Transformative Coaching: A learning theory for practice: 1

The authors draw on their own experience and research to go beyond the ‘how to’ stage of coaching and instead focus on explicit learning in the coaching process. This book integrates both theoretical and practical knowledge and shows how coaches and learners can work together more effectively.

Chapters in the book identify central themes in relation to coaching and learning, for example, learning about oneself in relation to power and status, learning about one’s identity at work, and learning about oneself in relation to change. It then discusses practical activities that can be used to explore these themes. A unique feature of the book is the focus on peer coaching and peer supervision, which draws on the writers’ experiences in the organization in which they work, as well as on their wider working experiences in other contexts.

Because the book integrates a theoretical and practical focus on coaching and learning, it will be useful for practitioners or students of coaching who are ready and willing to reflect on their practice, and interested in their own and their coachee’s learning. It will be particularly useful for training organizations, colleges and universities offering accredited coaching courses, but will also have wide appeal in any educational or social science context in which a coach can support the learning and development of another person.

Susan Askew is Lecturer in the School of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Eileen Carnell is Lecturer in the School of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment at the Institute of Education, University of London.