Abstract:

The teaching profession is a profession which implies a constant development of its representatives, the continuous expansion of many of their competences so that they can most effectively work with students. At present in Poland, the standards of education of teachers and pedagogues are being changed. The main interest is focused on soft competences, and among them - coaching competences. Authors of the article present the results of pilot research on the self-assessment of the level of coaching competences by students of the last years of studies with a teaching specialty - candidates for the teaching profession. Coaching competences are an important group of competences for education of future teachers or pedagogues in Poland. Firstly, these competences allow teachers, who are responsible for pupils development, to enable personal and professional development. Subsequently, thanks to coaching competences, teachers can: actively motivate students to discover themselves, build internal motivation to act, change and develop, and to boldly set goals and transgress themselves (transgression). Moreover, these competences contribute to building one’s self-awareness, make one’s own place in the world of constant, unpredictable changes and experience of success and fulfilment.

This research is an excerpt of a larger project including comprehensive research on pedagogical competences of teachers at the beginning of their careers. The conducted research diagnosing the level of coaching competences of candidates for teachers is a response to the changing standards of education of teachers and pedagogues in Poland, which emphasize the development of soft competences, including social, emotional, communication or mediation and coaching competences. In order to develop competences effectively, a diagnosis of the initial state is necessary. This will allow to modify work with students of pedagogical and teaching faculties so that they can have a high level of competences desired in the profession which they are preparing for.

Keywords:

pedagogical competences, professional development, coaching competences, support and education of teachers.