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ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
approach trains teachers to ask the right
questions so that pupils themselves are able
to make appropriate decisions. It is a matter
of guiding rather than instructing. It might
mean asking things like: “How do you think
we could approach this?”, and “How will
we know we’re making progress?” – and
“What steps will you have taken by the
time we meet again next week?”. The pupil
is obliged to give active thought as to what
practical steps they need to take to work
towards their goals. For me, one of the
most important aspects of the coaching
philosophy is the fact that it inspires growth.
Our pupils are learning important skills for
their later lives.
Give me a real-life example.
BS:
A pupil came to me in House and said
that she was feeling anxious about RS exams
the following day. In the past, I might have
said something cheery and general like:
“You’ll be fine!” – which of course is no help
at all to an anxious pupil. Instead, I sat down
with the pupil and asked which aspects were
causing anxiety and why – we gradually
worked through the specifics and realised
that in fact the pupil was as well prepared
as she could be and that some exam nerves
were inevitable. A far more constructive
approach.
GT:
I had a conversation with a pupil who
was not in a particularly good place – he
really needed to pull his socks up on the
work front. Instead of me simply making
this point in a robust way, we talked about
what he wanted to do in life; we then listed
the things he needed to achieve in order
to get there. We then looked at the very
first step and broke it
down: he needed to get
better grades in order
to get onto the course
he wanted to study;
he therefore needed
each piece of prep to
be good. We looked
at his immediate work
schedule and looked at
some very practical steps
he could take to make
his next piece of work
better. We continued
in this vein – small,
practical steps, with the
suggestions and ideas
coming from him.
What do teachers think about it?
GT:
At this stage, it’s their choice to
opt into the training and the ethos. It has
been hugely popular. It allows staff to
have much more engaging and effective
conversations with pupils. Every training
session offered by Matt (Albrighton,
Deputy Head Academic) has been
oversubscribed. There’s a genuine surge
of interest and
enthusiasm. And in
fact coaching doesn’t
just happen between
teachers, tutors
and pupils. More
experienced teachers
play an important role
coaching their junior
colleagues.
BS:
I personally
found the training
fascinating. On the
Advanced Course,
we talked about our
character traits as an
‘inner team’ – who’s
the dominant member of the team and
who are the most useful members? When
I carried out this exercise with a group
of pupils, we talked about their character
traits – their strengths and weaknesses
– as passengers in a car. Who should be
driving, and who needs to take a back
seat? They too found it riveting. In fact
everyone could benefit from that level of
self-knowledge. Different occasions or
challenges will require different aspects
of our character and knowing how best
to deploy the skills in our armoury can
make us more effective and – of course –
more content.
What do pupils think?
BS:
From their point of view, they won’t
have experienced a sudden change. It’s
an implicit rather than explicit approach
– and many teachers have been using
this approach for some time. There is
anecdotal evidence from pupils that the
feeling of being in control and setting their
own targets can ease feelings of stress
and anxiety. They are part of the planning
process which can be hugely positive.
Valentin Peiker
(Gabriel-von-Seidl-Gymnasium)
in a coaching session with Tutor Gavin Turner
Beth Steer