# 🎯 Coaching in Education: Quick Guide

## What Coaching Is

**learning-focused conversation** that increases self-awareness and responsibility.

- Coaches **facilitate reflection** through questioning, listening, and challenge — not by giving answers.

- Goal: unlock potential, build confidence, and support professional growth.

---

## Why Coaching in Schools?

- Directly linked to **student success and wellbeing**.

- Builds **leadership capacity** in teachers and APs.

- Strengthens **collaboration, trust, and professional dialogue**.

- Supports **distributed leadership** and sustainable school improvement.

---

## The GROW Model Framework

1. **Goal** – What do you want to achieve?

2. **Reality** – Where are you now? What’s working/not working?

3. **Options** – What strategies could you try?

4. **Will / Way Forward** – What will you do next? How will you commit?

## Evidence of Impact

Research shows coaching can:

- Improve wellbeing and resilience

- Increase confidence and clarity in decision-making

- Enhance emotional intelligence

- Strengthen teaching practice

- Support leadership development

⭐ Five Essential Coaching Models

1. GROW

• Goal → Reality → Options → Will

• The most widely used, simple, and effective for performance and leadership coaching.

2. CLEAR

• Contract → Listen → Explore → Action → Review

• Strong relational foundation; excellent for trust‑building and psychological safety.

3. OSKAR

• Outcome → Scaling → Know‑how → Affirm & Action → Review

• Strengths‑based and solution‑focused; ideal for schools and quick wins.

4. Co‑Active Coaching

• Whole‑person, transformational approach

• Emphasises fulfilment, balance, and partnership.

5. Narrative Coaching

• Works with stories, identity, and meaning

• Supports externalisation and re‑authoring preferred futures — beautifully aligned with your practice.

🧩 1. GROW Coaching Conversation Template

Opening

• “What would you like to focus on today?”

• “What would make this conversation most useful for you?”

G — Goal

• What do you want to achieve?

• What would success look like by the end of this session?

• What longer‑term goal does this link to?

R — Reality

• What’s happening now?

• What have you already tried?

• What’s working / not working?

O — Options

• What could you do next?

• What else?

• What would you try if there were no barriers?

W — Will / Way Forward

• What will you do first?

• When will you do it?

• What support or resources do you need?

🧩 2. CLEAR Coaching Conversation Template

C — Contract

• What’s the purpose of this conversation?

• What outcome do you want?

• What role would you like me to play?

L — Listen

• Coach listens deeply, reflects back key themes, emotions, and assumptions.

E — Explore

• What’s underneath this issue?

• What beliefs or patterns are influencing your actions?

• What possibilities are emerging?

A — Action

• What steps feel meaningful and realistic?

• What will you commit to?

R — Review

• What did you take from this conversation?

• What will you do before we meet again?

🧩 3. OSKAR Solution‑Focused Template

O — Outcome

• What do you want instead of the problem?

• How will you know things have improved?

S — Scaling

• On a scale of 1–10, where are you now?

• What makes it that number and not lower?

• What would move you one point up?

K — Know‑How

• What strengths, skills, or past successes can you draw on?

• Who can support you?

A — Affirm & Action

• Affirm strengths and progress.

• Identify small, doable next steps.

R — Review

• What’s better since last time?

• What did you learn?

🧩 4. Co‑Active Coaching Template (Whole‑Person)

Check‑In

• How are you arriving today?

• What’s present for you?

Fulfilment

• What matters most to you in this situation?

• What values are being honoured or challenged?

Balance

• What choices do you see?

• What perspective might shift things?

Process

• What emotions or internal narratives are showing up?

• What do you need to sit with, rather than solve?

Forward the Action / Deepen the Learning

• What insight is emerging?

• What action aligns with who you want to be?

🧩 5. Narrative Coaching Conversation Guide

1. Story Gathering

• Tell me the story of what’s been happening.

• What stands out as important?

2. Externalising

• How would you name the problem?

• How does this problem influence your actions?

• When is the problem weaker?

3. Deconstructing

• What assumptions or dominant discourses shape this story?

• Who benefits from this story staying the same?

4. Re‑Authoring

• What preferred story is emerging?

• What values or hopes does it express?

5. Reinforcing the New Story

• What small actions align with this preferred identity?

• Who can witness or support this new story?

Coaching workshop

Catriona Brennan

Catriona Brennan

Catriona Brennan

Catriona Brennan

Final

Catriona Brennan

GO'R

Samantha Lambert

Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction Jim Knight The definitive text on partnership principles and the “Impact Cycle.”

The Impact Cycle: What Instructional Coaches Should Do to Foster Powerful Improvements in Teaching Jim Knight Practical framework for goal-setting, strategy, and reflection.

Coaching for Performance (5th ed.) Sir John Whitmore Classic GROW model; foundational for leadership and teacher coaching.

Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves Diane Sweeney & Leanna Harris Focuses on coaching that drives measurable student learning outcomes.

Coaching in Education: Getting Better Results for Students, Educators, and Schools John Campbell & Christian van Nieuwerburgh Integrates coaching psychology with school improvement.

The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation Elena Aguilar Deep dive into emotional intelligence, equity, and reflective practice.

Building a Coaching Culture in Irish Schools: Challenges and Opportunities Paul Butler (University of Limerick, 2024) Irish context; explores leadership coaching and distributed practice. MDPI

🎧 Podcasts to Inspire and Guide

• Growth Coaching International – Coaching in Education Podcast Series

Monthly episodes featuring educators worldwide on embedding coaching cultures. Apple Podcasts

• Steve Barkley – Building Coaching Skills and a Coaching Culture

Practical insights from Rory Courlander (GEMS Dubai American Academy) on shifting from mentoring to coaching. Steve Barkley Steve Barkley

• The Head Room Podcast – Developing a Coaching Culture in Schools

Emma Cann discusses coaching journeys and leadership challenges in education. MDPI

• Eduro Learning – Coach Better Podcast

Focuses on sustainable coaching cultures using the Thrive Model; ideal for international and system-level contexts. Apple Podcasts