Co-Lead Session 3: The Main Topic and Retrieval
Session 3 of 6 in the Co-Lead Protocol (Fundamentals). Read this before the class, then do the quiz and reflection after it.
You run the main topic and retrieval. This is the hardest part of class: you're coaching the week's primary content, selecting games for a topic that may be new to some students, deciding what to say between rounds based on what you see, and adapting when things don't work. The experienced coach runs warmup + evergreen and hands you a room that's warm and ready.
The experienced coach may still jump in with a concept during your segment if they see something important. That's not a failure on your part. Two coaches sharing a room will naturally overlap, and learning to work alongside another coach's input is part of the skill.
For the Experienced Coach
Push for depth. The trainee is now in the segment where coaching quality matters most.
- Challenge their game selection. "Why this game and not that one? What's the targeted goal? How will you know if students are meeting it?" Don't accept "it seemed like a good game." Push for specificity.
- It's OK to jump in with a concept. If you see something during their segment that's worth addressing, you can add a teaching point. But keep it brief and don't take over. The goal is collaborative coaching, not correction. Talk about it in the debrief: "I jumped in because I saw X. Here's why I thought it was worth adding."
- Watch their between-round coaching. Are they staying focused on one point? Are they using external language? Are they reading the room and adapting, or delivering a pre-planned script regardless of what's happening?
- Start pulling back on the debrief. Instead of giving them your observations first, ask: "What would you change?" Let them self-assess before you add your perspective.
After the Session: Quiz and Reflection
Do this after you've co-led the class, not before.