As active Educators - agents of change - for more than 28 years now in language teaching and wholeheartedly being LEARNERS of LIFE for as long as WE breathe, we are honored to introduce reliable Coaching practices and tools in class and schools as essential part of teaching-learning evolution. We have already introduced this in our language school (VSK School of Foreign Languages) with brilliant results since 2019.
Text by Stella Kopakaki, Master in Pedagogy (EKPA), Life Coach & Certified Coach
Our Approach
What is Coaching and Coaching in Education?
According to the Association for Coaching (AC), Coaching is “a collaborative solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the Coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the Coachee.”[1] In our approach - especially designed and applied in Education - students, teachers, parents are treated as coachees following, respecting, recognizing and accepting their own way of developing, understanding and experiencing life, realizing and taking into serious consideration their uniqueness and diversity. We use unique and reliable Pedagogical Techniques, based on our scientific knowledge and experience inspired from learning as a Lifelong procedure.
Mindfulness in Education (Εκπαιδευτική Επίγνωση)
We feel that humankind has now realized - or at least has started realizing - that mindfulness (επίγνωση) can make the difference in any life aspect educating humans for happiness and self-fulfillment rather than necessity. Putting the emphasis on dealing with any crises as challenges in personal, professional, social, educational or any other domain of human life, Coaching can provide in Education a toolkit of imaginative ways of growing - through rough or smoother times - wiser. The already acquired knowledge and recent research results in social and emotional intelligence and offer precious guidelines for further growth. Combining experience with academic knowledge, students, teachers, parents broaden their horizons focusing on each and every child as a unique entity; discovering student’s personal model of mindful learning opens their heart and connects it directly with their brain creating stronger bonds, allowing them to prepare their own life route to fulfilment and joy through learning.
Our Coaching-wise Approach
Our coaching-wise approach treats learners of any age, sex or background knowledge as the main actors of their own learning procedure, assisting them in finding their individual ways of learning - based on their learning profile - acquiring knowledge the way they can or wish to achieve it. Coaches specialized in Pedagogy or even Teachers-Life Coaches cooperate with teachers, head teachers, parents and students in order to find the individual “mindful learning model” of each child from a very young age. It can be combined with other reliable coaching tools and/or be accordingly developed for teachers (mindful teaching) and parents (mindful parenting) building a robust Pedagogical Triangle.
For instance, recognizing strengths and weaknesses of our personal way of absorbing knowledge and gaining experience can shed light on dark sides and difficulties in the process of our learning. Accepting the way we learn, the way we are, leads to taking the right steps to meaningful progress and act in accordance with our inner needs and dreams resulting in personal fulfilment. Dynamic questions - made to the child/adolescent, teacher or parent - explore, reveal and depict step-by-step a unique mindful learning, teaching, parenting model, respecting uniqueness and diversity.
Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Focus
The specific approach focuses on implementing best practices and precious tools of Life Coaching & Coaching in School Life setting as top priority deepening and expanding human-centered ways to promote and establish participants’ well-being in the 21st Century. Fundamental reason and core of the above practice is that human development aims to happiness mindfully starting from a very young age.
[1] www.associationforcoaching.com, coaching defined
