The cognitive coach mediates States of Mind allowing the mentee to use these inter resources more effectively and to navigate the area of thinking. The coach uses The Five States of Mind vocabulary to understand the internal drives that are within every person (Ellison & Hayes, 2012). First is the word efficacy. It describes the belief a person has in his or her ability to organize and execute action necessary to attain a goal. For a teacher, it is the belief that he or she has the knowledge and skills to foster learning in the school to the desired degree. Efficacy is considered a foundation of States of Mind. It gives the person the sense of motivation, hope, and the belief that he or she can influence and transform our world. Efficacy encourages great efforts for great results, openness to new ideas, willingness to keep on going in light of obstacles, and contributes to a more positive environment in which to work. Teachers need all of these qualities to excel.
Second is the word consciousness. Consciousness is self-awareness that allows for investigation of other States of Mind. When a person pays attention to his or her own listening, he or she can realize biases that interfere with how he or she understands. The person asks the question whether or not he or she is being logical and how prior knowledge is affecting the thought process (Ellison & Hayes, 2012). He or she also questions the judgments being made and whether or not there is another perspective on the problem. Finally, he or she asks what can be done to be more data based. As a coach, being conscious to subtle nonverbal clues in addition to words is important. As a teacher, this self-awareness will help reach all students.
Third is the word craftsmanship. It is the internal drive toward group and personal superiority. It is the drive a person has to continually improve with apparent criteria for excellence. Moving to a higher standard has to be data driven. He or she examines his or her actions and the outcome of those actions to improve them for growth. For the teacher, the data will help track improvement.
Fourth is the word flexibility. Flexibility moves a person beyond his or her own egocentricity which is limiting. Flexibility helps teachers to be open to various perspectives of students and accept their differences. Flexibility is where creativity and problem solving begins and allows the person to look at other alternatives and possibilities. The coach helps teachers become aware that egocentricity limits the ability to be creative in the classroom and is the basis of high rigidity.
Fifth is the word interdependence. Interdependence permits a person to be away from self-centeredness to seeing himself or herself as something much larger. The person goes from being self-centered to other-centered to system-centered. The person views himself or herself as being in a relationship type of world and not in isolation. The person comes to the conclusion that people need people and that they give resources and take resources from the system. It reinforces the thought that “no man is an island” and teachers need to see themselves as inside a system that they contribute to as well as receive from.
The Cognitive Coaching process has as its center the idea that each individual has resources that enable growth and change from within. The cognitive coach is the facilitator to attaining the growth and change from within.
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