Matt Renwick: Leveraging Coaching as a Leader

Matt Renwick is an elementary principal in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Previously he served as an assistant principal, athletic director, coach, and classroom teacher in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Matt was recognized as a Friend of Literacy by the Wisconsin State Reading Association in 2020 and received the Kohl Leadership Award in 2021. His books include 5 Myths About Classroom Technology: How do we integrate digital tools to truly enhance learning? (ASCD, 2016), Digital Portfolios in the Classroom: Showcasing and Assessing Student Work (ASCD, 2017), and Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.: 5 Strategies for Supporting Teaching and Learning (Corwin, 2022). You can find Matt on Twitter @ReadbyExample.

 

-Matt has always enjoyed coaching children and athletics. He found his way into many roles in education and fostered a strong interest in literacy as well as engagement with readers and writers.

 

-What have I learned around literacy and leadership? This is where this book was born, Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H.: 5 Strategies for Supporting Teaching and Learning.

 

-Educational Improvement- Matt used to have more of a linear approach. Coming into administration, he thought he could present an idea, then teachers would adopt them, and schools would improve. He realized everyone is coming from a slightly different angle as to what is best practice. It is way more complex than this. He has learned he has to engage with every teacher and build deep trust. Therefore, knowing where each teacher is and being able to work from there is the best starting point for improvement. 

 

-Instructional walks are powerful.We need to be leading as a learner, in a more reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship with faculty, which has better results with everyone's learning, including his own.

 

-Leading like a C.O.A.C.H.- 

Matt likes to: Pay attention to myself and others. Be mindful of how he is feeling. Listen first and hear where they are coming from. Use paraphrasing.

Shift from giving advice and needing to know everything to asking more questions, listening deeply, and being the listener first. Allow others to solve their problems when possible.

 

C-Creating Confidence through Trust

O-Organizing Around a Priority

A- Affirming Promising Practices - noticing and naming strengths already present

C- Communicating Feedback

H- Help Teachers Become Leaders and Learners - Support self directness

 

-Building confidence and trust is always at the forefront. When we are clear on what we are working on in order to press forward together more progression is made. 

 

-Make sure we honor the difficulties and loneliness of teaching. Be empathetic and also provide perspective. 

 

-Instructional Walks - Take a photo and put it in a brief email to follow up with that educator. It is his opportunity to build context. Write down what you see and hear as a narrative. Give that feedback from an affirming stance.

- Collects the narrative and notes in a digital drive in order to show educators the wins they are having with their kids. He documents how he is in their corner, and also is able to build from moving forward. We need to recognize the good first, and then hear the feedback. We help them to create an artifact of what they do everyday and a case as to how they are effective. We share the wins they are getting with kids. Teachers also collect artifacts for themselves.

 

-If you are recognized first you are much more receptive to feedback.

 

-Get into classrooms and just start to document five or six words of what you noticed. Get to every classroom, then take the time to reflect on your own as an administrator, or with a coach around trends or patterns we are seeing. Then communicate these to staff. From there, we can design professional learning around those goals. This is where collective commitments can come into play and have tremendous power. 

 

-Leaders need to know literacy - Regie Routman

 

-Pausing is the superpower. I have never gotten in trouble or made a mistake when I did not say something. It has always been when I said something and wished I could have taken it back. 

 

Connect with Matt Renwick:

-Twitter: @readbyexample

-Newsletter: Readbyexample.substack.com