Episode #306: How to Stop Negativity from Derailing Math PD Sessions | Mathematics Coaching and Training Series

Sep 26, 2024 | Podcast | 0 comments

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Episode Summary:

Have you ever noticed how negativity can take over a mathematics coaching and training session, turning a productive opportunity into a venting session?

When challenges dominate, progress gets sidelined, and it’s easy for our hard working teachers to disengage. But with the right approach, you can transform the tone of the session and foster meaningful learning and collaboration.

Listen in and learn that by starting with a focus on wins and successes, you can energize your participants and create a space for positivity. Real-life success stories inspire action and help hesitant teachers take that first step toward improvement. Imagine your next mathematics coaching and training session buzzing with productive conversation and motivation.

Use these simple prompts to kickstart your next mathematics coaching and training session with positivity: “What has been successful for you recently?” or “Share a celebration from using a new tool.” Try this approach in your next PD session to see the shift in energy and engagement.

You’ll learn:

  • Learn how setting clear learning goals can transform your teaching approach and student outcomes.
  • Discover a new coaching model that helps teachers tackle classroom challenges through collaboration and reflection.
  • Gain insights into a student-centered approach that encourages productive struggle and deepens mathematical understanding.

Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your teaching—listen to the episode now and pre-order Peg Smith’s new book to start implementing these strategies in your classroom!

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Episode Summary:

Have you ever been part of a math PD session or math coaching session where negativity takes over, and instead of engaging in productive conversation or meaningful learning, the entire meeting becomes a venting session? 

It’s a common pitfall: challenges and frustrations take center stage, and progress gets sidelined. While it’s important to acknowledge difficulties, too much focus on the negative can derail the whole purpose of the meeting.

We know that negativity breeds more negativity, but with the right approach, we can set a positive tone that maximizes mathematics learning, collaboration, and progress.

Starting on a Positive Note

A great way to avoid negativity from dominating the session is by starting on a positive note. Research shows that engaging participants early on in math PD sessions encourages active involvement, helping to prevent a passive “sit-and-get” dynamic.

To do this, prompt participants to talk right from the beginning, but with a focus on wins and celebrations. 

By shining a light on successes, participants are more likely to be inspired and motivated. This not only energizes the session but also showcases practical examples of how things can work, providing real-life evidence to others who may be struggling.

Questions to Spark Positivity

Here are a few questions to kickstart the conversation and spark positivity:

  • “What has been really successful for you in the past week?”
  • “Share a celebration around how you implemented this new tool.”

By getting participants to share successes, you create a space where others can see what’s possible. Hearing colleagues talk about what’s working can be the nudge needed to encourage those who might be hesitant to take that first step. Sometimes, the most convincing argument comes not from the facilitator but from peers who are seeing real results.

Framing Conversations Around Ideals

Another way to set a positive tone is by framing the conversation around ideals rather than obstacles. One effective method is the magic wand question:

“If you could wave a magic wand, what would you see happening in math classrooms consistently?”

Alternatively, you could ask:
“What would it look like or sound like if this tool or strategy was working successfully?”

These types of questions open the floor for participants to imagine best-case scenarios and help them visualize positive outcomes.

Addressing Challenges with an Asset-Based Approach

Although it’s important to acknowledge the challenges participants face, it’s helpful to approach them in a way that inspires problem-solving rather than dwelling on the negatives. Asking asset-based questions, such as “What would the ideal classroom look like?” naturally brings challenges to light, but it frames them in a forward-thinking way. This approach helps participants move from frustration to action.

Building a Positive and Collaborative Culture

At the heart of any productive mathematics PD session is a positive culture. As facilitators, it’s essential to create a learning environment that supports collaboration, trust, and positivity. When participants feel safe to share ideas, ask questions, and offer feedback, the conversation stays focused on learning and growth.

Culture is key. By establishing the right conditions for a productive and positive learning space, you’ll maximize the time spent in the session and ensure that everyone stays on track toward the shared goals. A positive, collaborative environment doesn’t just happen—it’s something that facilitators actively create by guiding the conversation in the right direction.

Shifting the Mindset of the Group

While it’s crucial to ensure that participants feel heard and that their real challenges around mathematics education are acknowledged, it’s important to prevent negativity from dominating the session. 

With thoughtful planning and a focus on positivity, facilitators of effective mathematics PD sessions can steer clear of this pitfall. 

