A coaching pedagogy for autonomy and agency in the classroom

KIRSTY NUNN, HEAD OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, MILLFIELD SCHOOL, SOMERSET, UK Context and rationale Developing independent learners is a widely stated aim across education. However, students often remain dependent on teacher guidance, particularly when faced with challenge. In computer science, this is especially evident during programming tasks, where students frequently seek rapid reassurance rather than persisting independently. Research on self-efficacy and self-regulation suggests that engagement with challenge is shaped by beliefs about control, competence and agency (Bandura, 1977; Zimmerman, 2002). When difficulty is interpreted as inability rather than a feature of learning, avoidance and premature help-seeking behaviours emerge. At Millfield, a school with a longstanding reputation for excellence in sport, coaching is beyond instructions and instead is framed as the development of performers who can make decisions under pressure, regulate their responses and adapt in real ti