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Hazel Owen

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Hazel Owen
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Making the change we know in our hearts is essential…by building a coaching culture

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Hazel Owen

Today’s leaders are expected to work well with people. This expectation includes being able to help people to grasp the courage to act, develop new ideas, take risks, and “make the changes that we know in our hearts are essential and right in the world” (Robertson, 2015, p. 15). A strong mentoring or coaching relationship is one way of supporting people to do this. As a result, globally, a wide range of organisations — including schools, kura, and early childhood centres — are developing a coaching culture (Weekes, 2008).

seedlingThese organisations hope to realise a wide range of benefits for educators, students, and the wider community including personal (and professional) growth (Hay, 1995); resilience in the face of change; support of innovation and ‘passion projects’; and the fostering of leadership and personal effectiveness. Coaching, when framed as an approach to communication where the empowerment of the people being coached is emphasised (Hoole, & Riddle, 2015), helps create positive learning environments. It also helps incubate a range of leadership approaches — something that research findings indicate have significant impacts on performance and wellbeing, as well as associated health benefits (Hoole, & Riddle, 2015).

What is a coaching culture?

At its root, a coaching culture is a model that structures and helps define the parameters of what effective interpersonal interactions look and feel like within a school, kura, or centre. Coaching would not be the only approach used in the organisation, but it would be used wherever appropriate. These structures and parameters are firmly underpinned by the values of the organisation, and can support the development of agreed ways of communicating, collaborating, and working together (Behavioral Coaching Institute, 2007).

However, sometimes, coaching may have a negative reputation within an organisation because, for instance, managers have previously used it as a performance management tool rather than as a genuine way to support professional learning and development. In these cases, a concerted effort will be needed to reframe coaching to help ensure that it is perceived positively, and part of this will be to support managers to develop their own coaching skills.

A well-established coaching culture will be one where coaching methodologies are ‘normalised’ within the organisation. For instance, it will be the preferred way of having conversations (Hoole, & Riddle, 2015). When this occurs, all people within the culture “fearlessly engage in candid, respectful coaching conversations, unrestricted by reporting relationships, about how they can improve their working relationships” (Crane, 2005, para. 3). These conversations will make use of coaching tools and the language of coaching to become part of the everyday way of working together. As a result, everyone values coaching as an integral part of personal and professional development — as a way of continually learning, improving practice, and positively contributing to the organisation’s goals.

The importance of providing a coaching programme to develop a coaching culture

An integral part of nurturing a coaching culture within a school, kura, or centre is ensuring that staff and students / ākonga are provided with formal opportunities to develop their own coaching skills. Otherwise, the tendency is for people to default to the neurologically energy-efficient approach of telling, which “requires less intellectual and emotional energy than engaging …[someone] in a thought process to advance their capability” (Hoole, & Riddle, 2015, Para 29).

butterflyA coaching programme will help staff and students / ākonga develop conceptual connections and explore implications for their organisation and the wider community. The long-term nature of the resulting changes can make a large-scale impact on everyone’s wellbeing, as well as how well the organisation functions.
Coaching managers will need to be coached themselves prior to taking on a coaching role. They will also need the ongoing support of their coach to help them continue to develop strong coaching skills, and to use integrity and patience to build the trust with their coachees. A coaching manager’s “ability to deeply listen is just as important as asking the questions that count” (Robertson, 2015, p. 12), especially where the goal is to ensure the coachee feels “sufficiently safe to move away from covering up any perceived areas of weakness” (Robertson, 2015, p. 12).

It takes time to develop a coaching culture (up to a year or 18 months) because people need to be comfortable within the culture, and this provides sufficient time for everyone to develop the necessary coaching skills (The Open Door Coaching Group, 2012).

One consideration

By definition, a manager is not ideally placed to work as a coach or mentor for someone who is reporting directly to them. Robertson (2015) advises that vulnerability, power relations or conflicts of purpose “can adversely affect the relationship” (Robertson, 2015, p. 12).

