About the Book
Ambitious teaching requires ambitious coaching
Over a decade ago, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and Corwin co-published the modern classic, 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions, aimed at guiding teachers to improve the quality of mathematics discussions in their classrooms and create an equitable learning environment for students. The bestselling series, The 5 Practices in Practice series, followed to further explore the five practices within grade bands, empowering teachers to overcome challenges in orchestrating mathematics discussions. And now, esteemed mathematics expert Peg Smith and her author team, take the 5 practices to the next level with Coaching the 5 Practices.
Written for coaches, instructional leaders, professional developers, and teacher educators, Coaching the 5 Practices: Supporting Mathematics Teachers in Orchestrating Productive Discussions will be the lynchpin to supporting teachers who are committed to engaging students in productive discussions in mathematics classrooms. The book introduces a coaching model that creates opportunities for teacher learning through one-on-one interactions with a coach. This model focuses on the specific challenges teachers face and opportunities they can lean into as they are learning to support productive mathematics discussions around the 5 practices of anticipating, monitoring, selecting, sequencing, and connecting (as well as Practice 0 of setting goals and selecting tasks).
Through three phases of a coaching cycle—before a lesson, during a lesson, and after a lesson, this coaching model
- Focuses on ambitious teaching in mathematics, aiming to ensure that every student succeeds in high-quality academic work
- Follows iterative cycles of various touchpoints between the coach and a teacher
- Emphasizes what a coach needs to do to support teacher learning throughout the cycle
With narrative examples and vignettes, lesson plans, pre-lesson and post-lesson conference plans, and other artifacts collected from real coaching sessions and classrooms, Coaching the 5 Practices is a valuable resource for education professionals who work with teachers to improve the quality of mathematics instruction. Through the efforts of Coaching the 5 Practices, teachers will continue to refine their craft and become increasingly more skilled at implementing the 5 practices in ways that support the learning of each and every student.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
Chapter 1: A Challenge-Based Approach to Coaching
Chapter 2: An Inquiry Routine for Guiding Coach-Teacher Conversations
Chapter 3: Preparing for the Lesson
Chapter 4: Preparing for and Engaging in the Pre-Lesson Conference
Chapter 5: Preparing for the Engaging in the Post-Lesson Conference
Chapter 6: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
References
Appendix A. Teacher Challenges Tool
Appendix B. Guide for Designing Conferences
Appendix C. Task Analysis Guide
Appendix D. Goal and Task Identification Guide
Appendix E. Lesson Planning Tool
Appendix F. Monitoring Tool
Appendix G. Pre-Lesson Conference Planning Tool
Appendix H: Kyle’s Teacher Challenges, Lesson Planning, and Monitoring Tools
Appendix I. Emery’s Teacher Challenges, Lesson Planning, and Monitoring Tools
Appendix J. Coach Jesse’s Pre-Lesson Conference Plan
Appendix K: Noticing and Wondering Tool
Appendix L. Post-Lesson Conference Planning Tool
Appendix M. Jamie and Coach Jesse’s Noticing and Wondering Tool
Appendix N. Coach Jesse’s Post-Conference Plan
About the Author :
Margaret (Peg) Smith is a Professor Emerita at University of Pittsburgh. Over the past three decades she has been developing research-based materials for use in the professional development of mathematics teachers. She has coauthored several books including Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Discussions (with Mary Kay Stein), the middle and high school versions of the Taking Action series (with Melissa Boston, Fredrick Dillon, Stephen Miller, and Lynn Raith), and The 5 Practices in Practice: Successfully Orchestrating Mathematics Discussion in Your Classroom series (with Victoria Bill, Miriam Gameron Sherin, and Michael Steele). In 2006 she received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award given annually to honor outstanding faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2009 she received the award for Excellence in Teaching in Mathematics Teacher Education from AMTE. In April 2019 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from NCTM.
Bilge Yurekli is a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center. She holds a PhD in mathematics education. Her research focuses on mathematics teacher education, at both pre-service and in-service levels, with a specific interest in teacher development of beliefs and practices that is required for high-quality instruction. She has worked with Mary Kay Stein and her multidisciplinary team of researchers on various projects supported by NSF, IES, Spencer and McDonnell Foundations. Her research has been published in NCTM’s Journal for Research in Mathematics Education and presented at both national and international research conferences, including NCTM and AERA. Currently, she is working on a project that aims to promote productive struggle in mathematics classrooms.
