Teacher growth is non-linear and peer-dependent. Coaching develops one specific skill or behaviour and doesn’t require subject expertise. Mentoring is long-term, spans several areas, and needs an expert. ‘Trust is cultivated, it’s demonstrated and it’s prolonged once it’s been earned.‘
Key points (IATEFL 2023 plenary, two parts)
- Four qualities to cultivate in colleagues: trust, confidence, courage, perseverance (part 2).
- Resilience is collective: “Our strength as a community has always been in the collective space.”
- Managers must create time and recognition for coaching and mentoring; new habits need time (citing Clear, Atomic Habits).
- Critical-pedagogy lens (Freire; Giroux): who gets support in your school, and who doesn’t?
Limits
A narrative speech; the interviewees were chosen by the author; no burnout model or measurement.
Apply in my context (Claude)
- Use the coaching/mentoring distinction in the checklist: new teachers get a mentor (a subject expert); experienced teachers working on one habit (e.g. wait time) get a coach (a peer is fine).
- The ustādh–shāgird tradition is mentoring in this sense: long-term, multi-area, trust-based.
Connections
Matching CPD to the teacher - Teacher’s Choice Framework · Run a reflective practice group · Mentoring teacher-research through Exploratory Action Research