Newcastle University

Coaching as a form of professional development is suddenly very popular in the UK. A number of factors can be seen to be influencing this trend:

1. The history of and evidence base for coaching in the US and Europe.
2. The proliferation of providers in the UK, some with a business background but others primarily education oriented.
3. The popularity of life coaching influenced by Neuro Linguistic Programming;
4. The prevalence and visibility of coaching in sport which breeds an acceptance of the concept;
5. The Secondary Strategy (a government school improvement initiative) has produced material on coaching as part of their 'Sustaining Improvement folder', which has been evaluated positively;
6. The development of coaching as a management paradigm in the private sector, notably in the banking and finance sector;
7. The training of 6000 subject coaches in the post-16 sector as part of the DfES Standards Unit policy to improve teaching, training and learning.
8. Finally there has been a national project on Coaching and Mentoring funded by the government which has raised the profile of an approach which the Department for Children, Families and Schools is increasingly wedded to.

There is a momentum and perhaps even a trajectory to which it would be tempting to attach the epithet ‘bandwagon’. However bandwagons can be carrying something of value. Learn how you can improve coaching in your institution in partnership with Newcastle University by clicking here.

Previous exploratory research undertaken by David Leat and Rachel Lofthouse indicates that that, as might be expected, coaching is evaluated very positively as a face to face process, with teachers particularly valuing the opportunity to review their thinking and teaching in detail in a supportive environment. There are signs that such an approach spills over into teachers talking to colleagues more about teaching, and thinking more intensely about other lessons. Trust is often mentioned and some marked comparisons are made between coaching and performance management. Videoing lessons for use in the coaching process, despite some initial reluctance, is reviewed very favourably, both in respect of revisiting the minutiae of lessons and importantly allowing the coached teacher to do much of the analytical work without recourse to the coach's notes, which helps diffuse power relationships.

It is evident that coaching as a professional development practice in Britain is rapidly outpacing any evidence base about its processes and effects. Three of the major questions which arise are:

1. What happens in teacher coaching sessions and how does this influence subsequent classroom teaching?
2. What effect do any changes in classroom teaching have upon pupil learning outcomes?
3. How is coaching being utilised within the context of whole school improvement and professional development?

In order to explore these questions, David Leat, Elaine Hall, Rachel Lofthouse, Colleen Cummings and Carl Towler have obtained research funding from CfBT and the National College for School Leadership for a two year research project. There have been two Coaching Newsletters prepared for further information, please click on the links below to download:

November 2008 Newsletter

May 2009 Newsletter

 

Video guidance

While undertaking coaching you will need to video colleagues to use as a basis for discussion. Video footage is classified as ‘personal data’ under the Data Protection Act 1998. It is therefore essential to consider the ‘3 Ps’; Privacy, Permission, Purpose.

Key considerations are:

• Although the use of video is becoming more common in many schools, it can still be a sensitive issue.
• It is essential to comply with or negotiate amendments to, the school’s policies in relation to the use of video-recording during lessons. It may be that the use of video in lessons is covered by a generic letter signed by parents when their children start at the school. In other circumstances permission may need to be sought for the specific purpose of gathering video evidence for coaching, In which case the permission letter can reassure parents about the fact that the video is not going to be seen by third parties (in or out of school), and that it will not be used for secondary purposes;
• There may be some pupils for whom the school does not have permission to make video recordings. In which case seek advice before proceeding. It is not usually the case that these pupils may not be present during video recording, but you need to consider where they are seated in relation to what the video will capture. Recordings of them speaking as part of the lesson are not restricted in the same way as visual images;
• Teachers involved in coaching may also feel sensitive bout the use of video, they may also need reassurance that the video is not going to be seen by parties outside the research project (in or out of school), and that it will not be used for secondary purposes.
• As a coach it is only reasonable that you have been videoed yourself, and it is good practice to invite the teacher who you are working with to watch some video footage of you, either as part of a discussion about what coaching will involve, or just to demonstrate what they can expect from video footage.

Practical implications of the use of video

• Think about the implications of using either digital or tape-recorded footage (including copying, storing, ease of use when discussing details from lesson during coaching conversations).
• Remember that you need careful consideration of privacy if you ask a technician to copy / download the footage.
• Video will not capture the all the details of the lesson, so it is still highly valuable for the coach to observe and if agreed make notes.
• Be realistic about what you will be able to see and hear on the recording.
• Children do get used to being videoed, but you can expect some distraction on the first occasion.
• The less obtrusive the camera is the better – even if that compromises some of the video quality.
• Static cameras on tripods or filing cabinets cause less disturbance than a hand-held one. It would rarely be necessary to move the camera around during the lesson, although there may be occasions when you want to capture more focussed information.

 

If you would like to commission such research, or find out more about our current projects in this area, please contact Rachel Lofthouse