No matter what learning style someone prefers, the individual needs to run through all four stages of the learning cycle to grasp the learning topic effectively. The following example will clarify the approach to learning according to Kolb’s learning cycle:
Example
Imaging you want to learn using a brand new reflex camera with several object lenses. As a Diverger, you are likely to observe a professional photographer how he uses the reflex camera. Maybe you also take a look at friends how they handle the camera. In any case, you will start by observing and reflecting on your observation (concrete experience and reflective observation).
Once you have observed for some time, you are likely to take on the position of the Assimilator and start understanding the principles of how reflex cameras work in general. You get a feeling about the principles and start thinking in an abstract way about its functionalities (reflective observation and abstract conceptualization).
Once the principles are understood, you are likely to consult the instructions of the camera to dig deeper into the details. You improve your understanding by approaching the functionalities step by step – as stated in the instructions – and start pushing buttons and try out some photos. In other words, you move into the role of the Converger (abstract conceptualization and active experimentation).
In your final approach to grasp the use of the camera, you will try it out. You take pictures, evaluate how they look like and gain your own experience in the use of the camera. Hence, you take on the Accommodator’s approach (active experimentation and concrete experience).
Figure 5: Kolb’s Learning Cycle applied
As mentioned, each individual has got its own preferred learning style, but every individual also needs to run through all stages of the learning cycle to grasp a new learning topic successfully. Consequently, each individual will need to move out of his comfort zone, i.e. the preferred learning style, at some stage, to approach a learning topic successfully. This is, where the learn coach supports the learner, i.e. the client.
3.2.2 The Coaching Process
The International Coach Federation (ICF) summarizes the coaching process as followed:
Coaching typically begins with a personal interview (either face-to-face or by teleconference call) to assess the individual’s or business’ current opportunities and challenges, define the scope of the relationship, identify priorities for action and establish specific desired outcomes. Subsequent coaching sessions may be conducted in person or over the telephone, with each session lasting a previously established length of time. Between scheduled coaching sessions, the individual may be asked to complete specific actions that support the achievement of one’s personally prioritized goals. The coach may provide additional resources in the form of relevant articles, checklists, assessments or models to support the individual’s or business’ thinking and actions. The duration of the coaching relationship varies depending on needs and preferences. (ICF, 2014)
As a matter of fact, the success of a coach / client relationship often depends on the flexibility of the coach. Hence, it is difficult and almost impossible to define a straight forward coaching process that can be explained step by step. The way David A. Kolb would probably put it: It is a matter of learning cycles performed. A coach reads books on coaching, experiments with coaching tools and techniques, observes other coaches and clients and reflects on the learning: With each round in the learning cycle, the coach improves his skills on the according topic.
Nonetheless, commonalities in coaching approaches have been identified during observations in supervised coaching sessions and coaching practicums at the International Coach Academy (ICA) and are summarized in a Nine Step Coaching Process as followed:
- Greeting and acknowledging the client for getting coached
- Centering the client to keep focus on the moment, i.e. the coaching session
- Assuring openness and confidentiality during the coaching session
- Agreeing on the goal and exploring the expected outcome by the client
- Discovering previous habits on the subject matter…
… to identify symptoms and root causes
… to explore feelings and
… to create awareness - Discovering current behaviors on the subject matter
- Creating action until the next coaching session
- Seeking accountability measures
- Reviewing the take away from the session
3.3 Aims of Learn Coaching
Considering Kolb’s Learning Cycle and the Nine Step Coaching Process described in the previous chapters, it becomes obvious how learning and coaching may work together. As mentioned previously, each learner needs to move out of his comfort zone to grasp a new area of knowledge successfully. In this regard, the learn coach will provide support to the learner to move smoothly through the learning process.
Alongside coaching during a learner’s learning process, additional aims of learn coaching have been identified (Hardeland, 2014):
Identification of study resources
Everyone learns differently. Some individuals prefer reading books. Others listen to a lecture where again others may prefer videos. A learn coach helps the learner to identify the ‘best practice’ for the individual to seek valuable study resources. This helps the learner also to avoid spending unnecessary time with materials he may not assimilate anyway due to a different preferred sensual channel, i.e. visual, audio or kinesthetic.