Mary Kay Stein is Professor Emerita at the University of Pittsburgh where she held a joint appointment as Professor in the School of Education and Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center. Her research focuses on the teaching and learning of mathematics in elementary and middle schools with a particular focus on the identification and implementation of high-cognitive-demand instructional tasks. She also examines school- and district-level factors that shape teachers’ capacities to maintain high levels of cognitive demand once tasks are launched in the classroom. Her research has been supported by IES (the Institute of Education Sciences) as well as by several private foundations including the MacArthur, Spencer and McDonnell Foundations. In addition to co-authoring the Five Practices book (with Peg Smith), she has co-authored a book and several articles about district-wide reform. She has given invited addresses to both national and international audiences including in Beijing, Seoul, Goteborg, Hamburg, Istanbul, Haifa, and Lisbon. She also served as a Visiting Scholar at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia in 2012. In 2014, she was named a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.
Review :
Coaching the 5 Practices introduces us to a coaching model designed to support teachers as they plan for orchestrating productive discussions. Using this model, coaches work collaboratively with teachers as they engage in an inquiry cycle that reinforces the importance of pre-planning, reflection, and encouragement in a productive teacher-coach relationship. This user-friendly model, along with the additional tools, resources, and samples, is a welcome addition to the 5 Practices family!
What a gem and a "must" for every coach’s professional library. In this clearly written and wonderfully focused book, Smith, Yurekli, and Stein begin with a clear vision of "ambitious teaching" that is based on the powerful structure of the 5 Practices, and develop an accessible, example-laden guide to impactful coaching of mathematics. By focusing on the challenges teachers face, coaches are provided with a coherent process for significantly improving how math is taught.
I love how this book offers explicit guidance on the "how" of coaching for mathematical discourse, deeper conversations, and teaching growth. Coaching the 5 Practices offers transformational tips and features that empower both teachers and coaches. I’m excited to begin implementing this user-friendly and much needed coaching model into my practice.
As a 5 Practices math coach, I’ve eagerly awaited a resource like Coaching the 5 Practices. After reading, I promptly incorporated strategies—such as facilitating teachers’ reflection and setting clear goals—to enhance my coaching, all while upholding teacher ownership. The inclusion of case studies, coaching conversation scripts, and templates brought the framework to life and enabled me to visualize immediate application. This book is a must-have for all ambitious math coaches!
This book centers teachers’ own thinking on their journeys of instructional improvement, and exudes appreciation for the wisdom of practice. This practical guide for coaching is designed with explicit attention to the parallels between ambitious teaching and coaching. The theories of teaching and learning underlying the coaching model and the model itself are rich and relevant for supporting coaches’ and teachers’ learning.
This book presents a comprehensive coaching model designed for those supporting math teachers who are navigating challenges in implementing the 5 Practices. With its excerpts from authentic coaching conversations, readers can pause, analyze, and reflect to develop their coaching practice. A must-have, practical resource for anyone wondering how to effectively coach teachers in implementing the 5 Practices.
Coaching the 5 Practices will be a catalyst for sense-making and deep mathematical learning in the classroom. Smith, Yurekli, and Stein outline a brilliant coaching cycle that focuses on teacher-identified challenges and incorporates video from the lesson to generate the debrief conversation. Coaches and leaders can reflect on challenging coaching scenarios and build an understanding of the tools and processes of planning for an impactful coaching cycle.
I wish I had this book when I started coaching! The model and the examples of its use are perfect for new coaches and for those of us who have been coaching for years. It offers clear, actionable steps that help us work on moving teachers to a discourse and thought based mathematics classroom that emphasizes conceptual learning and understanding.
The pathway to ambitious teaching is wide and long. This book helps to narrow that pathway by giving you a framework for effective coaching so teachers can shift their instructional practices to follow the 5 Practices. Use these strategies and you will facilitate deep, reflective discussions that will bring insight and relief to a teacher who needs it.
