Unlocking Growth and Potential in Education: What type of coaching is best for me?
In the ever-evolving landscape of education (and society), professionals are continually seeking ways to enhance their capacity, navigate challenges, and unlock their full potential. One powerful tool that has gained prominence in the educational field is developmental coaching (not instructional). This approach, while not limited to education, has proven to be transformative for educators, administrators, and anyone committed to lifelong learning and growth.
However, within the coaching domain there are multiple approaches, each with their own nuances. How do you know which approach is right for you? How can the benefits be felt most widely?
In this blog, we will explore developmental coaching within the context of education and compare and contrast with other popular approaches to coaching including instructional, performance, executive, life and career coaching. We will also shed light on how developmental coaching differs from mentoring, so that you can really consider what would benefit you most at this point in your life/ career.
Why Mentoring isn’t coaching:
A common approach within the education sector, particularly amongst the more junior levels of teaching is mentoring (very similar to instructional coaching). Mentoring is a relationship-based practice where an experienced individual (mentor) provides guidance, support, and advice to a less experienced person (mentee). The mentor acts as a point of contact for the less experienced individual to facilitate them formally or informally to develop particular skills, knowledge and practices. It tends to be directive, with the mentor offering solutions and advice. Traditional mentoring differs from developmental coaching in a number of ways.
Role: In mentoring, the mentor typically imparts knowledge and shares their own experiences. In developmental coaching, the coach acts as a facilitator of the client's self-discovery and growth, asking questions rather than providing answers.
Focus: Mentoring often focuses on career advice, skill development, and networking. Developmental coaching, while it may encompass career development, places a broader emphasis on personal and professional growth in various areas.
Whilst mentoring can be beneficial particularly for newly qualified individuals, it is limiting and can become restrictive with practitioners adopting the same practices as their mentors (for better or worse!) with reduced opportunity for mentees to develop authentically. If the mentor is at the stage of expert and achiever, little is explored and the motivation is extrinsic, stifling growth to symptoms rather than causes.
Understanding Developmental Coaching:
At the Glass House Leadership Lab, we adopt a developmental coaching approach and there are numerous reasons for this. Developmental coaching is a dynamic and transformative approach aimed at enhancing an individual's capacity for growth, learning, and self-improvement. It focuses on fostering self-awareness, expanding capabilities, and promoting lasting change, transcending traditional coaching and mentoring; it unlocks not only individual potential but also ignites positive change within teams and organisations. Its profound impact extends far beyond personal growth to shape the future of education- we have seen this repeatedly! For the Coachees we work with, we have found an approach to creating a space and map to explore and expand thinking, deepening the quality of understanding of themselves and therefore others. This often means using maps of human development to make sense and let go of the past, and explore the endless possibilities of the future, critically, in an autonomous way. Coachees learn how to harness their strengths and align them with their values that fuel intrinsic drive to mature on the next step of their journey. By becoming more present and coherent physiologically, emotionally, and cognitively it enhances their own and their team’s performance and encourages organisation culture to evolve.
The key differentiators of developmental coaching include:
1. Focus on Growth and Learning
While other coaching approaches such as instructional coaching and performance coaching have their distinct objectives, developmental coaching places a premium on personal and professional growth. It is about catalysing self-discovery, encouraging lifelong learning, and empowering educators to become the best versions of themselves. Crucially, we also provide the maps and their diagnostics of what is next, not limiting ‘types’ that personality tests label you as, but where you are now.
2. Holistic Approach
Developmental coaching takes a holistic view of individuals, recognising that personal and professional aspects of life are interconnected. It addresses not only professional challenges but also personal development, work-life balance, and overall well-being—a vital consideration for educators who often face complex and emotionally charged situations. The ripple effect of this is creating a positive culture, greater engagement, and reduced absenteeism.
3. Self-Reflection and Empowerment
Unlike instructional coaching, which may involve specific guidance, developmental coaching fosters self-reflection and self-empowerment. It encourages educators to explore their own strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations, empowering them to take ownership of their growth journey and embody their true self and potential, self coaching themselves to sustain optimum performance.
