Educational Coaching: a tool to teach better

The coaching It is a methodology that allows the maximum personal and professional development of individuals and influences the transformation of these, causing changes in perspective, increasing motivation, commitment and responsibility, and of course, the learning.

Therefore, coaching promotes cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes that expand the person's capacity for action.

Educational coaching is not directive

Educational coaching is not based on directive instruction by the coach, but rather helps to create the appropriate conditions to learn and grow

Possibly one of the most noticeable changes that classroom coaching can bring is that this methodology It does not consist of teaching in a directive way, but it allows creating the conditions conducive to learning and grow up. It is an experiential methodology, in which both teachers and students arrive at solutions through their own self-reflection. Coaching leaves behind the barriers that limiting beliefs and individuals can impose. they test it, they connect with the here and now in such a way that they become more decisive and creative.

Coaching focuses on a dialogue (called the Socratic method) between the actors that allows the development of specific skills. For teachers, it allows them to know their own mistakes to be able to modify them, and also helps to create educational environments and more experiential and enriching classroom strategies for students, who also benefit from these sessions so productive.

Teachers can have sessions with coaching professionals or learn different coaching strategies to better educate their students. But the relationship between the coach-teacher or student teacher is not an expert relationship, that is, the coach is not above the coachee. Rather, the relationship is on the same level, and the coach facilitates strategies for self-learning. The coach is a companion in this educational process.

How students benefit

One of the keys to educational coaching is that it is not intended to teach, but to seek to improve individual performance. It is common to observe in some classrooms that all students are taught the exact same thing without taking into account their abilities and strengths, greatly limiting your potential and creativity.

Educational coaching affects the individuality of people, the potential of each one of your students. And it is that, on many occasions, what is intended to be taught should not limit the potential that students have for learning. Hence, educational coaching offers a different way of learning.

5 keys that teachers or educators should know

To increase the potential of students, teachers or educators can learn the five keys educational coaching, because in this way students can benefit from this type of methodology. Coaching can be a great complement for teachers when teaching classes. But what are the principles of educational coaching?

1. Student potential: one of the keys to educational coaching is not to instruct, but to find and develop the true potential of each of your students.
2. Self-awareness: It is only possible to get the best out of students when you are aware of your own limiting beliefs and adopt a non-directive attitude and open to change. In this learning relationship there must be an environment that enables self-awareness, reflection, observation and interpretation of what is experienced to be enhanced. This applies to both you and your students.
3. Empowerment: To empower students and make them more independent, it is necessary to educate them not from knowledge, but from the responsibility that this knowledge implies.
4. Feedback: Constant feedback is essential to be able to maximize learning and benefit from the sessions.
5. Development of skills: In order to apply coaching in the classroom, it is necessary to develop different skills: active listening, emotional intelligence, patience, attention, compassion, etc.

You can learn more about coaching competencies at this link

False myths of coaching

Unfortunately, this discipline that can be really useful is tainted with some controversy. For example, its popularity has caused a lot of professional intrusion. In other words, many people claim to be "coaches" when they are not. Some of them confuse this methodology with “charlatanism” or motivational talks, and others, with a simple short course, think that they are already coaching professionals.

But coaching is a methodology that, when used well, brings many benefits to coachees (the clients of coaches), as they acquire greater self-knowledge, emotional intelligence, empowerment, better structure their goals and connect with their emotions more efficiently.

• Recommended article: " The 10 myths about Coaching"

The benefits of coaching

As much as some insist on qualifying coaching as a passing fad, the coachees who have been able to experience the coaching process know how beneficial this methodology is for their well-being and their learning. It is because of that  coaching applies both aspects of personal, sports, work and educational life.

Whatever the type of coaching, this practice is closely related to change and learning, as it allows to open the mind, experience and recognize emotions, analyze the present state to set goals and create an action plan to achieve goals in a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely manner determined. The coach guides the coachee throughout the coaching process and helps the latter be able to develop their full potential.

In summary, coaching provides the following benefits:

• It allows to define the objectives
• Maximize creativity
• Enables greater mental flexibility and adaptability to change
• Empower people
• Improve interpersonal relationships
• Helps manage time and therefore reduces stress
• Helps us stay motivated
• Increase well-being
• Helps maximize personal development to go further
• Improves self-awareness, self-reflection and the emotional intelligence

If you want to know more about the benefits that coaching can bring you, visit our article: " The 10 benefits of Coaching (keys to your personal development)"

Bibliographic references:

• Burman, E. (1998). The deconstruction of evolutionary psychology. Madrid: Visor Learning.
• Cristal, D. (1993). Language pathology. Madrid: Editions Cátedra.
• García Galera, Mª del C. (2000). Television, violence and childhood. The impact of media. Barcelona: Gedisa.
• Kimmel, D.C. and Weiner, I.B. (1998). Adolescence: a developmental transition. Barcelona: Ariel.