Learning Conversations
  • New Book
  • Martin Richards
  • About
    • Quotes
  • Clients
    • Nordic Network
    • Katedralskolan
    • Folkungagymnasiet
    • TIS
    • College Students
  • Contact
  • LftH

Evolving Education
one small step at the time

LISTEN HERE

The Book-writing Experience

28/2/2020

 
Picture
Do you like gardening?

Do you see before you rows of onions where everyone else just sees dirt?
Can you smell the daffodils where these has been snow for months?

Would you like to see how an idea becomes a social media post, a blog, an article, a book... then you are welcome to join the FB Group where I share my ongoing process.

Primary School Coaching

19/2/2020

 
Click to listen
This had been a paper, scissors and glue lesson. Paper had been cut and glued. Hair had been cut and glued. And even a few fingers have been cut and glued. Not many of the paper model houses had been built.

As the teacher got the children to sit in a circle at the end of the lesson, I expected that she was about to share her thoughts on how those little buildings should have been made. 
​

In a voice that was wholly calm and filled with curiosity, she asked each of the students in turn questions like, “What do you think of the work you have done today?“, “How satisfied are you with what you have done?”, “What do you think of your behaviour in your group?”, “How well did you get on with the task today?”

She then asked questions like, “What would you do differently?”, “What could you have done instead?“, “What would have been the best thing to do?“, “What would’ve made you really happy about your work?“

The answers the pupils gave could have come from mature adults. They expressed how sad they were at having trashed the room, failed at the task, messed with each other and generally wasted the lesson. They expressed a renewed desire to be better, to do better and follow the teacher’s instructions in a focused way in the next lesson. All that came from the pupils, not the teacher.

​So here was the learning! It was not about paper, scissors and glue, nor about model houses. It was about doing what made you feel fulfilled. It was about collaborating, making good use of one’s time and having a good time.

Collaborating with my inner voices on the potential of delivering purposeful work

13/2/2020

 
This is the second in a series of blogs that examines the ways in which I, as a coach-educator, handle the external and internal struggles of taking on challenging educational assignments.

In the previous blog, I described the situation where the management team of a particular IT company wants to strengthen their position of being a 'good' company by supporting the reintegration of unemployed people into the IT-workforce. All well and good. To this end, they have entered into an agreement with the local employment office, aligning with some of the government's attempts to reduce the number of unemployed people. They have also acquired the services of a local recruitment company to ensure maximum results. It's supposed to be a win-win for all concerned.

But, it's not working out. There have been challenges. Resistance, from the trainers, is increasing.

As a coach-educator, who has strong opinions about using coaching in education, I have been brought in to 'solve the problem'. After some deliberation, I have accepted an assignment to design and run a 3-day 'social skills' course - for the unemployed people who are seeking jobs after three years of unemployment.

In this blog, I will take us through my reasoning behind the design of the course, and arrive at an outline which I leave to you to populate with your favourite activities.

Naturally, the blog is a story, and you can read it here.

Useful coaching skills for any unprepared professional

3/2/2020

 
This is the first of a series of blogs where Martin Richards (a Certified Coach) has been interviewing Lisa M Evans, Ed.D. (an Experienced Educator) about situations from her experience, working as a teacher and administrator, and focusing on which coaching skills that would have benefited her in those situations.

WHY ARE WE WRITING THIS?
We could all say, about our working lives, “If only we had known then what we know now, it would have been so much easier”. 

What we aim to do is to discover exactly which coaching skills would have been most useful, and why.

Read the full story here.

    Sign here to receive updates

    * indicates required
    Coach, Educator, or both
    Let's TALK
    I enjoy speaking with people about coaching and teaching. Do you have an hour to invest in a learning conversation?

    Click on the button to see when I am available, and book a call. Let's talk.
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Coaching Learners
    Coaching Teachers
    Five Tips From A Retired Educator
    Five Ways To Kill A Teacher
    ICF Core Skills
    Primary School
    Secondary School
    Story
    Teachers Who Affected My Life
    Ten Tips From The Retired Entrepreneur
    Tools

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016


    The Books


    The Podcasts



    The Author

    I am a teacher, a business-owner, a public speaker, a coach and an author.

    Yes I'm a bit of a politician and a preacher too!

    My Mission is to play a major part in supporting the education system in taking its next evolutionary step, becoming self-evolving rather than self-preserving.

  • New Book
  • Martin Richards
  • About
    • Quotes
  • Clients
    • Nordic Network
    • Katedralskolan
    • Folkungagymnasiet
    • TIS
    • College Students
  • Contact
  • LftH