COGNITIVE COACHING

Building Instructional Relationships

Listening and Paraphrasing

M. Gantner
LISTENING SET-ASIDES

 When using cognitive coaching to

build capacity, avoid these:

 Autobiographical
 Inquisitive
 Solution
Listening Set-Aside: Autobiographical
 How does this work?
◦ A teacher tells you about a difficult situation he
experienced today.
◦ You’ve had a similar experience, so you immediately
share that experience, saying, “Here’s what I did.”

 CC Problem:
◦ Telling the teacher what you did in a similar situation
doesn’t give the teacher a chance to think through
with you – the coach – how to improve his or her own
situation.
Listening Set-Aside: Inquisitive
 How does this work?
◦ We call this, “soap opera listening.”
◦ It’s all about getting the gory details to satisfy
one’s curiosity.

 CC Problem:
◦ Soap opera listening does nothing to help the
teacher develop her thinking. It allows her to
wallow in the problem.
Listening Set-Aside: Solution
 How does this work?
◦ A teacher tells me about a problem.
◦ While he is talking, I am thinking, “As soon as you
finish talking, I can tell you what to do.”

 CC Problem:
◦ I am not thinking of good questions to probe the
teacher’s thinking so that HE can determine his own
solution. Rather, I’m solving his problem for him.
Introduction to Paraphrasing
Aparaphrase sends 3
messages:

 I am listening
 I am interested / I care
 I understand you (or I’m
trying to)
Principles of Paraphrasing
 Attend fully
 Listen with the intention to understand
 Capture the essence of the message
 Reflect the essence of voice tone and
gestures
 Make the paraphrase shorter than the
original statement
 Paraphrase before asking a question
Paraphrasing - continued
 3 Types of Paraphrases

1. Acknowledging and Clarifying (lets person know

that you understand)
2. Summarizing and Organizing (going for the
essence, organizing the person’s thoughts)
3. Shifting Conceptual Focus (helps the person
get insight into his/her thinking)
Paraphrasing: Acknowledging and Clarifying

 You’re thinking that…

 So, you’re wondering if…

 You’re frustrated because…

Paraphrasing: Summarizing and Organizing

 So you’re ready to move on to…

 First
you’re going to…, then you
will…

 Onthe one hand…and on the

other hand…
Paraphrasing: Shifting Conceptual Focus

 It’s about helping the person identify:

◦ Goals
◦ Values
◦ Assumptions
◦ Concepts
◦ Categories

 So a strong belief you hold is…

 An assumption you’re operating from is…
 A goal for you is…