Dear All,

One of the most powerful learning points for me in our BERA Mentoring and
Coaching SIG's activities last year was when members of the Bristol Coaching
Exchange presented at an event on April 5 about their work together - some
time after I joined them for an evening. 

I had expected to meet a group of individual coaches from business and other
professions who occasionally met up for a social interaction with an invited
speaker. What I encountered was markedly different. The group inter-coaches
- choosing supervisors from among their members to act as skill developers
in aspects of coaching, as sounding boards as they reflect on how aspects of
their coaching are progressing and as critical friends for one another. The
coaching is non directive and effectively content free - there is no one
learning theory or model of coaching being promoted though many group
members did train together originally for a qualification.  They work in
diverse contexts ranging from business to sport and school. Support is
voluntary and coordinated by the group's leader.

This took me back to working with school based mentors in initial teacher
training in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole outstation for the
University of Bath from 1994-7.

As a group they effectively acted as supervisors for one another - it was a
very strong model and I wonder if it exists in other HE/school partnerships?
Members of the group met up for informal sessions - a meal, a coffee break
together etc out of school and I was asked along. When an individual mentor
wanted support or feedback on an aspect of their work with novice teachers
they would ring another mentor and/or me for a discussion. There were formal
university training sessions but funding and time pressure meant few could
be offered but these informal supervision sessions, which were hugely
enjoyable, kept the momentum of the work and the morale high and provided
and socialising aspect  reinforced the on-going professional development as
well as the training of the mentors. 

Best regards,

Sarah