The role of a group coach in the professional learning of school leaders

Abstract

Group coaching has the potential to foster social learning for school leaders. In this article, we investigate the role of the coach in a group coaching process drawing on data from interviews and observations in a pilot study. The Professional Learning through Feedback and Reflection (PROFLEC) study ran in 10 countries and was funded by the European Commission. We report on data from two countries which took part in the study: Norway and Australia. We examine the steps used in an established group coaching protocol and identify critical aspects of the coaching role. We discuss the complexities of the role of the group balancing a goal-oriented coaching process along with the facilitation process. We suggest that the coaching role requires a unique set of skills and argue that research is needed to support the development of evidence-based training programmes to prepare coaches for this complex and challenging role.