How does Developmental Coaching compare to other forms of Coaching?
Developmental Coaching vs. Instructional Coaching :
Instructional coaching is a valuable approach in education, primarily focused on improving teaching practices and student outcomes. It often involves observing teachers in the classroom, providing feedback, and offering strategies for professional development. While both developmental and instructional coaching aim to enhance educators' skills, there are distinct differences:
Focus: Instructional coaching is primarily centered on classroom practices and pedagogy, while developmental coaching encompasses a broader range of personal and professional growth areas.
Feedback: In instructional coaching, feedback is often structured around specific teaching techniques. Developmental coaching provides more open-ended feedback, fostering self-awareness and self-directed growth.
Goals: Instructional coaching tends to target immediate improvements in teaching methods. Developmental coaching focuses on long-term development, including career goals and personal aspirations.
Developmental Coaching vs. Performance Coaching/ Career Coaching:
Performance coaching is about achieving specific, measurable performance goals. In education, it may involve work at the student level such as enhancing student test scores, achieving certain educational outcomes or completing a certain project more widely across year groups of the school. Developmental coaching and performance coaching differ in several key ways:
Scope: Performance coaching typically centres on achieving specific, quantifiable goals, while developmental coaching encompasses a broader range of personal and professional development areas to move beyond a performance focus.
Timeframe: Performance coaching often operates within a defined timeframe to meet specific objectives, whereas developmental coaching is more open-ended, supporting ongoing growth.
Emphasis: While performance coaching focuses on outcomes, developmental coaching emphasises personal and professional growth, recognizing that these contribute to sustained high performance.
Career Coaching has many crossovers with performance coaching as it is. Career coaching is specifically designed for the context of career decision making, navigating career transitions and achieving career-related goals. Whilst developmental coaching encompasses a broader continuum of growth areas through a holistic approach; career coaching primarily:
Centers on a career related context
Focuses on achievement of career specific objectives
Comes into play during specific times of career change or transition
Developmental Coaching vs. Life Coaching:
Life coaching is what lots of people commonly think of when they hear the word ‘coaching’. It is a broad approach that supports individuals in various life domains, such as personal relationships, health, and overall well-being. Developmental coaching and life coaching differ in the following ways:
Goals: Life coaching addresses personal goals across life domains, whereas developmental coaching combines personal and professional development, aligning with educators' unique challenges.
Developmental Coaching vs. Executive Coaching:
There are many parallels between developmental coaching and executive coaching. What is different is the audience with executive coaching being commonly associated with leaders and top-level executives within organisations with the aim of improving leadership skills and enhancing performance in executive roles.
Within our experience however, executive coaching takes a developmental approach to encompass a wide range of growth areas which feed into leadership development.
In the dynamic field of education, developmental coaching stands as a beacon of personal and professional growth, radiating benefits far beyond the individual. Unlike mentoring or other coaching approaches, it empowers educators to embark on a self-directed journey of self-discovery, fostering both self-awareness and holistic development. While other coaching forms have their merits, developmental coaching uniquely addresses the multifaceted dimensions of an educator's life, transcending the confines of instruction and performance.
But its true power lies in its ripple effect. As educators grow and evolve through developmental coaching, they become catalysts for positive change within their teams and organizations. They inspire, lead by example, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Thus, with developmental coaching, the path to unlocking untapped potential and achieving enduring success in education becomes not just clear but with a maturer, some might say wiser, lens is profoundly transformative, benefiting not only the individual but also their team and the wider educational community.
“The experience of coaching with the Glass House has been transformational! I look at myself, the world, the team, and education with a broader lens and so much more depth”
Anon, Headteacher
If you, your team or your organisation are interested in developmental coaching and the benefits it can offer both individually and more widely; we would be delighted to discuss options further. Please book in a discovery call or contact us at info@glasshouselab.com.
We’d also love to hear about your experiences of coaching and/ or mentoring!
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