What are the most effective ways to coach experienced lecturers in new teaching methods and technologies?

1 Understand their needs and goals

Before you start coaching experienced lecturers, you need to understand their needs and goals as learners and teachers. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their motivations and challenges? What are their preferences and expectations? You can use various tools and techniques to assess their needs and goals, such as surveys, interviews, observations, portfolios, or self-reflections. By understanding their needs and goals, you can tailor your coaching approach to suit their individual situations and learning styles.

2 Establish trust and rapport

Another key factor for effective coaching is to establish trust and rapport with the experienced lecturers. You want to create a supportive and respectful relationship that fosters open communication and collaboration. You can do this by showing genuine interest and empathy, listening actively and attentively, asking open-ended and probing questions, acknowledging their expertise and experience, and providing constructive and positive feedback. You also want to avoid being judgmental, critical, or imposing your own views or solutions. By establishing trust and rapport, you can reduce their anxiety and resistance and increase their willingness and confidence to try new things.

4 Provide guidance and support

Another important aspect of coaching experienced lecturers is to provide guidance and support throughout the learning process. You want to help them set realistic and specific goals, plan and implement action steps, monitor and evaluate progress, and celebrate and share achievements. You can do this by using various coaching models, such as GROW, SMART, or OSCAR, that provide a structured and systematic framework for coaching conversations and actions. You can also use various coaching methods, such as mentoring, modeling, scaffolding, or co-teaching, that provide different levels and modes of support depending on their needs and readiness.

5 Encourage reflection and feedback

The final element of effective coaching is to encourage reflection and feedback among the experienced lecturers. You want to help them develop their metacognitive and self-regulatory skills, which are essential for lifelong learning and improvement. You can do this by facilitating regular and meaningful reflection and feedback sessions, where they can review their performance, identify their strengths and areas for improvement, seek and receive feedback from you, their peers, or their students, and plan for future actions and changes. You can also use various tools and techniques to support reflection and feedback, such as journals, portfolios, rubrics, or surveys.