Sharing Good Practice
Empowering teachers
through coaching
By Dr Jan L. Jones
about their abilities and challenges
and those conversations were later
used against them in an evaluation.
This does not happen all the time.
However, I do think it is something to
be wary of. Be careful of how much
you share with a coach from your own
department or even school. As you
become familiar with a school, you
realize that everyone is connected in
different ways. Be sure that you can
trust the person you confide in.
Are you required to
participate?
A
s a Ph.D. candidate, I
remember having to convince
my academic advisor that it
would be beneficial for me to
take a one-credit course titled “How to
Teach”. Taking that course with Dr. Keith
Barker at the University of Connecticut
was one of the best decisions I ever
made. It allowed for a safe environment
to learn new techniques, explore
different learning styles, and most of
all, about the importance of getting to
know my students. Many schools today
have tried to mirror that course with a
Mentoring Programme or what many
now refer to as Coaching.
guidance. Different people satisfied
different needs that I had both in the
classroom and as a researcher. Over
the years, I have built an amazing
network of mentors from all over the
world. Having colleagues to share
ideas with who were not connected
to my tenure, promotion process or
school, were those that helped me the
most.
How do you find the right
mentor/coach?
Is your coach/mentor also
evaluating you?
After taking the course and learning
the basic skills, I needed to explore my
own teaching style. I did not gravitate
to the official coaching programmes
at the institutions where I worked but
I did have amazing mentors along
the way. I looked for qualities in in
other educators that I valued and
approached them for advice and
For a profession that promotes
creativity and tolerance, the promotion
process can be extremely competitive,
lonely, and anxiety provoking. For
example, it is very difficult to be truly
honest about your frustrations with
a mentor, if that individual is also
evaluating you. Unfortunately, I have
seen where an educator was honest
10 | Mar - Apr 2016 |
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When
done
right,
mentoring
programmes can be extremely
valuable. Below are a few insights as
you embark on a coaching or mentor
experience.
Class Time
In an environment where the
pressures and expectations of
educators are rapidly expanding,
required programmes or those in
which the educators are strongly
encouraged to attend, might become
counterproductive. Coaching and
mentoring should be an organic
process of self-exploration, where
the individual feels comfortable
with sharing experiences and not
pressured to try certain techniques.
If your administrators tell you to
participate, you should. However, be
careful with what you share. Realize
that you may need to search out other
opportunities for learning that are not
tied to your promotion process.
Jump out of your comfort zone
Seek out workshops and coaching
opportunities that allow you to
explore new ways of thinking and that
encourage you to feel free to express
your opinions/challenges. Attend
international workshops/conferences
in areas out of your comfort zone, so
you can see how other professionals
are succeeding. Attend technology
workshops and make connections
with colleagues in your technology
department. This will help you to stay
abreast of the best ways to add new
tools for learning. Be open to trying
new techniques, and abandon those
that do not work.
Most of all, as you move through your
professional teaching career, find a
mentor or coach who reminds you that
you are important and that you don’t
have to be perfect to be an amazing
educator.