What does the development of a coaching culture look like in practice?

weaveMidtown School has a focus on across-school change, plus a desire to sustain the changes by implementing a coaching culture. After some robust discussions, the decision was made to go for a combination of face-to-face, whole school Professional Learning and Development, combined with virtual mentoring and coaching support for the leadership team who would then help to nurture a coaching culture throughout the school. Using the suite of products and services that CORE Education has available, the school decided to go for four face-to-face sessions (once a term), which were also supported by 18 months of uChoose virtual mentoring sessions for the leadership team.

Over the first six months with their virtual mentor the leadership team planned how they were going to introduce, support, and build sustainability into the coaching culture focus. They surveyed the staff, students and community, and gathered feedback data. The data provided some great insights into where people were most enthusiastic, plus, where the main support was going to be required. Alongside the planning, the leadership team with their mentor, worked with a range of coaching tools and approaches, trialled them with their teams, and then reflected together on how it went, and what they might change.

During the second half of the year working in the uChoose programme, after a whole-school session that focused on coaching, the leadership team rolled out some ‘quick dip, how to’ coaching sessions. Although it was a slow start, groups within the school started to increase their deliberate acts of coaching and coaching conversations, with some positive results.

In the new year, after 16 months of working to develop a coaching culture, it was clear that things were starting to consolidate, and it was noticed that:

  • There was a school-wide identity with, and commitment to, the development of a coaching culture, with all staff and ākonga / students knowing most of the goals, as well as the contributions they could make in achieving them.
  • There was increased enthusiasm and commitment to the overall school change initiative, with leaders and champions emerging from both the staff and the students / ākonga. They were jumping in to develop ‘passion projects’, initiatives with ‘an impact’, projects that were helping to enhance multicultural perspectives and practices, and as well as sustainable initiatives within the community.
  • Several staff reported an increase in confidence in their interactions with each other, the students / ākonga, and the community.
  • There appeared to be fewer humdinger’ arguments — although important, sometimes challenging conversations occurred more frequently.
  • Positive feedback was offered more frequently, and was as objective as possible by removing the ‘personal’, while also ensuring that it was relevant.
  • Staff and students who were new to the school were supported by a recently established initiative that helped them identify their strengths, find their place and to grow within the school

Conclusion

A coaching culture will not solve all an organisation’s challenges, nor will it guarantee that change will be successfully implemented and sustained. However, a school, kura, or centre with a strong coaching culture is likely to encourage a positive working environment, cross-community innovation, increased productivity — and lead to increased personal and professional growth and wellbeing. This in turn can help ensure that the organisation remains responsive and nimble in today’s world of fast-paced communication, diversity, global competition and change. Are you up for it?

Want to know more about uChoose?

Whanake haere ō mahi mā roto mai i ngā whatunga ngaio whai take
Evolving practice through responsive professional partnerships

uChoose is mentored online professional learning, tailored to you and your learning journey.
Our experienced mentors work with you to identify and meet your professional needs, through supporting and challenging your thinking. Your mentor will also identify resources or activities that you will find useful to achieve your goals, or assist you in unpacking items of your own selection that you would like to work through.

Find out how uChoose can help you and your school/kura or centre!


References

Behavioral Coaching Institute. (2007). Establishing a coaching culture. Retrieved from http://www.1to1coachingschool.com/Coaching_Culture_in_the_workplace.htm

Crane, T. (2005). Creating a COACHING CULTURE – today’s most potent organizational change process for creating a “high-performance” culture. Business coaching worldwide ezine, 1(1). Retrieved from https://www.wabccoaches.com/bcw/2005_v1_i1/feature.html 

Hay, J. (1995). Transformational Mentoring: Creating Developmental Alliances. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.

Hoole, E., & Riddle, D. (2015). The Intricacies of Creating a ‘Coaching Culture’. Retrieved from http://www.talentmgt.com/articles/7627-the-intricacies-of-creating-a-coaching-culture

Robertson, J. (2015). Deep learning conversations and how coaching relationships can enable them. Australian Education Leader 37(3). 10-15.

