Hi Lucy,
I am really trying to find some info on coaching as used in tefl work, especially as applied to special needs courses. I would like to know if there are any books, training courses or other resources that apply to this field.
Thanks,
Trevor
Where can I find resources for coaching in EFL?
Moderator: Joe
Coaching in EFL
Dear Trevor,
This is a really interesting question.
Are you a trained coach who is moving into teaching? Or a teacher thinking of incorporating some techniques of coaching into your repertoire? Or are you a teacher being asked to work as a coach? If it’s the last, you should be getting a pay rise!!
Coaching is such a widely-used term today that it can lose its original significance. It involves creating a privileged relationship between coach and client which generates trust and respect. Active listening is an essential part of creating this relationship. The two can then work together to identify behaviour that hinders development or inefficient, ineffective ways of approaching work, relationships etc. This is a very brief overview from someone who is interested in coaching but I’m not a qualified coach. I am a Psychology graduate and I have had training in counselling. But these are not the same as coaching.
Coaching works on understanding a person’s past but the main focus is the future. This sets it apart from other types of therapy that spend more time on the past – again a generalisation. Coaching works on getting people to move out of their “zones of comfort”. We are all attached to our zones of comfort or usual ways of going about things – this is after all the basis of all our past experience and successes. Qualified coaches study special techniques and strategies for helping people make the transition. Moving out of a zone of comfort can be painful and so is not to be tried with others in a light-hearted way. As I said in my response on using NLP in the classroom, I think teachers need to be very careful about using techniques from therapy in the classroom.
If you are a qualified coach, I apologise for stating the obvious. If you’re not, I think it’s great that you are considering a new area for development. Maybe you could start by reading books on coaching oneself - there are many available - before you start coaching others. I know of no books or courses on coaching in EFL. If you find out about any, I’d like to have the details.
You also mentioned special needs courses. This covers a lot of areas. You might want to look at my reply to Ewa on teaching dyslexic children. If this is not enough, do write in again.
This is a really interesting question.
Are you a trained coach who is moving into teaching? Or a teacher thinking of incorporating some techniques of coaching into your repertoire? Or are you a teacher being asked to work as a coach? If it’s the last, you should be getting a pay rise!!
Coaching is such a widely-used term today that it can lose its original significance. It involves creating a privileged relationship between coach and client which generates trust and respect. Active listening is an essential part of creating this relationship. The two can then work together to identify behaviour that hinders development or inefficient, ineffective ways of approaching work, relationships etc. This is a very brief overview from someone who is interested in coaching but I’m not a qualified coach. I am a Psychology graduate and I have had training in counselling. But these are not the same as coaching.
Coaching works on understanding a person’s past but the main focus is the future. This sets it apart from other types of therapy that spend more time on the past – again a generalisation. Coaching works on getting people to move out of their “zones of comfort”. We are all attached to our zones of comfort or usual ways of going about things – this is after all the basis of all our past experience and successes. Qualified coaches study special techniques and strategies for helping people make the transition. Moving out of a zone of comfort can be painful and so is not to be tried with others in a light-hearted way. As I said in my response on using NLP in the classroom, I think teachers need to be very careful about using techniques from therapy in the classroom.
If you are a qualified coach, I apologise for stating the obvious. If you’re not, I think it’s great that you are considering a new area for development. Maybe you could start by reading books on coaching oneself - there are many available - before you start coaching others. I know of no books or courses on coaching in EFL. If you find out about any, I’d like to have the details.
You also mentioned special needs courses. This covers a lot of areas. You might want to look at my reply to Ewa on teaching dyslexic children. If this is not enough, do write in again.
Lucy is the author of Lucy Pollard's Guide to Teaching English