Learning Coaching

What is Learning Coaching and how is it different from Tutoring?

A tutor sits down with a student and helps them work through assignments, study for tests, or helps reinforce their understanding. The tutor responds specifically to the learning tasks the student is working on and their goal is to help the student get the most out of those learning tasks.

The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential”. To make it Learning Coaching, I focus on the student’s academic and learning potential. In other words, rather than focusing on the student’s learning tasks, I focus on the foundational elements that contribute to maximizing the student’s potential: skills, awareness, and mindset.

Learning skills are sometimes more obvious, like using flashcards to study, and sometimes less so, like maintaining focus while working. A Learning Coach can assess which skills might be lacking, creating obstacles for a student’s learning. Then, through practice and various activities, these skills can be encouraged so the student can overcome those obstacles.

Awareness is both internal (i.e. inside the body and the mind) and external (i.e. the environment and individuals around you). There are often many factors affecting our ability to learn such as the drone of the TV in the background, a mild headache from not drinking enough, or waiting for the response to a text. With awareness, students have options to manage those internal and external environments and improve their learning.

Finally, a student’s mindset is their beliefs and their frame of mind. A student still angry from a spat with their sibling has a hard time studying effectively. A student who’s questioning how their learning will serve them will struggle motivating themselves. Learning coaches guide students to reflect on these mindsets, bring them into the spotlight, and give the student the choice of holding onto them or throwing them out those that don’t serve them.