Coaching Lenses & ModelsCoaching is far more than a quick observation and feedback conversation. For a coaching relationship to be successful, one must understand the various lenses and models to employ for different coaching situations. Specifically, a coach needs to understand what can and cannot be accomplished with coaching. Elena Aguilar is clear in her assertions that "coaching is not a way to enforce a program ... is not a tool for fixing people .... [and] is not therapy" (2013). Again, it is essential that a coach embodies a growth mindset wherein clients are met where they are and plans are made collaboratively allowing the client to grow. The following lenses and models are put forth by Aguilar in The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation (2013) as a structure to guide the coach in such work.
Coaching ModelsThere are three styles of coaching, two of which dominate the field of coaching, directive and facilitative; however, the third approach, which Aguilar argues for, is transformational coaching, a model which promises to deliver more far reaching systemic change. Different coaching situations will lend themselves to the different models; however, those coaches who engage in the work of transformational coaching may very well experience greater rates of lasting success. In describing the nature of a coach, Robert Hargrove in Masterful Coaching stated, "A masterful coach is a leader who by nature is a vision builder and value shaper, not just a technician who manages people to reach their goals and plans through tips and techniques" (2003).
Transformational coachingTransformational coaching draws from the best practices in the directive and facilitative models. With transformational coaching three domains emerge according to Aguilar: The individual client and his behaviors, beliefs, and being; the institutions and systems (departments, teams, and schools) in which the client works— and the people who work within those systems (students, teachers, and administrators); the broader educational and social systems in which we live" (Aguilar 2013). Coaching from this framework encourages change that spreads to each level while recognizing the connectedness of systems. It is from this recognition that high and low leverage changes become apparent and actionable for the coach.
Coaching lensesThe following six lenses present ways for a coach to view coaching situations. The lenses can provide clarity for both the coach and client. Elena Aguilar (The Art of Coaching, 2013) references The National Equity Project's work in defining the first five lenses while personally developing the sixth. The National Equity Project advises that "these lenses are interrelated and contain overlapping ideas [and] the purpose in using them is to think critically, particularly with regard to equity, and take informed action” (NEP 2007).
Each lens presented below contains an overview as outlined by Elena Aguilar in The Art of Coaching (2013). For a list of working assumptions and applicable questions for each lens, please download the following document:
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