Planning Realistically for a New Semester of Success

Over and over, students think to themselves and often say to others, "I want to do better this semester." As much as they may mean it, saying it is easier than making it happen. Many students realize, mid-semester, that they are falling into their habitual traps. This is not because they cannot do better. Often, it is because they haven't devoted time and cognitive energy to figuring out exactly what "doing better" might mean in the context of their learning and their lives. 

Enter the coaching moment, which gives students the time, invitation to reflect, and targeted questions they need to both see what they did last time and define what they can do differently this time.

Some examples:

• When a student failed a course and is about to retake it, a coach can ask about when, how, and how long they studied for it last time, and ask the student to identify and define specific changes they think will improve their learning.

• If a student says they want to stop procrastinating this fall, a coach can ask what types of assignments have led to procrastination, how those types of assignments made them feel, and what ways they might change their approach to the assignments to move through the steps and feel more positively about their abilities.

• When students say they want to be more focused and less distracted in general, a coach can ask about what distracts them, when they tend to lose focus, and what types of boundaries they can put in place to protect their cognitive energy and improve attention.

If even one specific change brings improvement, "doing better" can feel more possible to a student. This can inspire action toward more positive changes -- and, hopefully, more scheduled coaching sessions in which to reflect and grow. 

Join our next 3-day online Inclusive Coaching class

October 7, 14, 21. Other dates below.