TI-AIE: Transforming teaching-learning process: mentoring and coaching
What this unit is about
Most of us have at some point in our lives benefited from the generosity of a friend or family member who has listened to us as we have struggled to come to terms with a challenge or a problem. In a professional context, such support and guidance is often referred to as coaching or mentoring, and in this unit you will learn to distinguish between these two approaches. You will understand some of the skills and techniques associated with coaching and mentoring, and how to use them in your conversations with teachers, students and their parents and/or guardians.
Increasing international evidence demonstrates that leaders can significantly improve the performance of their organisations and communities through coaching and mentoring (for example, Barnett and O’Mahony, 2006). In India, the National Programme Design and Curriculum Framework highlights how coaching and mentoring can enhance the effectiveness of classroom teaching and how as a school leader you can employ these techniques to improve teaching and learning in your school (National University of Educational Planning and Administration, 2014).
By applying such strategies, leaders can significantly improve the performance of the individual being coached or mentored, while contributing to the success of their organisation. School leaders rarely have control over the resources, but they do have the ability to create a school culture that values everyone in the school and emphasises the importance of relationships and provides support to teachers. Practising coaching and mentoring in your school and sharing the skills with colleagues will contribute to richer relationships between teachers and students, which will directly impact on the quality of learning and achievement.
Learning Diary
During your work on this unit you will be asked to make notes in your Learning Diary, a book or folder where you collect together your thoughts and plans in one place. Perhaps you have already started one.
You may be working through this unit alone, but you will learn much more if you are able to discuss your learning with another school leader. This could be a colleague with whom you already collaborate, or someone with whom you can build a new relationship. It could be done in an organised way or on a more informal basis. The notes you make in your Learning Diary will be useful for these kinds of meetings, while also mapping your longer-term learning and development.