How can teachers coach students outside of the classroom?

1 Define your goals

Before you start coaching your students, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. What are the specific skills, knowledge, or behaviors that you want to help your students develop or improve? How will you measure their progress and success? How will you align your coaching with the curriculum and the learning outcomes? Having clear and realistic goals will help you plan your coaching sessions, communicate your expectations, and provide feedback.

2 Choose your tools

Depending on the context and the availability of your students, you may need to use different tools to coach them outside of the classroom. For example, you may use email, chat, video calls, podcasts, blogs, or social media to communicate and share resources with your students. You may also use online platforms, apps, or software to create and assign tasks, quizzes, surveys, or games. Whatever tools you choose, make sure they are easy to use, accessible, and secure. You also need to establish some ground rules and etiquette for using them, such as when and how to contact you, how to respond to messages, and how to respect each other's privacy.

3 Build rapport

One of the challenges of coaching outside of the classroom is to create a positive and trusting relationship with your students. You need to show them that you care about their learning and well-being, and that you are there to support them. You can build rapport by using a friendly and respectful tone, listening actively, asking open-ended questions, showing empathy, and giving praise. You can also share some personal stories or experiences that relate to the topic or the goal. Rapport will help you motivate your students, understand their needs and preferences, and tailor your coaching accordingly.

4 Provide feedback

Feedback is essential for coaching outside of the classroom, as it helps your students know how they are doing, what they are doing well, and what they need to improve. Feedback should be timely, specific, constructive, and actionable. You should also encourage your students to give feedback to you and to each other, as this will help them develop their self-awareness, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. You can use various methods to provide feedback, such as comments, ratings, badges, or audio or video messages.

5 Encourage reflection

Reflection is another key component of coaching outside of the classroom, as it helps your students consolidate their learning, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and plan their next steps. Reflection should be done regularly, both individually and collectively. You can facilitate reflection by asking your students to keep a learning journal, to write a summary or a review of their work, to create a portfolio or a presentation, or to participate in a group discussion. You can also model reflection by sharing your own insights, challenges, and achievements.

6 Celebrate success

Finally, coaching outside of the classroom should also include celebrating your students' success, both big and small. Celebrating success will boost your students' confidence, motivation, and satisfaction. It will also reinforce their positive behaviors and outcomes, and encourage them to keep learning and growing. You can celebrate success by sending congratulatory messages, giving certificates or awards, sharing testimonials or stories, or organizing a virtual or physical event.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?