|
Teachers and Coaching
by Diana L. Hynson
(If you are an education leader, see instead "Leaders and Coaching.")
As a teacher in the Christian education and formation ministry in your church, you want to be well equipped, adequately informed, and well prepared in order to be effective and to feel comfortable in the classroom or other learning venue. You may also find it difficult to attend training or continuing education events, no matter how good, reasonably priced, or close to home. So, what if all you had to do was to make a phone call to a coach? i>(As a "shorthand" way of referring to the person being coached, we'll use the term "teacher.")
What Is Coaching?
Coaching is practice between a coach and one or more teachers who establish an agreement about what they want to accomplish. The coach will help teachers discern the healthy things they want to do or to be and find appropriate behaviors to get there. How is coaching different from other disciplines with which you may be more familiar?
- The coach and teacher are essentially peers, not "master and student."
- Coaches believe that knowledge is within the teacher or within the teacher's grasp if he or she knows where and how to obtain it.
- Coaching is not primarily focused on giving new knowledge (teaching) or skill sets (mentoring or apprenticing), but rather on the action plan for obtaining that knowledge or skill. The coach may point to various resources, but the initiative rests with the teacher to follow through with attendance at a conference or district event, for example.
- The coach and teacher "design an alliance" concerning what will be accomplished. The teacher sets his or her agenda. The teacher and coach agree on it and work together to honor it. Within that framework, the coach may also give the teacher "homework" between coaching sessions. The teacher can say "Yes," "No," or make a counter offer.
- Coaching is oriented toward next steps and focused on what behaviors will help the teacher reach her or his goals. The coach will also help the teacher deal with feelings so that they do not become a block to the teacher's future goals.
- The coach keeps personal opinions and advice out of the conversation so that the teacher can move ahead on the agenda. The coach listens deeply and asks probing questions.
- Coaching is often done on the telephone. The teacher and coach do not have to meet face to face, although they may meet when that is both possible and preferable.
Coaching for Teachers
So how might coaching benefit you as a teacher? Are there things you want to understand, to do, or to become in order to become more fully equipped and more satisfied in your ministry of teaching or leading? Let's look at why you may have said "yes" to becoming a teacher and at a suggestion or two about how a coach can be a valued partner in each instance.
One: There seemed to be no one else to do it, so you stepped up to the plate. Now you're not so sure what to do. Your district or annual conference may offer workshops to help you learn more about teaching. In addition to or instead of these opportunities, a coach can help you set your own direction and design a plan for how to get there. Since a lot of coaching is done on the telephone, you and your coach can negotiate the time for a 30- or 45-minute call that fits your schedules.
Two: Your child's class did not have a teacher, and you want him or her to have a caring adult present. You know how to do the caring part and are not so sure about the teaching part. Your coach can help you to name the gifts for teaching you already have and to devise a plan to discover more about the specific teaching skills you lack.
Three: Someone else -- the class members or another church member -- saw that you possess the gift for teaching, and they invited and encouraged you to accept the teaching role. Perhaps you are not sure you see those gifts as clearly or feel that you lack experience. A coach can help you clarify your view of your own gifts, find faithful ways to use those gifts, and identify other helpful resources. Your coach may be willing to serve as a practice student for you.
Four: You sensed God's call to you to teach; and in faith, you have accepted. Now you have to get down to the nuts and bolts of doing it when you are not sure how to organize your time or a lesson. A coach can help you develop a plan and a schedule -- and help you stick to it. You and your coach can work on cultivating a view of the discipline it takes to prepare week after week so that the discipline becomes a habit.
Your own situation may be a "mix and match" combination of the four suggestions above. In any case, a coach can help you cultivate and sharpen your own understanding of teaching as a ministry. With a coach, you can delve into the biblical and theological basis for teaching as a crucial ministry for the church. You and your coach may also explore how teaching may be a wonderful expression of the unique gifts you have to offer to God through the church, and quite importantly, to the participants in the class.
A Coaching Network
Given this model of what coaching is, how quickly would you call a coach for help? The General Board of Discipleship can offer coaching training to district or conference groups.
To read about some of the coaches and coaching resources currently available to you, check out:
If you want to know more about being a coach or being coached yourself, please contact the General Board of Discipleship (Diana Hynson, dhynson@gbod.org; or Carol Krau, ckrau@gbod.org).
Thank you for coming to the General Board of Discipleship for your resource needs.
• • • •
Dr. Diana L. Hynson (dhynson@gbod.org) is the Director of Learning and Teaching Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
Updated 2-18-09
Text Only Version
|
