Access keys Skip navigation

4. Take it forward

Your Subject Learning Coaches will come back after attending subject coaching networks and the Professional Training Programme with resources, tips and techniques to share — and lots of renewed enthusiasm. Giving your Subject Learning Coaches opportunities to practise these techniques, develop confidence and share their experiences with others will help to spread the impact more widely throughout your organisation.

Resources, tools and techniques

In addition to the teaching and learning resources, your Subject Learning Coach will acquire many new techniques on the Professional Training Programme that they can adapt and use in your own organisation. There are, for instance, questionnaires that explore the range of teaching, training and facilitation strategies used, self-assessment diagnostic tools, collaborative developmental approaches, planning and change management techniques and the coaching model itself. Subject Learning Coaches are trained to support learners to develop greater autonomy in their learning and to encourage them to extend their learning, raising the level of challenge where appropriate. All these tools, techniques and strategies are geared to supporting your Subject Learning Coach to act as an agent for change and to work with colleagues in a supportive, non-directive way. Subject Learning Coaches need time to embed all this within their own practice and to reflect on their own practice as well as time to share these with colleagues.

  • What opportunities can you identify for your Subject Learning Coaches to work with others?
  • How can you make certain that your Subject Learning Coaches have the time and freedom to experiment without fear of failure?

Research has shown that using coaching techniques as part of continuing professional development has a more powerful positive impact on practice than more traditional methods and that the transfer of learning is longer-lasting, bringing far-reaching benefits to all.

Implementation strategies

The main work of an Subject Learning Coach is to coach subject colleagues to explore exciting new approaches and perspectives that will engage learners, thus leading to better retention, completion, attainment and achievement — in fact, more success for all learners in that subject.

Some examples of how Subject Learning Coaches can share their experiences with colleagues

  • Exhibiting the teaching and learning resources in staff rooms and being prepared to demonstrate their use.
  • Short taster sessions at break times or at the end of the day.
  • ‘Master’ classes on key topics.
  • Inviting colleagues to come and observe their delivery and act as ‘critical friend’.
  • Regular time-tabled slots when colleagues know that Subject Learning Coaches are available to work with them or to showcase new ideas.

    The important thing is to establish a routine and establish a service that colleagues can rely on.
  • Allowing time at departmental meetings to focus on approaches and strategies or to work on common issues using problem-solving and group coaching techniques
  • Work with subject teams
  • One-to-one support sessions to help colleagues who may have reached a plateau to benefit from fresh perspectives and new approaches or who face specific challenges
  • Sessions to support others to adapt the resources for their own use
  • In-house CPD events
  • Opportunities to explore resources and strategies from other subjects
  • Coaching other colleagues who work directly with learners (learning support workers, for instance)
  • Whole-organisation events to share best practice on generic topics such as differentiation

Providing a broad range of opportunities for others to share in the initiative will make participation accessible to all. Some providers have chosen to adopt a phased introduction, beginning with show-and-tell resource sessions and then following up with workshops to adapt resources, master classes and one-to-one support sessions.

Subject Learning Coaches are also working with managers to identify priorities for quality improvement and holding coaching sessions on specific issues or ideas.

Embed new ways of working

Embedding NTLCP, its approaches and its strategies into the quality processes, staff development and staff appraisal system adds another positive dimension to these processes.

Subject Learning Coaches can support others in preparing for teaching practice observations, and can give non-judgemental, constructive criticism. To reinforce the role of the Subject Learning Coach as one of peer support rather than a part of the formalised quality assurance process, you may like to consider offering these as non-graded observations or separating them from the formal teaching practice observation process.

  • What role can your Subject Learning Coaches play in mentoring and supporting new employees and those taking part in initial teacher training or CPD programmes?
  • What opportunities are there for your Subject Learning Coaches to work together with practitioners who are supporting other initiatives such as Skills for Life and Functional Skills?

Look for opportunities to ‘work smarter’ and to identify ‘quick wins’. To make a strong and positive impact, focus on those first. Celebrate successes to motivate others to participate.

Back to top