Opportunities for individuals to reflect on practice and debrief with mentors can be powerful learning for both parties. One approach to debriefing conversations is scaling questions adapted from the solution-focused conversation work of Nancy McConkey.
Scaling Questions Conversation Map at a Glance
- On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst lesson you’ve experienced and 10 being the best, how was this lesson for you?
- Oh a <e.g., 6> – What were the positive things that made it a 6?
- How might you bump it up a notch to a 7? (specific ideas)
- Continue with Coaching stance or shift to Consultant or Collaborator based on needs
A purposeful seeking out of strengths is at the heart of this approach with the debriefing beginning with the positive impressions of the educator no matter what the number. In my experience with using this approach, very often the input or advice you were going to provide comes from the teacher themselves. The person has given their challenges considerable thought and the “bump up” question acts as a prompt for them to articulate specific ideas for improvement. As a skilled mentor, you then take your cue from your colleague in terms of next steps and support moving forward.
Enhancing Your Practice via Scaling Questions
At the end of a visit to a teacher’s classroom you could ask them a scaling question about how helpful your time with them was.
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how helpful was my time supporting your learning and the learning of your students today?
- Oh a <e.g., 6> – What were the positive things that made it a 6?
- How might we bump it up a notch to a 7 the next time I come? (specific ideas)
This approach provides you as a coach with direct feedback about your impact and practical next steps to consider as you continue to support learning in the classrooms and communities of practice you are engaged with. Here is a recent Make Math Moments Podcast where I explore this idea (and many others) with Jon Orr and Kyle Pearce.
Don’t Like Numbers?
For some, applying a quantitative number to an experience may not feel comfortable. If that’s the case, the initial scaling question can be simply adapted as in the example below:
- Thinking about both the worst morning you’ve ever had and the best one; how was this morning for you?
- Oh…the morning was “fine” – Fine sounds better than so so…what made it fine?
- How might you bump it up to “very fine” (specific ideas)
- Continue with Coaching stance or shift to Consultant or Collaborator based on needs
Additional Resources
These videos are part of the Associate Teacher Partnership Project I participated in when I was at the Ontario Ministry of Education. It was led by Lakehead University in collaboration with 7 local school districts to support the mentoring of Associate Teachers.
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Complexity of Teaching and Learning – Set Asides (1 min 56 sec)
Scaling Questions as a Tool for Debriefing (2 min 43 sec)
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When I was the program coordinator for beginning teachers in TDSB I collaborated with OISE in support of associate teachers as part of a project entitled Authentic Voices from the Field.
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Using Scaling Questions – Reflections from Associate Teachers and Teacher Candidates (2 min 49 sec)
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