Tips and Tricks #1

The Coaching Model

A few years ago, I read an article about a subject referred to in the sports world as the coaching model.  Even though I’m not a sports fan, I’m always looking for new ways of reaching my students and this proven approach seemed to have a lot of merit.  After all, if it works for athletes who are paid millions to perform on the field, why not use the same coaching model to help kids perform better in the classroom?

This athletic training approach is based on the notion that our brains tend to remember what we first see when introduced to a new skill.  Whether one is learning to throw a football, swing a golf club, or kick a soccer ball, the coaching model dictates that the proper form be observed at the outset for the most effective and efficient results.

Common sense suggests that this  coaching model can also be applied to teaching literacy.  Think of it this way-- imagine you’re in a literacy competition with a million dollar purse to the teacher who can teach an underachieving, learning disabled, limited- English-speaking student to read and write within 30 days.  Would you be up to the challenge?  Do you think it would be advantageous to use popular learning activities such as: correcting purposely misspelled words, rearranging jumbled words to compose a coherent sentence, completing a word search or using context clues to figure out the meaning of nonsense words?  Don’t you think these activities would greatly hinder rather than help your chances of reaching the finish line first?

So, let’s start by showing students only correctly spelled words and modeling only complete sentences.  How about not even bothering to show them incorrect forms of any kind?  Teach them to do it right the first time and every time to accelerate the learning process and avoid having to waste time with unpleasant damage control.  I guarantee you’ll be surprised at the results!