Focus on individual learning goals and strategies
As opposed to a directive approach to learning, as noticeable at school or universities, effective learning requires joy and interest. Hence, a Learn Coach supports the learner in identifying learning goals and strategies that resonate with the learner – rather than resonating with the learning institution only. In this regard, the learner is on focus, not the institution.
Individual support during the learning journey
Besides the continuous move out of the comfort zone when approaching Kolb’s Learning Cycle, the Learn Coach also supports the learner during the learning journey within one learning style to keep motivation at a high level and to adjust learning goals if required. Thereby, the learn coach becomes a constant companion on the learner’s learning journey.
3.4 Working as a Learn Coach
While learn coaching can be performed relatively easily if the individual learner is not connected with an educational institution and therefore independent in his learning goals and the choice of study resources, the approach to learn coaching in an educational system is more difficult. In fact, the challenge of learn coaching is to find a proper balance between the goals of an individual and the goals of an educational institution, i.e. a school, a university, an adult school or even professional trainings in the workplace. Nevertheless, while a work in an institutional context is more complex than in an individual one, the approach to learn coaching remains the same. Still, the skills of learn coaches will focus on learn coaching in an educational environment to highlight how such increased complexity can be met.
3.4.1 Skills of Learn Coaches
In order to assure a sustainable learning process in an educational institution, learn coaching connects the instructive approach of a trainer and the constructive approach of a learner (Eschelmueller, 2007). The following four key skills for learn coaches have been identified:
Establishing a dialog between the trainer and the learner
The focus of educational institutions still is to transfer knowledge to its learners. Often a curriculum is developed and specific study resources are defined that need to be transferred to the learning in a pre-defined timeframe. As a result, education becomes a directive approach.
In contrast, learn coaching is an understanding-driven exercise. The Learn Coach supports a dialog between the trainer and the learner to assure a constant feedback loop during the learning process. Such feedback is important to allow the learner to articulate that for instance an originally pre-defined study resource (e.g. a book) is not working for the learner. Instead, a different method of explaining the subject matter may be required to assure sustainable knowledge.
Identifying the next development steps
It is important to maintain momentum of the learner and to assure that a ‘faster’ learner does not get bored during the learning process while a ‘slower’ learner may fall behind. Especially in a pre-defined timeframe (e.g. one school year), such deviation in pace may occur.
The learn coach therefore needs to identify the symptoms once a learner is ready to move to the next level of learning. In other words, the learn coach needs to challenge the learner to take on more complex topics on the subject matter to keep the learner motivated during his learning journey.
Knowing the best ways of training
A professional coach does not provide consultancy. Hence, a professional learn coach does not provide recommendations to the learner on what training is the best for the agreed goals of the learning journey. Nonetheless, an established sense for didactic and knowing the training market is an essential skill of the learn coach to develop powerful questions to challenge the learner on his approach to study.
Furthermore, as learn coaching often happens in a group coaching environment, for instance at school, the learn coach faces several learning styles. A broad knowledge of the educational offerings in the training market is thereby beneficial for a learn coach to establish success in his niche.
Understanding of potential learning barriers
According to Eschelmüller (2007) the knowledge of potential learning barriers is in the heart of learn coaching. It also matches the previous discussion on supporting the learner on moving out of the comfort zone, i.e. to support for instance an ‘Assimilator’ to learn by doing just like an ‘Accommodator’ generally does.
Nonetheless, this skill of a learn coach goes even further. Learning barriers may have their root cause in the personal environment of the learner, for instance issues in family life. It may also include handling learning disorders, such as issues in reading abilities or negative feelings when thinking about school at all. At this stage a word of caution needs to be provided: Even though the education to become a learn coach in Germany include elements of therapy to a certain degree, a learn coach still needs to assure to stick to the coaching approach and to leave mental disorders with a professional therapist. Hence, a good network of a learn coach with relevant therapists will benefit acting professionally in the niche of learn coaching.
3.4.2 The Learn Coaching Process
Christopher Rauen (2005) and Hanna Hardeland (2014) developed a process to learn coaching. The process is highlighted in Figure 6 and explained afterwards.