By starting on a positive note, emphasizing what’s possible rather than what’s not, and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration, you create an environment that’s both productive and inspiring.

Shifting the group’s mindset around positivity in mathematics learning sets the stage for meaningful discussions, active engagement, and lasting progress. 

Ultimately, fostering positivity in your sessions isn’t just about creating a feel-good atmosphere—it’s about cultivating the right conditions for genuine learning and meaningful change.

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    FULL TRANSCRIPT

    In this video, we’re going to unpack a consideration for unlocking the full potential of your PD session. I’m sure everybody listening has found themselves in a meeting or PD session where negativity has taken over and so instead of engaging in productive conversation and meaningful learning, the entire meeting becomes a venting session. Sometimes the challenges and pitfalls take center stage, and unfortunately, progress gets sidelined.

    So the purpose of the next few minutes is just to review maybe some facilitator moves you might consider to avoid finding yourself in this scenario. One of our golden roles for Effective PD is to get our participants engaged as quickly as possible. We want them talking within the first few minutes of the session, and a reason for sticking to this structure is that we want to set the tone that this session will not be a sit and get in.

    And we actually are expecting collaboration, conversation, collective problem solving. So we often like to start with a prompt for discussion. And one thing that I would ask you to consider is when you ask that prompt, can we frame it in an asset based way? We really want to set the tone for productivity and positivity in the conversations that colleagues are having.

    So an example of the language you might consider is, you know, share a celebration you’ve had with the implementation of the new resource over the past two weeks, or what is a win you’ve had with the use of this new technology? How has the strategy that you’ve been using positively impacted student learning? Whatever your learning objective is, can we get teachers talking as quickly as possible?

    But through the lens of what’s actually working really well, there is a lot of power in hearing what’s working well from your colleagues. It’s far more powerful than hearing about successes from a coach or facilitator or leader. People want to know what’s happening and what’s working well in the classroom down the hall or the school across the city.

    And so really, starting with this acid based prompt of celebration and wins in the classroom is a consideration for setting that positive tone. Another way that you might set that positive tone is by asking a question that establishes the ideal. So the magic one question is a perfect example of this. If I could wave a magic wand, what would be happening consistently in my math classroom?

    And of course, you know, from there we can build on what’s working really, really well. We will establish a common understanding of what we’re hoping to achieve together. What I really like about the magic wand question is that it allows us to reveal the challenges without dwelling on them. So for example, if you ask a question around the ideal and the teacher says, in my ideal classroom, students would come knowing their math facts or in my ideal classroom, students would have access to technology.

    So through that line of questioning, you’ve actually revealed a barrier and you’ve revealed a challenge that the teacher is facing. And as I mentioned in video, one of the series, when it comes to establishing learning objectives, we really want to frame them in a way that’s going to speak to the participants emotional motivators. We want them to know that the work we’re doing is helping us address their challenges or their needs.

    And so that’s really valuable information for the facilitator. But we’re asking in a way that’s promoting problem solving rather than simply venting or complaining about the things that maybe we can’t even control. At the end of the day, whether it’s in your staffroom, your classroom, in a meeting, negativity breeds negativity. And so one of our jobs as the facilitator is to really keep the culture in in the space really positive.

    So what do you do when you feel the mood shifting? Sometimes all it takes is one really big voice to really focus on the negatives, and all of a sudden the mood in the entire room shifts and we lose the productivity. It becomes a space where we’re complaining about all these things that are out of our control and we’re not progressing towards our goal.

    So what do we do in that situation? I think that, of course, we need to acknowledge we need to recognize, we need to sympathize, but we also need to shift the conversation back to productivity and what can we do about it. So recognizing, of course, you know, I hear you and I’m sure many of your colleagues have experienced similar challenges.

    But the reason that we’re here today is to try to address those challenges, try to problem solve, try to make progress, because at the end of the day, of course, we would all love to see the ideal happening in every classroom. Fostering positivity in your session isn’t just about feeling good, although that’s just an added bonus. Of course, I want to be in a space myself where the mood is positive.

    The energy around me is positive, but it’s also about establishing the right conditions for real learning and lasting change. So this is just one consideration when structuring your planning your PD to just be super mindful that the way you ask questions, the way you respond to venting really is going to set the tone is the tone that we want positive and productive, or are we going to allow the negativity to spread? This is just one another consideration to unlock the potential of your PD more to come in subsequent videos.

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