The Open Door Coaching Group. (2012). How do I build a coaching culture. Retrieved from http://www.opendoorcoaching.com.au/how-do-i-build-a-coaching-culture

Weekes, S. (2008, July). Catch on to coaching. The Edge. 28 – 32. Retrieved from http://qedcoaching.fastnet.co.uk/pdf/catch-on-to-coaching-ilm-edge-article.pdf

Images

  • ‘Monarch butterfly emerging from chrysalis’ Found on flickrcc.net
  • Seedling. CC ( BY NC ND) licensed Flickr image by Hazelowendmc
  • Weave. CC ( BY NC ND) licensed Flickr image by Hazelowendmc
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cabbage tree

The inevitability of change, and how virtual mentoring can help you work with it

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Hazel Owen

cabbage tree

Ka whati te tī, ka wana te tī, ka rito te tī
‘When the cabbage tree is broken it sprouts and throws up shoots’

This fabulous whakaktauki (proverb) encapsulates the idea that even when things appear to be broken and beyond repair, something with deep roots and strong life-force can start anew. It also holds notions of the inevitability of events once they are set in motion — including change.

Learning, by its very nature is change. When we learn we will have changed our skills, our behaviour, our beliefs, our identity, or a combination of all four. Change can, however, be uncomfortable, sometimes threatening, and occasionally something we don’t want to work through as things feel as though they are working fine for us.

I remember a few years back working in a super team of teachers to develop a fully integrated blended course for students. We loved teaching the course and the feedback (and academic results) from students was very positive. In the second year we received notification that the Learning Management System would change from WebCT to Blackboard. It would mean hours of work, and getting used to another platform, and I was fuming. It turned out to be a really positive event; the growing team pulled together to re-develop the online course with some students also helping out. Many things were improved, and the evaluative points from students around their user experience were easily integrated into the design. Looking back though, I would have really benefitted from (and appreciated) being able to make more sense of my initial reaction, and have had support to lead the team through the change more effectively.

I’d like you to now imagine….

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Digital citizenship for adults (teachers, parents, whānau)

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Hazel Owen

digital citizenship

It’s clear that digital citizenship is considered as different things by different people, and many people equate it with online safety, as well as something that is mainly for young students. In schools digital citizenship is sometimes focussed on concepts such as cybersafety, a term that is itself often used interchangeably with digital citizenship, as illustrated by Derek Wenmoth in the video below. (The video is related to the school sector, and illustrates the phenomenon of using cybersafety and digital citizenship interchangeably).

2010 Ten trends: Cyber citizenship from EDtalks on Vimeo.

However, digital citizenship is far wider in its scope and encapsulates a number of areas that we ignore at our peril.

What does digital citizenship ‘mean’?

If digital citizenship is taken to refer to all users of the Internet — including via smartphones — it is clear to see that it is way more than cybersafety (have a read of this post and video by John Fenaughty for example).

We need to be aware of the legal and cultural contexts in which we communicate and work. As kaiako we also need to be aware of the opportunities and challenges of communicating…and learning…within an online environment. These, however, cannot be fully understood in isolation from our socially based understanding about learning, education’s changing perspectives on what constitutes effective learning, and attitudes to technology.

In 2004 Ribble, Bailey, and Ross defined digital citizenship as “the norms of behavior with regard to technology use” (p. 7). Ribble later updated their definition to “the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use” [emphasis not in the original] (Ribble, n.d., Para. 1). Ribble’s definition does not, however, overtly refer to the social aspect of interacting online — something that Nancy Groh (NetSafe NZ) highlights when she writes that digital citizenship “is the combination of technical and social skills that enable a person to be successful and safe in the information age” (2010, para. 1).

Focussing more on the social elements of digital citizenship, Mossberger, Tolbert, and McNeal (2008) suggest that it is "the ability to participate in society online" (p. 1), and then go on to explore the nuances of the word ‘citizenship’. Citizenship indicates that members of a community, in return for certain civil, political, and social rights, agree “to live the life of a civilized being according to the standards prevailing in the society’’ (Marshall, 1992, in Mossberger, Tolbert, and McNeal, 2008, p. 1). Their definition includes an assumption that digital citizens use the Internet regularly, as well as including underpinning considerations of ethics, democracy of communication and expression, equality, and behaviour (Mossberger, Tolbert, & McNeal, 2008).

