Abstract
Being in charge of monitoring and evaluating Foundation Program staff tutors necessitates constant follow-up to make sure that they are in line with the University's mission and vision. This has raised a fundamental educational question 'how to coach rather than monitor the tutors'. To answer this question, Cottrell's (2008) CREAM strategy was applied to coach these tutors following GROW Model as a framework for structuring both team and individual coaching sessions. A two-day coaching/training session was conducted at the beginning of the semester to maximize the benefits of the foundation tutors' potentials, the course material and the shared best teaching practices to develop the learners' English language skills and equip them with the necessary study skills to pursue their academic major at a university level. Then, two induction sessions were presented to familiarize them with the teaching methods, study calendars, assessment rubrics and group/double marking. This is in addition to conducting 360 evaluation cycle. Cottrell's strategy was initially developed for enhancing the learner's self-directed/autonomous learning. For the purpose of this implementation, the researchers applied CREAM strategy as a self-assessment and observation tool. They conducted three team coaching sessions and one-to-one individual sessions throughout the academic semester following GROW Model to establish SMART Goals, examine the current Reality, explore possible Options/Obstacles, and establish the Will. A questionnaire was developed to measure the staff tutor's self-assessment of their Creative, Reflective, Effective, Active, and Motivated teaching practices and an observation checklist was developed to evaluate these practices. The two tools were statistically analyzed.
Author Information
Marine Milad, Arab Open University, Kuwait
Hiba Tayara, Arab Open University, Kuwait
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