The steepest and deepest learning curve for coaches
Posted on: 09 Jul 2020
Everybody knows the learning value in receiving mentoring – this is why mentor coaching is a compulsory component of ICF credentials. Yet few people recognise or appreciate the even greater learning value of giving mentoring.
In medical education, “peer-teaching has become an established and common method to enhance student learning [and] evidence suggests that peer-teaching provides learning benefits for both learners and tutors Rees, Quinn, Davies & Fotheringham, 2016, p. 829). Furthermore, results of a study by Animola & Bello (2019) demonstrated that a peer-to-peer learning strategy results in higher learning outcomes (p. 1).
Learning by teaching is not a new phenomenon. Last century’s revolutionary educator Paolo Freire’s famous quote highlights that “Whoever teaches learns in the act of teaching, and whoever learns teaches in the act of learning”. Learning is a reciprocal process and ReciproCoach harnesses the power of this kind of learning to deliver all of its programs, but most of all through our reciprocal peer mentoring program.
Fortunately, giving mentoring does not have to involve marketing yourself as a mentor coach.
ReciproCoach provides several opportunities for giving mentoring:
Our ICF ACC, PCC and MCC Credential Renewal Individual Mentoring Rounds all include an opportunity to give mentoring. Indeed, in return for the mentor coaching you receive, you also commit to giving mentor coaching to another member of our community. While mentor coaching is not required for PCC and MCC credential renewal, the giving and receiving of it can be claimed as CCEUs towards renewals (more info here).
Our ICF ACC, PCC and MCC Credential Applicant Individual Mentoring Rounds also include an opportunity to give mentoring – after receiving mentoring, applying for your credential and achieving it, as soon as you are eligible, you then return the favour to another member of our community by giving mentor coaching to a new credential applicant.
Our Group Mentoring Rounds also offer opportunities to give mentoring. Not only do our mentors give you plenty of feedback during these sessions, but they are also trained to guide you in the process of identifying and sharing mentor coach feedback for yourself. After participating in a few group mentoring sessions, not only will you develop your coaching skills, but you’ll also have a foundational understanding of the process of giving mentor coaching.
Finally, many coaches are not yet aware that ReciproCoach offers free Mentor Coach Training. Part of this program involves applying your learning from the training by giving mentor coaching to another coach in our community.
I encourage you to engage in reciprocal peer mentoring, not just to achieve or renew a credential at a fraction of the usual cost, but to scale the steepest and deepest learning curve to make the giving and receiving of mentor coaching an integral and ongoing part of your professional development practice.
References:
Animola, O. V., & Bello, T. O. (2019). Comparative Effectiveness of Mastery and Peer-to-Peer Learning Strategies in Improving Junior Secondary Students’ Learning Outcomes in Basic Science. Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Reports, 3(4), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajarr/2019/v3i430092
Eliot L. Rees, Patrick J. Quinn, Benjamin Davies & Victoria Fotheringham (2016) How does peer teaching compare to faculty teaching? A systematic review and meta-analysis, Medical Teacher,38:8, 829-837, DOI:10.3109/0142159X.2015.1112888
Supporting you in both tweaking and transforming your coaching sessions,
Kerryn Griffiths, Phd, PCC, Global ReciproCoach Coordinator