HANDOUT: An introduction to coaching

Using coaching to improve attainment in staff and students

Introduction - By the end of this Bite Sized Training you will be able to:

  • Explain what coaching is, and when it can be useful
  • Describe the key skills of coaching, and provide examples of good practice
  • Use the GROW Model to structure coaching and achieve a positive outcome

Slide 3 - ACTIVITY

Given this definition, what does coaching look like to you?

  • Working individually, write down an example of how you might use coaching to improve either staff or student attainment.
  • Now discuss your ideas in pairs.

Finally, working in small groups, come up with your top five ideas for how coaching might be used to enable a colleague or a student to ‘maximise their own performance’.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Share your ideas with the group.

Slide 6 - Questioning

ACTIVITY - Working in pairs, choose one of these two scenarios and draft a set of questions that show a range of questioning skills to support the participant.

  • You are working with a student to explore issues around truancy from specific lessons each week.
  • You are working with a colleague to develop their teaching of high ability learners.

Slide 7 - 10 Coaching Questions

  1. What is the outcome you’re looking to achieve here?
  2. Can you share the specifics of what’s going on?
  3. What have you tried so far?
  4. How have you handled something like this before? (What was the outcome?)
  5. Why do you think this is happening? (What’s another way to look at this/respond? What else can also be possible/true? What assumptions could you be making here?)
  6. What’s your opinion on how to handle this? (EVERYONE has an opinion. Seek to understand theirs first.) If I wasn’t here, what would you do to achieve/resolve this? If we were to switch roles, how would you handle this? What ideas do you have? What’s another approach that may work (which you haven’t tried yet?)
  7. What’s the first thing you need to do to (resolve/achieve this)? (What would that conversationsound likewhen you talk with……?
  8. What resources do you need? (Who else do you think needs to be involved in this? How else can I support you aroundyourefforts to complete this?)
  9. What are you willing to commit to doing/trying/changing (by when)? If you couldn’t use that excuse anymore, how would you move forward?
  10. When shall we meet again?

Slide 8 - Listening

ACTIVITY - You will need to access this video clip - – or another suitable short clip that shows a coaching conversation.

As you watch this video clip of a short coaching conversation, make a note of:

  • The questioning skills used
  • How the coach shows they are listening

Discuss your findings with the group.

Slide 9 - The GROW Model

ACTIVITY - Identify one element of your own professional practice (or that of one of your students) that you want to improve.

Use the GROW model to clarify an appropriate way forward.

Slide 10 - MAKING IT WORK AT WORK

ACTIVITY: What will you do as a result of this Bite Sized Training?

•What are the three key learning points for you?

•Use the GROW model to identify what you are going to change

•How will you know when your change has been successful?

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