Potential

So, what relevance does digital citizenship have for you — as an individual, as an adult learner, a parent, whānau, tīpuna (grandparents)…and as a member of (many) communities, as well as kaiako (teachers) and leaders in education?

In 2001, Morrison, indicated to the New Zealand Parliament that shifts in the way that business is carried out could offer opportunities for people “to prosper, and a threat if they are slow to adapt….It will also raise equity issues if all New Zealanders are not able to take full advantage of its opportunities” (p. 1). Morrison’s observation “provides a strong case for digital citizenship as a societal concern” (Mossberger, Tolbert, & McNeal, 2008, p. 35).

You may already stay in touch with friends and whānau overseas using Skype or something similar, and have learned something by watching YouTube videos or taking part in an online course. You might also shop, do your banking, and read or watch the news online.

Some aspects of digital citizenship are guided by policies, others are dictated by rules and laws, while still others are open to discussion and interpretation. If you’re not aware of your rights, responsibilities, and some of the ethics that influence communicating in online spaces, you could be heading for issues. So, you might like to reflect on what your stance is, especially around culture, ethics and values, and take or create opportunities for robust discussion.

Considerations

We’ve looked at what digital citizenship means, and dipped into some of its potential, but what does it ‘look like’? An example could be developing strategies to ensure that the digital world doesn’t totally overwhelm your tamariki, or you! Faced with the vast range of communication tools and options we now have, coupled with the ability to contact each other anytime, anywhere, there can be issues the stress of feeling ‘on call’ 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Feeling on call can be something that affects both children and adults, and developing strategies around this issue is essential. For younger members of your family, it may be a case of talking about how many hours a week you both feel it’s healthy to be online. Be ready for protestations such as ‘but my friends are allowed…’. It’s worth agreeing on guidelines, and being firm about things such as where and when devices are used in the house – and then thinking about whether you are following and modelling what you’ve both agreed on!

Some implications

Hopefully, it is clear that education, in all its forms, especially community-based, has a responsibility to help all learners develop a set of skills to participate healthily, ethically, and legally in the online world.

The variety of questions in the list below helps illustrate the breadth and complexity of some key considerations of digital citizenship:

  • What are my rights and responsibilities in an online environment?
  • What are my child’s rights and responsibilities in an online environment?
  • What is morally and ethically sound in a particular situation?
  • Do I know how to search for, evaluate, and attribute material on the web?
  • What is legal to download, use and share?

Being able to answer these, and other, questions for yourself will help shape your understandings and skills in the online environment to help ensure that you, your family, your colleagues, and your students, get the most out of working, learning and collaborating in an online environment.

Resources to help you find out more

There are many resources available to support you in your goal to stay safe online. Those listed below are ones you may like to follow up on.

  • Watch this overview of Andy's digital lifespan and, while you are watching ask yourself: How aware are you of your Digital Dossier?
  • This interactive cyber-safety resource, developed in Australia, is a great way to check your own knowledge about staying safe online. You could use the game in a collaborative environment, and add a competitive edge by asking users to share (and get better) scores. It was suggested that the game would be suitable for children from about year 4 to 5 upwards, and we would add, for adults too!
  • Covering how to avoid identity theft to defensive computing, Web Wise Washington have developed a series of guides.
  • If you are a teacher or education leader, you are likely to find something useful in the range of resources provided by Enabling e-Learning including discussion starters, practical steps, and school stories.

References

Groh, N. (2010). A Conceptual View of Digital Citizenship. Retrieved 30 August 2012 from http://www.mylgp.org.nz/guide/306/-a-conceptual-view-of-digital-citizenship/.
Mossberger, K., Tolbert, CJ., & McNeal, RS. (2008). Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation. The MIT Pres: Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Available online at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13853600/Digital-Citizenship-the-Internetsociety-and-Participation-By-Karen-Mossberger-Caroline-J-Tolbert-and-Ramona-S-McNeal).
Ribble, M.S. (n.d.). Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship. Retrieved March 9 2013 from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html.
Ribble, M. S., Bailey, G.D., & Ross, T. W. (2004). Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior, Learning & Leading with Technology 32(1), p. 6-12.

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