small connectors. Not because we’re afraid of the large audience - we’ve been working them for years - but now we’re realizing that coaches may be the head of a team, but they do their deepest influencing, and have their most powerful, life changing interactions, on a one-on-one level.
Tim Wilson’s post hit my brakes. I’m in charge of training our growing team of 20 teachers. Not many I know, but they’re more than a one-on-one ratio.
As our training program has been running, I’ve been noticing the same things Wilson has been, that trying to influence large groups of people is just an exercise in futility.
I think all teachers need to see this. A new vision. You should no longer see your classroom as one big group. Stop trying to cast your net wide. If you want to be a wide caster, you’ll experience two things: 1. You may catch many in your net, but how well will you be able to convert them into lifelong thinker/learners? You may have many, but how well have you influenced their trajectory? 2. You may have many, but they will leave your classroom the same way they came in. (related to point 1 a little) - but thinking more about a person changing and accepting, or at least trying out, the concepts in your class. Thinking about Wilson’s post, I found similar things happening in my large group training sessions. Many, speaking about technology, have had little to no contact with it - and when I mentioned that we’d be blogging, the blank stares that came back at me were just….mush.
I’ve left behind the big group. I still have one to deal with, and likely so will most other trajectory coaches out there, but it’s time to carve small outta the big. It can and should be done.
The amazing differences I’ve noticed in just two weeks:
1. Engaged teachers.
2. Thoughtful questions.
3. “Aha! I never thought of that.” moments.
4. Peer teaching and correcting. (It’s so much safer in groups of three.)
5. Way more head nodding and faces which say: “I get this stuff!”
6. Way more exploration on how to take the book stuff and turn it into classroom practice.
My big change: Instead of large group workshops, I’ve opened up three “You pick the time” sessions a week for all our teachers. The largest group I’ve had so far was five teachers. Today I have a one-on-one. I’m super excited about it, you know why? Because small is where the influence is.
