What Is Academic Coaching?
 

As an academic coach, Randi works with students to improve their process of learning. Like an athletic coach, she provides coaching that’s specific to the needs and goals of each student.

 

Randi works in collaboration with her students and their parents to understand their learning styles, work and study habits, as well as to identify obstacles getting in the way of success. Once she and her student have awareness of the situation – the student’s strengths and weaknesses – they work together to put strategies in place so the student can better reach their potential.

 

An important part of coaching is understanding and addressing weaknesses in a student’s executive function skills. Executive functioning deals with issues of time-management, organization, and planning. When a student struggles with these skills they can become stressed, nervous, and less effective at their schoolwork overall. Parents often step in to take over when this occurs, which can harm the parent-child relationship. Randi’s approach is to take on some of the “parent role” while training her students to become more independent.

 

In conjunction with coaching, Randi evaluates and works to improve study skills, including reading for comprehension, developing a process for successful writing, how to take and review notes, and how to best prepare for tests.

 

Also like athletics, academic coaching with Randi requires regular “practices” or sessions. These sessions provide students with the opportunity to apply their growing academic skill set on real school work and tests. In addition, they help students build the lifelong habits that will lead to long-term success – not only in school, but in many areas of their lives. Randi’s goal is for her students to become successful, independent learners.