Literacy instructional coaching for inservice teachers through a community-engaged partnership

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tala Michelle Karkar Esperat
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Instructional Coaching ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Community Engaged Scholarship

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to provide an example of instructional coaching for inservice teachers within the context of community-engaged scholarship (CEP), involving professional learning communities (PLCs). This study seeks to encourage policymakers to allocate budgets for instructional coaches, as well as resources for schools.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study design was used to examine the factors that contributed to the partnership and how the PLC sessions impacted the inservice teachers' practices. Data sources included interviews, focus groups, written reflections, observations of grade-level teachers' meetings and administrative meetings.FindingsThe study uncovered important factors that impacted the community-engaged partnership (CEP) positively, such as partners having a unified agenda, a common focus on the school's needs and an understanding of the culture of the school. Principals are the gatekeepers in such partnerships.Research limitations/implicationsThis study yielded the description of a model of instructional coaching within a CEP that other universities around the world could replicate. The limitations of this study include the length of the study and the time frame in which the PLC content was planned. The study was conducted over 1 year to limited funding. The instructional coach developed the PLC content during the ongoing academic year and that impacted the teachers' initial perceptions and their commitment to the PLCs.Originality/valueThis study offers a new coaching model for CEPs that focuses on closing the gap between theory and practice by integrating PLCs, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and face-to-face visual support.

Supporting quality social studies instruction: the social studies practices continuum

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Erickson ◽  
Kerry A. Dunne ◽  
Christopher C. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
College Career ◽  
The Social ◽  
Improving Instruction

PurposeThis article presents the social studies practices continuum, which is a tool that supports social studies teachers in implementing inquiry-based practices in their classrooms. It was designed by the authors based on similar instruments found in science education and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies Standards.Design/methodology/approachThe article describes the instrument's creation and describes its use with preservice teachers in teacher preparation programs, inservice teachers during district-based professional development.FindingsThe continuum has been used as a reflective tool for teachers and curriculum developers, and as a tool for instructional coaches and administrators to improve teaching practices.Originality/valueThis article offers a new tool for teachers and supervisors to use in improving instruction.

scholarly journals Learning to Become Instructional Coaches in Health and Physical Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Fletcher ◽  
Ken Lodewyk ◽  
Katie Glover ◽  
Sandra Albione
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Health And Physical Education ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Context Specific

Purpose: To examine the experiences of a cohort of health and physical education teachers and consultants who were learning to become instructional coaches. Methods: Three surveys and three focus groups were administered to 14 participants over 9 months to consider their experiences of learning to become instructional coaches. Concepts from expectancy-value theory guided analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Participants reported positive experiences learning to become instructional coaches. Understanding and importance-utility value increased significantly between the administration of initial and end surveys. Focus group data generally supported quantitative findings while enabling more specific insights to be gained, particularly regarding specific moments of participants’ learning that led to a shift in thinking or practice. Conclusions: Participants valued their experiences learning to become instructional coaches and identified the instructional coaching model as a powerful form of job-embedded professional learning based on teachers’ context-specific needs.

Creating space for sustainability literacy: the case of student-centered symposia

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 839-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Ouellet Dallaire ◽  
Kate Trincsi ◽  
Melissa K. Ward ◽  
Lorna I. Harris ◽  
Larissa Jarvis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Frame ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Interdisciplinary Dialogue ◽  
Sustainability Research ◽  
Sustainability Literacy ◽  
Mcgill University ◽  
Survey Responses

