How to become the coach of your classroom

The role of a teacher is to transfer knowledge to their students and to help them develop certain skills and abilities. On the other hand, a coach has to support and motivate its pupils by listening, asking questions and challenging them. Although these roles seem different, what if a teacher applied the rules of coaching into the classroom and became a motivator as well?

This concept was fundamental during the new edition of the course “Emotional intelligence and coaching inside the school and educational context” that took place in Bologna from 27/10/2024 to 02/11/2024. The participants came from all across Europe, with Elisabeth, Helen, Ulrika and Irina  from Komvux Lund in Sweden, Ani from Chastno osnovno uchilishte "Obrazovatelni tehnologii" in Bulgaria, Maria from Albrecht-Dürer-Mittelschule in Germany, Mónika from Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Két Tanítási Nyelvű Baptista Gimnázium in Hungary, Nikola and Adam from Stowarzyszenie Kadry dla Konin in Poland, and Zinovia from Kalogeropoulou high school in Cyprus.

The first topic discussed in the course was Emotional Intelligence. This term indicates the ability to recognize not only our own feelings but also other people’s emotions, in order to be aware of ourselves and our surroundings. A teacher that is emotionally intelligent is capable of understanding its students’ emotions and therefore create a connection with them and help them in managing their feelings.

Coaching means engaging in a collaborative, supportive conversation where the focus is on empowering someone to explore their thoughts and solutions via non-directive communication. Key elements of non-directive communication include active listening, fully concentrating and understanding the speaker’s words and emotions, as well as paraphrasing and summarizing, to confirm and clarify understanding. In order to improve our skills as coaches, it is necessary to ask thoughtful questions. Participants are asked to prepare questions using the GROW model and follow the guidelines of them containing goals, reality, options, and will.

Another coaching skill that is essential inside every workplace, including a classroom, is the ability to manage conflict. In this case self-awareness and control of our own emotions are fundamental in order not to let a conflictual situation escalate. Conflicts don’t have to be necessarily negative, on the contrary they can also lead to growth and positive outcomes. A Coach has to help its students to create a dialogue and support them in finding a solution to the problem. It is important to remember though that the role of the coach is not to suggest a solution, but to be a guide in the analysis of the conflict, in the decision making and in the evaluation of their behavior.

Another topic tackled during this course was coaching tools. Participants looked into coaching tools to encourage positive communication, both with themselves and with their students, which are essential for creating a supportive and empowering environment. Self-reflection exercises, such as journaling or mindfulness practices, help teachers develop self-awareness and a positive inner dialogue, which in turn influences how they communicate with their students.

This training week allowed the participants to share their common experiences and to learn from their different cultural backgrounds, while also improving their coaching skills and learning how to apply them in their classrooms.

Discover more about this course here.