Purpose and Partnerships - Training Room Coaching

Ok, the title of this article is not original as it was initially penned by Hargreaves and Shirley (2009) in their research titled ‘The fourth way: The inspiring future of educational change’, however, those words are particularly relevant when considering the future of educator professional development[i]. If we are honest most educator professional development does little to enhance the student cohort learning journey and yet is this not our core business[ii]? A constructive educator professional development programme will exemplify the following traits:

·         Rapid embedding of the learning into the workplace

·         Adhesive (“sticks” and is applied to the day-to-day operations).

·         Intensive (includes one-on-one support).

·         Sustained change

·         Focused

·         Supported with active learning.

There are several professional development approaches that exemplify the above traits without causing an educator to cringe! This article addresses one option: training room coaching. I have had the privilege of conducting training room coaching sessions across 100s of training rooms.

Preparation

Prior to the training event, the coach and the trainer should meet briefly to ensure the process can be clarified and to eliminate any concerns the trainer may have. In advance of the coaching process, I always like to provide the trainer with a copy of the formal report I complete to ensure the process is supportive and transparent. In addition, I outline each significant step and the resources they will gain from the coaching experience.

Implementation

The coaching process is a formative approach to continual improvement. The coaching process is not specifically aligned to career advancement, rather it is focussed up developing a high-performance learning environment that produces real-world change within student cohorts. Research shows that when the coaching process is clearly presented to support the trainers, the coach will be welcomed as a credible pathway to continual improvement[iii]. It is important to remember that a training room coach is evaluating the training and assessment skills on display not the vocational skills of the trainer.

The advantages of using an independent adult education coach should not be underestimated. Advantages of an independent coach include:

1.       Transparent feedback

2.       Specific feedback

3.       Timely feedback

4.       Guidance for today and future aspirations

5.       Dedicated focus upon the trainer and their individual training room environment

6.       Confidentiality assured

7.       Advice from a single source of truth

8.       Elimination of conflicts of interest

I have witnessed how the coaching approach energizes trainers to continue to develop high-performance learning outcomes for the student cohorts regardless of the trainer’s career development. Additionally, the transparent feedback often makes the day-to-day role of training and assessing students easier for the trainer as a suite of simple bespoke refinements are presented to the trainer in a respectful and confidential way. The trainer often feels validated as their views and experiences are understood by the experienced coach.

Although the training room coaching experience is not specifically focused upon career advancement, it is of interest to observe how individual trainers advance professionally once their training and assessment skills are recognised through engaging with professional training room coaching. Some research suggests that career promotion can occur over twice the rate of comparable non-participants[iv].

Conclusion

It is a privilege to coach educators within their training room environment. Throughout such collaboration I frequently witness how straightforward recommendations can offer radical solutions to the complex world of training adults. The experience of 2020 has taught adult education institutions to appreciate that, at times, educators need support to refine their professional purpose via collaborative partnerships. Respectful, independent training room coaching continues to deliver this much needed professional support across countless nations and varied training rooms every day.

Author: Leigh Ridge

Leigh is the Director of Transformation Consultancy. Transformation Consultancy delivers training room coaching online or in person. Learn more about our training room coaching service and follow him on LinkedIn.

[i] Hargreaves A.P. & Shirley D.L. (2009) The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change, Corwin Press

[ii] Diaz-Maggioli G. (2004). Teacher-Centered Professional Development, Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development

[iii] Cavanagh, R.R. (1996). Formative and summative evaluation in the faculty peer review of teaching. Innov High Educ 20, 235–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01185798

[iv]    Ockene J. K. Milner R. J., Thorndyke, L. E., Congdon J., Cain J.M. (2017). Peers for Promotion: Achieving Academic Advancement through Facilitated Peer Mentoring, The Journal of Faculty Development, Volume 31, Number 3, pp. 5-14(10)