Is Coaching Just Another Fad? | A Conversation with Rachel Lofthouse

Rachel Lofthouse and I explore the challenges and nuances of coaching and mentoring in education, particularly in the context of international schools. We discuss the potential drawbacks of implementing coaching at scale without proper consideration and support, emphasising the need for a nuanced, teacher-centered approach. The discussion also touches upon the CollectivEd award, which provides a framework for schools to evaluate and enhance their professional learning and development practices. This is part two of our conversation so if you haven’t listened to part 1, go there first.

Key Quotes:

"coaching is really an inside out process. It starts from the inside."

"If you can do something well, then really hone that talent, really make that work to the very best of your ability. Don't ignore it or deliberately sideline it because somebody's come along to say, well, this seems to be the thing that will get you a 0.5 additional score regardless of who you are."

"And it's not just a gut feeling of what will bring benefit, but an informed sense of what will bring benefit in their setting. So it's not just about coaching, it's also about mentoring and putting both of those in the wider context of professional learning. And I do think it's important to remember professional learning is not the same as training."

" I think that word sustainable is the word that we perhaps need to most grapple with in education. We think about innovation and we think about change and development, and we probably don't think about how we create a sustainable workforce, a sustainable system that doesn't constantly undermine itself and compromise the outcomes that we're looking for."

Links:

CollectivED: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/research/collectived/

New Guide to Teacher Coaching from CollectivED at Leeds Beckett University https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/research/collectived/guide-to-coaching/

Here be dragons - myth busting Instructional Coaching for teachers | Leeds Beckett University

Thank you for tuning in, and as always, if you found this episode useful, please share your experience. You can find me online on X and LinkedIN: @leaningshane. My website is shaneleaning.com.

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About the host

Shane Leaning is a passionate organisational development coach with over 11 years of international teaching and leadership experience. His approach to coaching and professional development is all about approachability and attentiveness to the unique strengths and contexts of schools and educators. Shane believes that empowerment fosters growth and success for both educators and students alike.

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

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