Purpose This paper reflects on the Sustainability Research Symposium (SRS), a long-term student-led initiative (seven years) at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, that seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among students and researchers by using the sustainability sciences as a bridge concept. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of the SRS in fostering sustainability literacy. Design/methodology/approach Past participants of the SRS were invited to complete a survey to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the symposia from a participants’ perspective. A mix of descriptive statistics and axial and thematic coding were used to analyze survey responses (n = 56). This study links theory and practice to explore the outcomes of symposia as tools for students to engage with sustainability research in university campuses. Findings Survey findings indicated that participants are from multiple disciplinary backgrounds and that they are often interested in sustainability research without being identified as sustainability researchers. Overall, the survey findings suggested that student-organized symposia can be effective mechanisms to enhance exposure to interdisciplinary research and to integrate sustainability sciences outside the classroom. Practical implications Despite being a one-day event, the survey findings suggest that symposia can offer an “initiation” toward interdisciplinary dialogue and around sustainability research that can have lasting impacts beyond the time frame of the event. Originality/value Although research symposia are widespread in university campuses, there is little published information on the effectiveness of student-organized symposia as vectors for sustainability literacy. This original contribution presents a case study of the effectiveness of an annual symposium at one Canadian university, organized by students from the Faculties of Science, Arts and Management.

scholarly journals The relationship between involvement, destination emotions and place attachment in the Porto wine cellars

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasco Ribeiro Santos ◽  
Paulo Ramos ◽  
Nuno Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Place Attachment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioural Intentions ◽  
Wine Tourism

Purpose This paper aims to measure the role of involvement, destination emotions and place attachment in the behavioural intentions of wine tourists when visiting Porto wine cellars. Design/methodology/approach An interceptive survey was conducted with wine tourists during their visits to four Porto wine cellars. A convenience sample of 918 international visitors was obtained. A structural equation model using partial least squares analysis was used to test the hypothesis and the validity of the constructs and model. Findings The structural model results indicated that wine tourists’ personal involvement and their wine involvement have a significant and direct influence on destination emotions and place attachment in Porto wine cellars during the visits, which determines their future behavioural intentions. Research limitations/implications The generalizability of the results may be limited owing to the sample and the data collection method and the short time frame of the data gathering. Practical implications There is a growing potential for researchers and managers to achieve benefits from the proposed model that will support the efforts for wine tourism theory and practice, such as brand positioning strategies and formulation of sharper marketing strategies. Originality/value This is the first study to demonstrate the combined use of personal and wine involvement on destination emotions along with place attachment in a wine tourist behaviour context. This approach extends the scope into a wine tourism context because the combination of these three constructs has never been held in the area of wine tourism destinations.

Instructional coaches' framing of a mathematics reform

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Higgins ◽  
Ro Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Development Project ◽  
System Level ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Instructional Reform ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Reading Reform

PurposeInstructional coaches are pivotal to articulating the agenda of system-wide reform, yet their role remains largely unexamined. Their approach with educators is contextually situated within the schooling system in which they work to reflect the historical and sociocultural system influences. Given the downward trend in New Zealand's international test scores for mathematics, it is timely to review the role of instructional coaches.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors draw on qualitative data derived from interviews with experienced coaches to investigate how they brokered the vision and pedagogy of a system-level reform in mathematics. Using a sensemaking lens we specifically examined the collective stories they employed as explanatory tools.FindingsThe analysis revealed that coaches drew on factors from school and classroom contexts of professional development practice and from collective beliefs about effective practice, alongside the project materials incorporated in the design of the project. System-level stories of reading reform influenced coaches' leadership of professional practice in implementing the New Zealand Numeracy Development Project, a progressively scaled-up professional learning and development initiative designed to improve teacher knowledge and pedagogy.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the critical importance of coaches' knowledge and expertise, the complexity of the implementation process and the coherence of the infrastructure that supports them in instructional reform.

