Mā te kimi ka kite, mā te kite ka mōhio, mā te mōhio ka mārama
Seek and discover. Discover and know. Know and become enlightened
Module Objectives:
- Articulate a clear understanding of coaching principles and their application within an educational leadership context.
- Develop and apply a range of effective coaching models and techniques to support the growth and development of individuals and teams.
- Cultivate strong coaching relationships built on trust, respect, and a focus on individual strengths and goals.
- Utilise powerful questioning and active listening skills to facilitate self-reflection and ownership of development.
- Provide constructive feedback and support accountability to enhance performance and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Learning Material:
As Deputy and Associate Principals, you are in a prime position to foster a coaching culture within your kura. This module will start to equip you with the knowledge and skills to lead through coaching, empowering your colleagues to reach their full potential.
Understanding the Coaching Approach:
Coaching in an educational setting goes beyond mentoring or directing. It is a collaborative process focused on:
- Empowering Ownership: Facilitating individuals to identify their own goals, solutions, and pathways for development.
- Focusing on Potential: Believing in the capacity of others to grow and achieve their best.
- Promoting Self-Reflection: Guiding individuals to critically examine their practice and identify areas for growth.
- Supporting Action and Accountability: Helping individuals translate insights into concrete actions and take responsibility for their progress.
- Building Capacity: Developing the skills and confidence of others to become more effective in their roles.
Key Coaching Skills and Models:
Effective coaching requires a specific skillset and often draws upon established models. Key elements include:
- Active Listening: Paying full attention, seeking to understand perspectives, and reflecting back what you hear.
- Powerful Questioning: Asking open-ended questions that encourage deep thinking and self-discovery.
- Goal Setting: Collaboratively establishing clear, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals.
- Providing Feedback: Offering constructive and timely feedback that is both supportive and challenging.
- Building Rapport and Trust: Creating a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable exploring their challenges and aspirations.
- Coaching Models: Familiarity with models like GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward) or TGROW (Topic, Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward) can provide a structured framework for coaching conversations.
Applying Coaching in Your Role:
As a Deputy Principal, you can integrate coaching into various aspects of your leadership:
- Supporting Teacher Development: Coaching teachers to enhance their pedagogical practices, classroom management, and leadership skills.
- Mentoring Emerging Leaders: Guiding and supporting staff members taking on new leadership responsibilities.
- Facilitating Team Growth: Coaching teams to improve collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.
- Having Difficult Conversations: Using a coaching approach to navigate challenging conversations in a way that fosters learning and growth.
- Promoting a Coaching Culture: Modelling coaching behaviours and encouraging others to adopt a coaching mindset.
Resources:
Introduction to Coaching in Education:
- Growth Coaching International – offers articles and resources on coaching in schools: https://growthcoaching.com.au/resources/
Developing Coaching Skills:
- Michael Bungay Stainer – Has written two excellent and easy to digest books if this is an area of interest for you. For now, have a look at his TED Talk, “How to Tame Your Advice Monster” https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_bungay_stanier_how_to_tame_your_advice_monster_feb_2025?language=en and this article (there are more if you are interested) on his Box of Crayons website – https://boxofcrayons.com/resources/how-to-be-coach-like-at-work/
- Explore the Instructional Coaching resources most relevant to you – https://www.instructionalcoaching.com/resources/
Task: Practicing Coaching Questions:
Reflect on a recent interaction you had with a colleague where you could have used a coaching approach. Identify 2-3 powerful coaching questions you could have asked to encourage deeper reflection and ownership of the situation.
Post your chosen questions and a brief explanation of why you selected them and the potential outcomes you anticipated on the forum (150 words maximum).
Extra practice! Comment on someone else’s post with a coaching question to make them think.
Assessment:
- Completion of all readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Reflective post on forum
6 Responses
I have come back to this one this term as I was stuck on a situation last term. After some reflection I had a situation recently where a teacher came to me wanting support on a tricky email from a parent. I tried to reflect back on this and rather than taking control or trying to fix it for them I used some questions to get them to reflect on the situation and be solution focused themselves. Some of the questions throughout the conversation were:
– Removing yourself as the teacher involved what suggestions would you give another teacher who came to you with a similar situation?
– What is the ideal outcome/solution for both parties?
– How do you think the parent is feeling but just as important how has this situation made you feel?
We managed to come at it from solutions rather than adding to the complaining.
Recently, I worked with a teacher who was feeling discouraged—she couldn’t find a good work–life balance and felt her team didn’t truly engage with her ideas, even though they listened respectfully. Using a coaching approach, I would frame my questions to guide her toward her own insights:
“What are the non-negotiables you want to protect in your life right now, and what can you let go of?”
This helps her identify priorities and take ownership of her balance.
“How might you structure your time so those priorities are supported?”
This encourages her to find solutions that work for her context.
“What do you think is influencing how your team responds to your ideas?”
This invites reflection on dynamics and pace, leading her to recognise that timing and patience are part of collaboration.
These questions aimed to foster clarity, self-awareness, and practical action.
Stephanie, what great questions. Hope you don’t mind but I have noted these down. A big issue that we hear from our teachers is not having enough time. Having these questions/discussions on how we are structuring our time and what our non-negotiables are seem very fitting for the situations.
Recently I was involved in a PGC discussion based on a goal set in term 1 for our BSLA Tier 2 intervention teacher . The discussion focussed on what was happening to meet the goal.
Reflecting on the discussion that was had, I realised that I was doing much of the talking and prompting, asking several closed questions and sharing my thoughts and opinions on what was happening.
This could definitely have been a coaching opportunity!
3 questions I could have asked during the process, which would have allowed for deeper thought and greater ownership, could have been
What have you learnt by teaching this programme?
How do you feel the programme has helped your learners?
What support do you need from us to make sure this programme continues to be successful?
Great reflection! I like the questions you’ve identified—they open the door for the teacher to think more deeply about their own practice. Reading your post made me wonder: “If you could run this programme again next term, what’s one thing you would do differently, and why?” I find this type of question often prompts people to reflect on their practice in a forward-looking way, which can uncover insights they might not have shared otherwise.
Love that question, thanks for the idea!