Coaching
What makes a good coach?
In his excellent book The Little Book of Big Coaching Models, Bob Bates draws some important distinctions between different roles using a ‘learning to drive’ analogy.
He says that a
- consultant will advise you on the most appropriate car to drive
- counsellor will adress any anxieties you may have about driving
- mentor will share their own driving experiences with you
- coach will encourage you to get in and drive the car correctly
Coaches focus more on getting people to develop specific skills and coaching is very much a ‘pragmatic trade’.
Bob Bates uses the COACHING acronym to get at the nitty-gritty of coaching and what is involved. The 8 elements are as follows:
Clarify the role: find out who does what, when, where and how.
Organise goals and objectives: get those you are working with to create a vision about what they could be and set goals that will support them get there
Act with conviction: don’t dilly-dally but choose the most appropriate coaching method and follow through with commitment and conviction
Confirm that expectations are being met: get feedback on the process and be prepared to edit accordingly
Have a strategy for dealing with setbacks: accept that things won’t run smoothly and have strategies for dealing with them
Inspire creative thinking: encouarge your coachee to be constantly thinking outside the boxes
Never be afraid of failure: if someone fails a task, they have failed the task – they themselves are not a failure
Get to know the person you are coaching: relationships count for everything so build the coach-coachee relationship and establish trust and respect
Pingback:Lesson Observation: "Not terrible though?" | TeacherToolkit