Figure 6: The Learn Coaching Process
According to the authors, learn coaching consists of three phases, i.e. initiation, execution and closure. The main purpose of the initiation phase is to allow a first contact between the learner and the learn coach. The process involves an initial discovery session where the learner and the learn coach meet up to discuss a potential work together.
If the initiation phase has been successful and the learner and the learn coach agree to work together, the execution phase follows. This is the phase where the learner and learn coach work together on the learning topic of the learner to establish sustainable knowledge on the subject matter.
Considering the Nine Step Coaching Process described in Chapter 3.2.2 the approach to learn coaching is very similar. As mentioned, every coach has a different approach to run a coaching session, so a step-by-step process is not sensible to be recommended in learn coaching either. Instead, the highlighted Learn Coaching Process in Figure 6 shall provide a guideline on how learn coaching is currently discussed in various literature to provide ideas on how to get started in this coaching niche.
The final phase of the Learn Coaching Process is the closure based on a feedback session between the learner and the learn coach. The aim is to evaluate the results of the learning journey and to allow the learn coach to develop himself further in his learn coaching area of expertise.
3.5 Training for Learn Coaches
Programs to get certified as a Professional Learn Coach are rare to date. Some ideas from Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) are integrated in NLP-specific Learn Coach trainings, but they do not meet the requirements of nowadays educational systems (Komarek, 2010).
Based on the research performed for this Research Paper, only one program has been identified to become a Professional Learn Coach for educational institutions. The so called ‘Kieler Learn Coaching Concept’ is based on ten training modules developing learn coaching skills mainly to teachers.
For the purpose of this Research Paper, only an outline of the ten training modules shall be provided:
- Learning Biography I
Self-reflection on how the participant of the program has experienced learning to date. - Learning Biography II
Understanding how educational institutions influence learning. - Learning
Understanding learning processes from a neurological point of view. - Learn Coaching I
Understanding coaching in an educational sense. - Communication
Communicating with learners effectively. - Curriculum
Understanding how knowledge is organized. - Didactic
Understanding how knowledge can be transferred to the learner. - Systemic
Gaining an understanding of systemic coaching. - Learn Coaching II
Practicing coaching in an educational environment. - Learn Coaching III and Learn Coaching IV
From individual to group (learn) coaching.
As outlined in the above curriculum of the ‘Kieler Learn Coaching Concept’, elements of teaching (didactic) and consulting (systemic) are involved. However, this is due to the target group of the participants, i.e. developing teachers to integrate coaching techniques in their training. The pure coaching approach, however, is well defined in Figure 6 and thereby allows learn coaching to become a niche in the coaching market.
4 Conclusion & Recommendations
Based on the research performed it can be concluded that Learn Coaching is an evolving niche in the coaching environment. Just a few literature resources are currently dedicated to the topic of learn coaching in Germany, and literature as well as internet resources in English language are barely available. However, a growing requirement of changing the educational landscape has been identified and thereby assumes an increased requirement to provide coaching to learners.
Whether a professional learn coach training such as outlined in Chapter 3.5 is required can be challenged. The author of this Research Paper is a Certified Professional Trainer and develops himself further in coaching techniques due to the International Coach Academy (ICA) program as well as other areas of humanistic psychology, namely Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and Hypnosis. As a result, the skills identified in Chapter 3.4.1 are continuously under development to allow entering the learn coaching market accordingly.
To sum up, the learn coaching market is a growing market for coaches; especially for those working in the training industry and who flavor their skill set with coaching techniques. In the end, learn coaching is about developing people – just like the mission statement of every coach.
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin
References
Eschelmueller, M. (2008), Learncoaching, Ruhr Publishing, Muehlheim.
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International Coach Federation (ICF) (2014), Coaching FAQs, Available at:
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Kolb, D. (1984), Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Komarek, I. (2010), Ich lerne einfach!, Suedwest Publishing, Munich.
Pallasch, W., Hameyer, U. (2012), Learncoaching, 2nd edition, Beltz Juventa, Weinheim and Basel.
Schacter, D. L. , Gilbert, D. T., Wegner, D.M. (2011). Psychology, 2nd edition, Worth Publishers.
Rauen, C. (1999), Coaching, Publisher for Applied Psychology, Goettingen.
Rauen, C. (2005), Handbuch Coaching, 3rd edition, Hogrefe, Goettingen.