In the next few weeks, we will revisit the Planning Conversation Map. Take a minute to review the regions:

Clarify goals

Specify success indicators and a plan for collecting evidence

Anticipate approaches, strategies, decisions and how to monitor them

Establish personal learning focus and processes for self-assessment

Reflect on the coaching processand explore refinements

Remember that the map is not linear, but a guide to develop rich thinking related to future actions. The thought processes allow the planner to rehearse and to explore options and alternatives.

The first two regions create a target and a means for measuring how closely one hits the target. Both require open-ended questioning and questioning that specifies thinking. The goal is intended to drive all the other regions of the map.

Some possible ways of inviting clarification of the goal include:

What do you hope to achieve?

What are some outcomes you are striving for?

As your students exit, what are some things they will have learned?

Which standards are you teaching to today?

Success indicators can also be elicited in a variety of ways:

How will you know you’ve achieved your goal?

What are some types of assessment you might use?

As you monitor your students’ progress, what types of data might you collect?

What are some things you hope to see and hear to indicate your students are learning?

Sometimes, when time is short, all you can explore are these first two elements. When a person is clear about their targets and measures of success, they are a long way toward an effective plan.