ABSTRACT
In a performance and accountability climate, education systems scramble to formulate policy and standards that sculpt the practice of teachers to the “describable, calculable and measurable” (Mockler 2015, p. 118). Invariably, this becomes a narrative of continuous improvement that is conflated with growth and development, something that is in reality iterative, sustained and a long-term project. Purposeful opportunities for teachers to critically reflect and engage in dialogue with others about theory, research and practice can all too quickly disappear behind a slipstream of policies of compliance and quality assurance. Ironically, initiatives purporting to raise the status and quality of teachers and teaching can serve to reduce the capacity of teachers to make effective professional practice decisions. An unintended and concerning consequence is the erosion of teacher agency.
We propose that coaching provides a process by which respectful, rigorous and analytical work can be undertaken by teachers to explore and refine their practice. We see coaching, like agency, as “a configuration of influences from the past, orientations towards the future and engagement with the present” (Priestley, Biesta and Robinson 2015, p. 23). Here, coaching elevates work out of mere improvement to something generative, fulfilling and culture enhancing.
