The Heart of the Matter: Coaching as a Vehicle for Professional Development (original) (raw)

Not teaching, but coaching - creating a self-development culture in a classroom

Nowadays we hear a lot about coaching, but what does coaching really mean? Why does it matter? What is more, the notion of edu-coaching has also emerged in recent years, and this idea seems to be gaining popularity. But can coaching replace traditional classroom education? To what extent could it be useful at school? In the  rst part of this article I would like to de ne what coaching is, how it is different from mentoring and how it can be used to support pupils and teachers at personal, team and whole school levels. Undoubtedly, there are obvious bene ts of coaching for students, staff, school as well as coaches. There are three core skills of coaching: listening, questioning and reviewing. To be a good coach, a teacher should understand how to be a good listener and how to ask proper coaching questions. They should ask questions that help them and the coached/the pupil to review, re ect and to clarify matters throughout the lesson. There are some coaching tools that can be used at various stages of the coaching process at school, including the balance wheel, rating scale, bisociation, viewpoints and motiva-tional record. A teacher can successfully use coaching on the basis of the GROW (Goal, Reality, Options and Will) model. It can support the teacher's development and his practice as a coach. As indicated in the on-line articles for teachers, starting professional training is also worthwhile. During the training, a teacher can learn how to develop classroom practice that supports growth through the use of high level listening, questioning, re ecting and summarising. Most of professional training programs contain the following elements: • using active listening and open questions to tackle issues such as pupil behaviour, • reaching their full potential by putting in place realistic goals and plans to achieve them, • taking responsibility for their own progress through change, • building rapports that can turn previously dif cult interactions into productive ones. Such skills allow the teachers to create a self-development culture in their classrooms. I would like to ponder upon whether these theses have substantive grounds or perhaps they are just empty slogans. Can a teacher also be a good coach? Is it worthwhile to implement coaching in the education system? How can coaching help to improve classroom management? These and some other issues will be considered in the following text.

Professional Development and Instructional Coaching

funds goes to the professional development of teachers and leaders in our schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). With so much money being spent on professional development programs, one would think that there would be extensive research validating the use of federal funds that demonstrate that professional development truly is effective for the country's teachers.

Instructional Coaching as a Tool for Professional Development Co20190930 10918 1k36slc

In this study, we primarily aimed to investigate coaches' roles and their considerations in shifting coaching roles they perform. Employing a qualitative descriptive research, we conducted semi-structured interview sessions with ten instructional coaches to determine their roles and considerations in shifting roles during coaching English teachers in primary schools. Utilizing six-phase approach, we employed thematic analysis to analyse the desired data collected in the study. The findings suggested that there were three roles instructional coaches enacted, namely, the role of the implementer, advocate, and educator. The roles were influenced by coaches' considerations of teacher readiness, coaching style and coaches' qualities. The findings also showed that the coaches performed a non-authoritative approach in their coaching and constantly role-shifted between the roles according to the demand of different situations. Influencing their decision in role-shifting, the coaches' roles and their considerations provide insights into instructional coaching. As such, practitioners and stake holders can reflect and enhance the implementation of the coaching programme to encourage supportive coaching activities. Because there is a need to conduct adequate research on instructional coaching specifically in the context of Malaysia, this study offers an insight into coaches' specific roles in Malaysia. Future research can take a closer look at the "in-the-moment" coaching process to determine the professional development programmes designed based on coaches' understanding of role-shifting.

Guest editorial: Coaching for improvement in education: new insights and enduring questions

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 2021

This special issue of the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education (IJMCE) explores matters related to coaching for classroom teachers and school leaders. Specifically, the articles present research demonstrating how coaching improves instructional practice within classrooms and leadership practice in schools and districts. As such, the special issue extends current research related to coaching by considering how this popular professional development strategy can support not only an educator's personal learning needs but also broader expectations related to school performance. In addition, the pieces featured in this special issue suggest that coaching is a global practice, supporting significant reforms in teaching and learning in a variety of policy and educational contexts. Despite its expansive scope, however, the articles in this special issue suggest that coaching for improvement exhibits some common qualities.

The Effects of Professional Development and Coaching on Teaching Practices

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

He also serves as an Extension Services Consultant for the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). His past experiences include having been a middle school science teacher, Director of Academic and Instructional Support for the Arizona Department of Education, a research scientist for the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (CRESMET), and an evaluator for several NSF projects. His first research strand concentrates on the relationship between educational policy and STEM education. His second research strand focuses on studying STEM classroom interactions and subsequent effects on student understanding. His work has been cited more than 2200 times and he has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals such as Science Education and the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.

Coaching Conversations: Examining Job-Embedded Professional Development Action Research Using Danielson's Framework to Develop Shared Understanding of Effective Teaching Practices

2020

These men inspired me to be great and do great things. I am honored to have had such amazing role models in my life. I am so thankful for my husband, Larry Dubisky, for being my anchor, keeping me grounded, and supporting me throughout my journey. I owe a special thank you to my three children, Gage, Chase, and Lillian, for being patient and supporting mom's dream. My hope is that one day you are inspired and know that you can achieve your dreams if you are persistent and work hard. A special thank you to my mother, Sharon Parnell, for her words of encouragement and love for education. And a thank you to my father, Wayne Parnell, for his love and support.

Instructional Coaching as a Tool for Professional Development: Coaches’ Roles and Considerations

The Qualitative Report

In this study, we primarily aimed to investigate coaches’ roles and their considerations in shifting coaching roles they perform. Employing a qualitative descriptive research, we conducted semi-structured interview sessions with ten instructional coaches to determine their roles and considerations in shifting roles during coaching English teachers in primary schools. Utilizing Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase approach, we employed thematic analysis to analyse the desired data collected in the study. The findings suggested that there were three roles instructional coaches enacted, namely, the role of the implementer, advocate, and educator. The roles were influenced by coaches’ considerations of teacher readiness, coaching style and coaches’ qualities. The findings also showed that the coaches performed a non-authoritative approach in their coaching and constantly role-shifted between the roles according to the demand of different situations. Influencing their decision in role-shi...