Coaching programme / Dialogical learning and knowledge creation

Dialogical learning and knowledge creation consist of collaborative thinking and doing that are based on creating common understanding. When people learn and create knowledge through dialogue, their actions and behaviour display a dialogic attitude, a dialogic orientation, and the use of dialogic ”tools”. In addition, their goal is to create something new, to construct an overall view of the present situation. The way they relate to others is genuinely philanthropic and reciprocal. Dialogue is symmetrical, that is, the participants spend an equal amount of time talking and listening to others. When they listen, they concentrate and pay careful attention. When necessary, participants suspend their own thinking and are prepared to listen to thinking that differs from their own, as well as to develop thinking further in collaboration with others. Learning and creating knowledge through dialogue becomes possible because the participants share their thinking even when it is still under development, openly inquire from others about their thinking, continue from another person's speech in a focussed manner, recognise the important expressions in the other participants' speech and open them. Dialogue creates an overall view of a given topic, new understanding, which is born as a result of each participant's thinking. Participation in a dialogue involves certain duties and increases the participants' responsibilities in various ways. This means that each participant must participate actively and commit themselves to the dialogue, which requires respect for others, caring for others, and reciprocity.

The coaching programme for dialogical learning and knowledge creation includes instructions for developing and improving dialogic competence. The coaching programme also includes a description of the steps and levels of developing dialogic competence. The coaching process proceeds along these levels one step at a time. The description of levels also represents a model of how to develop dialogical learning and knowledge creation. The main aim of coaching is to help participants work in a dialogical manner in various environments.