Providing Ongoing Support
If you expect to be working with a set of program leaders over an extended length of time, it is worth considering providing some opportunities for coaching and mentoring. Providing individual feedback to program leaders can be a very rewarding and effective method for ensuring successful implementation of out-of-school science programming.
The main idea behind coaching and mentoring is to foster a collaborative relationship with program leaders by helping them resolve issues and problems that come up when leading science activities with children. Some of this type of support can be provided during workshops.
Another way to deliver one-on-one assistance is to actually visit sites and observe program leaders while leading science activities. Some professional development programs have even involved the program leaders themselves in supporting other activity leaders in order to help build and sustain a community of learners.
Coaching and Mentoring
There are many different models for coaching and mentoring, particularly for those designed for supporting classroom teachers, and indeed there is no one method that will work in every situation. If you are new to this type of endeavor, we recommend using the version of observation and cognitive coaching described here. This type of coaching model includes three phases of intervention: (1) planning for an observation, (2) doing an observation and (3) conducting a reflective discussion.
PHASE 1: Planning for an Observation
Phase 1 involves meeting in advance with individual program leaders to set some expectations, discuss their progress with implementing the science activities, and find out the details of what they will be presenting when you observe.
Begin by explaining your role as a mentor during the site visit, emphasizing your willingness to collaborate to help make their presentations as effective as they can be. Make it clear that the purpose is not to evaluate or judge their performance but, rather, to collect information about how the children respond to the activities in order to provide helpful feedback and discuss presentation ideas.
It will also be important to schedule some time right after the observation to hold a reflective discussion about the session.
You’ll probably first want to ask some questions about the specific activity they will be presenting:
- Which science activity will you be leading?
- What are your goals for the session?
- What is the timing of the activities within the session?
- How will you help guide the children in making new discoveries?
Checking in about their preparation (i.e., assembling the materials needed, reading the science background, thinking through the questions they will be asking) can help prompt leaders to anticipate any potential problems. You may offer suggestions for how to start the activity by accessing children’s prior knowledge about the topic. Negotiate your involvement in the activity, for instance, whether you will be actively assisting groups of children or observing from the back of the room.
You should also try to find out if there are particular areas where program leaders would like some support or advice regarding how to lead science activities with children. The kinds of things that often come up are
- Set-up and management of materials
- Getting children’s attention during instructions
- Maintaining engagement and focus throughout the activity
- Leading effective discussions
- Ensuring smooth transitions during activities
- Dealing with behavioral issues
- Appropriate levels of questioning and information delivery
Some of these issues can be quickly answered in your planning session; however, if you will be directly observing program leaders while they present science activities to children, then it is best to address these issues in the context of the activity. Before you schedule an observation, decide together on one or two specific features to be the focus for the observation. Explain that you will concentrate on collecting information regarding those features in order to provide some constructive feedback.
PHASE 2: Doing an Observation
When making the observation, make sure to take notes on everything that transpires.
- Try to write down the statements and questions asked by the program leader.
- Describe what the children are actually doing during the introduction, exploration, and making sense parts of the science activity, using key words that serve to remind you of what happened.
- Jot down the time frame for the activity so you can refer back to specific issues as they came up during the session.
- You may also want to refer to a checklist of typical behaviors to keep track of both the children engaged in the activity and the program leader who is conducting the session. For an example, see the Tool for Observing Children's Informal Science Behaviors.
PHASE 3: Conducting a Reflective Discussion
After observing the program leader and children engaged in the science activity, find a quiet location where you can sit for a few minutes and discuss what happened.
- Ask the program leader for their impressions about how the activity went. Tell them to describe for you what worked especially well.
- Ask clarifying questions such as, “Can you tell me more about that?” in order to draw out more details and convey interest.
- Offer any confirming feedback about the presentation from your notes, possibly citing examples of the rapport the program leader has with the children or the level of excitement shown while engaged in the activity.
Next move into a critical reflection about the session.
- Ask if the program leader encountered any frustrations or has any thoughts about what he or she might do differently next time.
- Use this opportunity to solve problems together and generate some ideas for how to deal with any issues that are raised.
- If there are specific things recorded in your notes that do not come up during discussion, point out any observations you made that might lead you to conduct the session differently.
- Directly point out any behaviors or materials that may have been less than safe, and be sure to suggest how to avoid the situation in the future.
Again it is very important that you cite direct evidence from your observations and use non-judgmental language when making comments and suggestions. The following are some helpful stems for wording this line of inquiry:
- I noticed….
- What’s another way you might…?
- What would it look like if…?
- What might happen if…?
- How was ___ different from ___?
- What’s another way you might?
- What impact might ___ have?
- What criteria do you use to ___?
- When have you done something like ___ before?
- How did you decide to ___?
