1 Coaching Foundations Introduction

Note. From Microsoft 365 Stock Images

Since you are here, we assume you have an interest in learning more about the field of coaching and how it is applied in higher education. Whether you have been providing students with academic support for years or months, whether you are faculty, staff, or administrator, or whether you have interactions with lots of students or just a few, understanding coaching (the mindset and technique) can have a monumental impact on student success. Coaching helps students gain self-confidence and self-awareness, and learn metacognition, perseverance, and resiliency. The coaching mindset is a belief that our students have the power to make positive changes in their lives and can find the resources within themselves to do so. This belief is at the core of academic coaching. We believe that students are okay as they are and are the experts in their lives. The coaching technique includes asking powerful questions, active listening, and building trusting partnerships with our students. With these, coaching can empower our students to build skills and habits that will serve them now and long after graduation.

So, what is our role as coaches? At the onset, our role is to build rapport with our students to set the foundation for caring, trusting relationships. We must create a space that is non-judgmental so that they are free to be open and honest with themselves. Our role is to be a partner, not an advisor or therapist, to help raise their awareness and draw out their strengths and knowledge. In practice, this means that we need input from our students and want our students to set and act toward goals that are important to them – not necessarily to us. We are not there to criticize, pinpoint weaknesses, or direct their actions. We are there to work together, as partners with our students, to generate ideas, plans, and goals that are meaningful and growth-oriented.

You have heard the saying, “Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.” This book is designed to equip you with knowledge and tools to help your students learn how to fish. You will challenge your students to understand their habits and thinking patterns, to identify what they don’t know, and to find and use the resources that will allow them to do their best.