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Academic Coaching for Students
Initial intake – 45 minutes
 | Set long-term goals |
| Determine obstacles to meeting goals |
| Inventory skill strengths and resources |
| Define what tasks should be targeted |
Weekly meetings – 20 minutes
| Review successes and why they worked well |
| Analyze problems and obstacles |
| Assess current skills and supports |
| Define needed skills and supports |
| Review long-term goals |
| Set short-term goals for upcoming week |
Examples of target behaviors improved by coaching:
| Determine an organization/schedule method that will work |
| Gain consistency in plotting due dates, deadlines, target dates,
appointments |
| Develop a better method of note-taking |
| Learn study strategies that are more efficient |
| Develop test-taking strategies and reduce test anxiety |
| Learn to set and keep personal time limits for school and leisure |
| Learn to break tasks into steps and assess time needed |
| Upcoming project will need research (10-20 hours = 2, 3, 4, or 5
evenings?), materials (shopping in advance), writing or construction time
(10 hours = 2 afternoons or 5 nights?), someone to edit (ask and schedule),
final draft (2 hours) |
| Study schedule for final exam may need a semester-long or 6-week plan that
includes reviewing a set number of chapters with notes per week, organizing
a study group, utilizing flash cards for drill and practice (after dinner
for 20 minutes each night), reviewing old tests, creating study guides |
| Accept responsibility for getting as much as you can from the resources
available to you |
| Improve communication with teachers |
| Realize that there are many choices and different ways of doing things,
and individuals need to find what works for them |
Methods used:
| Develop written goals |
| Keep weekly "To Do" lists with specific tasks |
| Learns exercises to improve efficiency in memory, listening, reading,
writing, vocabulary, etc. |
| Role-play talking with teachers to negotiate and problem-solve |
| Schedule reminders from coach, either by phone or on-line |
| Use chaining to see where things break down so future problems can be
anticipated or even avoided |
Coaching is not therapy. Coaching provides the mechanics of a skill, but the
individual develops the skill through guided practice until the skill become
consistent and habitual. Coaching focuses on individual success. Failures are
compared to successes only in terms of objectively looking at why one situation
worked and another didn’t. The goal is to define individual skills and
resources, build on them, and make positive behavioral change that the
individual desires. A coach provides information, guidance, structure, and that
extra "push" that keeps individuals on track and focused on personal
goals.
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