Project

Coaching - an innovation from the workplace and its significance for vocational schools

Coaching did not originate as a pedagogical principle but is rather an innovation from the workplace. While the term is increasingly being used in the context of (vocational) education, it is the subject of controversy.

Adobestock

Coaching is used in companies for apprenticeship training, in continuing education and to assist managers. In the (vocational) school context, the term 'coaching' is used to refer to learning concepts inspired by the Age of Enlightenment and a constructivist understanding of learning. In this respect, there is an expectation that (vocational) school teachers should act less as instructors and more as facilitators who make learners responsible for their own learning. As such, teachers (when acting as coaches) should show learners how to learn in a self-directed way. In this dissertation project, we considered new role expectations placed on teachers and explored the coaching approach in the context of vocational schools.

 

Supervisor of the dissertation:

Method

Three explorative case studies were used to analyse coaching in companies as a means of facilitating vocational learning. Based on the results, a possible application of coaching in vocational schools was discussed. We then conducted ten narrative interviews with vocational school teachers to determine their understanding of coaching

Results
  • While coaching concepts in companies and vocational schools are very different, they are generally intended to encourage self-directed vocational learning. This is considered important in order to survive in today's working world. Since coaching focuses on vocational learning and not on the development of overall personality, it can be classified as 'learning coaching'.
  • The roles of teacher and coach cannot be equated with one another. For instance, teachers provide instruction, guidance and performance assessment but coaches do not carry out such tasks. Another difference is that teachers plan the learning environment where learners acquire their knowledge, whereas the coach basically encourages learners to reflect on their own experiences outside the coaching context.
  • The role of teacher and (learning) coach converge in the sense that both seek to encourage self-directed learning. Therefore, it can be useful for vocational school teachers to consider the characteristics and facets of coaching processes.
  • In many cases, analysis of implementations revealed that vocational school teacher roles change over time. In some phases of teaching, the teacher acts as an instructor, in others as a (learning) coach. The teacher's role is sometimes also split between instructing/assessing role (instructor) and providing guidance (coach). The advantage of dividing roles in this manner at one's own personal discretion is that it prevents the teaching role from becoming overloaded.
Presentations