Five Tips for Your Modeling Career, Buzzing with Ms. B: The Coaching Podcast, Ep. 5

We all have horror stories. You can check out my modeling horror story in Episode 3 of Buzzing with Ms. B…if you dare!
Modeling can be scary, but it’s also is one of the best tools you can have as an instructional coach, especially if you have teachers who learn best by watching (which, let’s be honest, is most people – we need to see things in action!). While modeling can be very effective, it has to be done right!
Here’s how.
My top five tips for modeling are the following: establish a plan, exercise chunking, bring your own materials, set behavior expectations, and think-aloud while teaching.
Once you’ve established a purposeful plan with your cooperating teacher, there are a few things you’ll want to do to be prepared for the lesson. The most essential two are: bring your own stuff and set expectations.
Teachers have a lot going on. An email full of directions and requests to prepare for your modeled lesson is likely to get stuck at the bottom of the to-do pile. So, if you know the students are going to need certain colors readily available, you should just bring them with you. If you don’t, you’re going to start having behavior issues and kids who are unprepared for the work you’re asking them to do – especially if kids have to all herd to one area of the room to get the supplies.
Finally, always use the age old teaching method: think a loud! This is something we do for students, so why wouldn’t we use it for teachers too? It’s a simple thing to do and all you need to do is fill in the blanks. Learn all about how and why we think aloud in the episode!
There is so much more to modeling than this. You can get all the details by tuning into Buzzing with Ms. B Episode 5 to hear more about great modeling strategies. Happy coaching!
Want more tools for modeling in classrooms?
Preparing to Model & Co-teach
My Top Five Ways Instructional Coaches Can Grow Teachers
Coaching in Classrooms: Editable Forms & Presentation
Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves by Diane Sweeney *affiliate link
Thank you for listening to Buzzing with Ms. B: the Coaching Podcast. Want more coaching ideas? Check me out at buzzingwithmsb.com and on Instagram @buzzingwithmsb. If you love the show, share it with a coach who would love it too, or leave me a review on iTunes! It’s free and it helps others find this show, too. Happy coaching!