I’m in a new position at my school this year—instructional coach. My 12-year classroom teaching career, along with a bevy of professional development (a healthy mixture of self-directed and district-provided), has prepared me well for this job. It fact, it is the kind of job I’ve wanted for quite some time—one that provides me with the opportunity to make a greater impact on teaching and learning in a school that I believe in, a place that’s filled with some of the most passionate and dedicated educators I’ve ever had the pleasure of working alongside. However, like any new endeavor, this one has not been without its share of challenges. Chief amongst these has been the fact that I’ve been pushed outside my comfort zone on a regular basis.

Ah yes, the comfort zone. That place we work within, many of us 100 percent of the time, because we are comfortable there. It’s a familiar place where we understand how things work and we know what to expect. But it’s also a place where we rarely take risks or try new things. It can be a place where we become stagnant and, in the worst case scenario, oblivious to the needs of our students.

I’ve been pushed outside my comfort zone on a regular basis as a new coach. Whether it’s modeling lessons for teachers, providing tough feedback following an observation, or leading meetings to discuss student performance, I’m doing things that are new to me. And at times, these new things are uncomfortable, well outside my personal comfort zone. And as a result, I’m learning more about teaching and learning than ever before.

This has certainly gotten me thinking about the value of operating outside of ones comfort zone. Trying new things, even though it can be scary, intimidating, and nerve-wracking, helps us grow. And in the world of education, our growth as educators of children is crucial to our students’ success.

So even though it can be frightening, I challenge you to think about how you can step outside your own comfort zone. Here are three ways that might help you get started…

Another set of eyes

Some teachers enjoy the fact that, much of the time, they get to close their doors and teach within their own little classroom community. No prying eyes. No critical observers. Our classroom’s four walls become our comfort zone. It’s time to open the door and invite others in. What if you worked it out so that a colleague could come watch you teach a lesson? You could give them something to focus on and watch for, such as teacher talk to student talk ratio or quality of questions. Or, you could just have them take notes on what they notice. Then you could debrief afterwards. Teaching is such an “in the zone” kind of profession. While we’re leading a class, it’s very easy to overlook our own mannerisms and behaviors. Without someone observing us, we might never notice that we are only calling on three students or that our questions are all at the bottom of Bloom’s taxonomy. It can be slightly unnerving to have someone watch you teach, especially someone who never has before. But if you choose a close friend or teammate, that will make it easier. And when you return the favor for them, you will both benefit immensely.

Take a Deep Data Dive

You’re constantly collecting data. Formative assessments, summative assessments, exit tickets, anecdotal notes…the list goes on and on. But all too often, this data isn’t put to good use. It comes to pass that we end up collecting data for the sake of…collecting data. Numbers in a spreadsheet or notes on a page are nothing more than that if we don’t take the time to do a deep analysis. Why don’t teachers do this more often? Because it requires us to think about what we didn’t do well and where our weaknesses lie. It requires us to answer the questions “Why didn’t they do well on this?” and “What could I have done better?” It is very tough to look within ourselves and conversely it is much easier to make excuses: “My students were tired” or “they aren’t ready for this topic yet” or “last year’s teacher dropped the ball.” When we take a cold, hard look at the data we’re collecting and step outside our comfort zones to ask ourselves “What is this data telling me about how I taught them?” Then we can really grow. It might be uncomfortable to look ourselves in the teaching mirror and analyze our practice, but it’s yet another example of how a little bit of discomfort can pay off big time in terms of student achievement.

Try a Different Approach

The tried and true. When it comes to teaching, the tried and true involves all the practices we are familiar with. Our “go-to” methods, our favorite activities, and our typical daily routines. We thrive on the tried and true. The tried and true is comfortable, we are used to it. It’s like a calm lake on a mid-summer day. It’s blissful. But even if your own personal “tried and true” is consistently stellar, you may want to consider trying a new approach in at least one area of your teaching. Why is this uncomfortable for many teachers? Well, it will probably involve some research and it might involve a teaching approach that you are completely unfamiliar with. But a little bit of discomfort on your part could pay off big time for your students. What should you try? Start by thinking about your most common teaching practices. Do you frequently lecture? Do you use a lot of math worksheets? Do your students only read novels? Then, look into other approaches. Perhaps it’s time to try some project based learning, math centers, or do some poetry reading. Maybe you’ve been ignoring critical 21^st century skills for too long and you should attempt to integrate technology to facilitate communication, collaboration, and creativity. I could list ideas for days, but it’s up to you to find the ones that work best. One great place to start looking is Twitter. If you aren’t hooked on Twitter yet, I can remedy that…just go to search.twitter.com and type in “#edchat.”  There is no shortage of inspiration being shared there. There are also some amazing blogs out there that provide a wealth of information. I’ve bundled some of my favorites here: http://bit.ly/EEblogbundle.

There are certainly other ways to step outside your teaching comfort zone. Even though it seems unnerving, if you take a leap and try something new or different, great things can happen, for you and for your students. The key is to push your own limits and to never stop trying to improve.

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photo credit: Lars Plougmann via photopin cc