Seachange in Coaching in Education: The inaugural virtual event is a collaboration between NC and College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador. Held March 21-22, the event will feature renowned keynote speakers Kevin Lamoureux and Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock.
Despite more than 2,000 km between them, two educators – Niagara College Educational Developer, Dana Wetherell, and Director of Teaching and Learning Innovation at College of the North Atlantic, Jenn Wicks – were united by their passion for coaching in education. Together, they were inspired to co-host a first-of-its kind event for educators across Canada to learn about coaching in the classroom.
Held virtually March 21-22, Seachange in Coaching in Education will welcome Canadian faculty and academic leaders to explore the benefits of using a coaching approach within their educational work and with students. The agenda features renowned keynote speakers Kevin Lamoureux and Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock among a line-up of other talented educators.
Registration for the event is free for NC and CNA faculty (a promo-code was sent to college emails). A nominal $25 fee for all other attendees will help to support a student bursary at both colleges. Space is limited so register early.
For Wetherell and Wicks, the event culminates two years of collaboration which included a pilot for NC faculty in the winter and fall of 2022. Participants learned about coaching tools and practices to use in their classes through webinars, assignments, and one-on-one coaching sessions.
“In the spirit of coaching, we were guided by curiosity and openness,” said Wetherell. “We have learned so much over the past two years and really wanted to bring together educators interested in or already using coaching in their educational work and/or with students.”
With the pilot, Wetherell and Wicks sought to inspire an intentional connection between coaching practices and teaching, giving faculty a chance to reflect on their beliefs, how they show up, and how that impacts their students and classroom.
“At the heart of learning about coaching practices is exploring ourselves, our biases and barriers. It means holding ourselves accountable to our own behaviour,” explained Wetherell.
“It’s important to keep in mind that in our work together, Dana and I have chosen to focus on a ‘coach approach’ rather than expecting educators to become credentialed coaches,” explained Wicks. “Ultimately, our highest hope is that instructors continue to engage in ongoing personal discovery so that they can be more present, more curious, and elevate the responsibility of the learners to prepare them for confidence and success in their future.”
Seachange in Coaching in Education is a natural graduation from the pilot, as the two colleges explore what else is happening in the field across Canada by bringing academic leaders and faculty together to share their experiences and engage the curious.
Seachange represents the philosophy that awareness can create positive, transformational change, and that is precisely what NC and CNA hope to do with this event.
NC Dream Big Fund recipient
Seachange in Coaching in Education is jointly funded by NC and CNA. It is one of the first NC projects to receive financial support from Niagara College’s Dream Big Fund. The Dream Big Fund is designed to provide seed funding for pilot initiatives, outside of regular budget allocations, to enable NC to more nimbly and quickly approve activities that support one or more Strategic Plan Key Areas of Focus and Actions. This virtual event supports the learning and professional development of NC faculty, and encourages academic excellence through innovation.