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provider which has taken on coaching approaches as a central
part of its training. They are useful extracts in that they emphasise,
in very straightforward terms, what the practical application
of some of the factors outlined above may look like. The first
example is in a classroom setting in an FE college and the other
is from a work setting for a learner engaged in a Level 2 NVQ.
‘It doesn’t involve me being at the front [of the classroom],
but involves me going round seeing them individually
and helping them out individually, and taking time and
trouble to explain things to them individually, and she
obviously appreciated that because she said, “You know,
I’ve never had anyone sort of explain it to me in this way…
you explain things in more than one way, you know, you’ll
explain it three or four times in different ways.”’
Hidden behind this simple exchange is the sensitivity of the
coach/trainer who is adapting his or her explanations in ways that
make sense to the learner. Similarly, in the example below, the
coach was working with a group of students and promoting both
discussion and reflection to enable peer coaching within the
group. Students discussing their experience noted:
‘But when you are in a discussion with a group and [the
trainer] is [there – and he] will point out things like, “Why
do you think that was a problem?” or, “How would you
deal with it if you was in this, like, sort of situation?” And
he might ask me [or my classmates] so it gives you all
different kind of views.’
As these examples show, in addition to technical competency, soft
skills, relationship building and thinking skills (among many others)
are equally important in extending learning. Much of this activity is
oral and aural but is often not captured for those qualifications
that largely depend on written summative assessment. However,
the workplace coach or assessor can capture the behavioural
aspects of learning at work through what has come to be termed
‘the professional discussion’.
The notion of the ‘professional discussion’ is an
assessment conversation based on the activities the learner has
been engaged in. It involves an explanation by the learner,
encouraged and assisted by the coach, of how work activities
have demonstrated capability and what more the learner feels
they need to know or do. The ‘professional discussion’ in
vocational qualifications appeared first in the 1996 Customer
Service Standards and was described in the following way:
‘A professional discussion between assessor and
candidate [implies] a recognition of the different skills,
experience and understanding of customer service that
each bring to the conversation.’ (Devereux, 1997, p. 7.)
These iterative feedback loops which form a central part of the
process are integral to utilising coaching approaches as a
formative assessment tool, as Sadler (1998: 84) emphasised:
‘By quality of feedback, we now realise we have to
understand not just the technical structure of the
feedback (such as its accuracy, comprehensiveness and
appropriateness) but its accessibility to the learner
(as a communication), its catalytic and coaching value
and its ability to inspire confidence and hope.’
This describes what the professional discussion should be in
terms of the feedback it offers. It can be seen as a form of
coaching that integrates very closely with assessment for
learning and is particularly appropriate for a large number of
vocational qualifications, opening up coaching opportunities in
what increasingly become expansive − rather than restrictive
− learning environments (Fuller & Unwin in Evans 2006, pp. 27 – 48).
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CHAPTER 5
The role of coaching in vocational education and training