scholarly journals Engaged scholarship

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1009-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amon Simba ◽  
Nathanael Ojong
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Value ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce a multi-layered theoretical framework to enable engaged scholarship to develop as a practice in entrepreneurship and small business research. To do so, it illuminates the salient features of engaged scholarship, collaborative learning and actor-network theory (ANT). Design/methodology/approach The paper follows a narrative or traditional literature review design. Specifically, it adopts a thematic approach for summarising and synthesising a body of literature on engaged scholarship, collaborative learning and ANT with the view to develop a new multi-layered theoretical framework. Findings Applying the theory of engaged scholarship to pivot entrepreneurship/SME research provides scholars with an opportunity to unlock the theory vs practice paradox. Moreover, engaged scholarship offers valuable instructions for encouraging interactionism between entrepreneurship researchers and practitioners as well as reconcile their polarised views. Co-production and co-creation of knowledge addresses the concerns often raised by the practitioner community regarding the relevance and applicability of academic research to practice. Practical implications The proposed multi-layered framework provides entrepreneurship researchers, and the practitioner community with a taxonomy to use to encourage a joint approach to research. Developing deep partnerships between academics and practitioners can produce outcomes that satisfy the twin imperatives of scholarship that can be of high quality as well as a value to society. Originality/value The paper advances the theory and practice of engaged scholarship in new ways that are not common in entrepreneurship/SME research. This enables engaged scholarship to develop as a practice in entrepreneurship and small firms’ research. Through applying the proposed multi-layered framework in research, academics can deliver fully developed solutions for practical problems. The framework is useful in the theory vs practice and entrepreneurship researchers vs practitioner debates.

scholarly journals Instructional Coaching Cycles and Career and Technical Educators’ TPACK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Motto
Keyword(s):  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Instructional Coaching ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Career And Technical ◽  
Technical Schools ◽  
Group Format ◽  
Career And Technical Educators ◽  
Technology Pedagogy

Most professional development occurs in a large group format. In most cases, there is little to no application or continued support for teachers. All teachers, particularly those in career and technical schools, struggle to implement newly learned strategies related to technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) with this type of support. A review of the literature proves that through the support of instructional coaches, teachers can improve their practice through sustained professional learning with a coaching peer. The study followed six, secondary teachers from a comprehensive career and technical school who participated in instructional coaching cycles to improve technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) in their classrooms. Results from the study suggest the utility of instructional coaching as a means of helping educators develop enhanced TPACK.

scholarly journals Coaching for Continuous Improvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-63
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Courtney
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Sustainable Systems ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Rural Elementary Schools

Since 2015, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has provided schools across the state with access to highly skilled instructional coaches. Primarily working in rural settings, these coaches provide a voluntary, integrated coaching model that focuses on building sustainable systems. Coaches provide a range of services, including systems design, strategic planning support, whole-team professional learning, professional learning community (PLC) LC facilitation, and fidelity monitoring. This article describes the theory of action for KDE’s Continuous Improvement Coaching program, presents two case studies of rural elementary schools who utilized the program, and discusses the key features of the program and its relevance for rural schools.

Cost-Effectiveness of Instructional Coaching: Implementing a Design-Based, Continuous Improvement Model to Advance Teacher Professional Development

2020 ◽  
pp. 105268462097204
Author(s):  
David S. Knight ◽  
Thomas M. Skrtic
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Teacher Professional Development ◽  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Instructional Coaching ◽  
Student Outcome ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
The Cost

Schools devote substantial resources to teacher professional development each year. Yet studies show much of this investment is directed toward ineffective short-term workshops that have little impact on instructional change or student outcomes. At the same time, more intensive job-embedded forms of professional learning, such as instructional coaching, require substantially more resources than traditional professional development. We report the results of a two-year study assessing the cost-effectiveness of instructional coaching through a design-based, continuous improvement research model. We study iterative, inquiry cycles in which educators collect data and make changes to the coaching model based on multiple rounds of implementation. We determined the effectiveness of coaching during each iteration by tracking the number of times teachers and coaches reached student-outcome based goals set during the coaching cycle. We assess the cost of implementing the coaching model for each of the three iterations by monitoring staff time allocations and other resource use. Results show that across five schools, the cost of the coaching intervention decreased substantially from the first iteration to the second iteration but increased moderately during the third iteration. Our findings suggest that coaching programs can become more cost-effective over time, as coaches and teachers refine their work together. While specific design features of the study limit generalizability of our findings, the study demonstrates how improvement science or design-based research can be combined with cost-effectiveness research to improve practice in local settings.

Light touch, heavy hand: principals and data-use PLCs

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Huguet ◽  
Caitlin C. Farrell ◽  
Julie A. Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
School Level ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Principal's Role

Purpose The use of data for instructional improvement is prevalent in today’s educational landscape, yet policies calling for data use may result in significant variation at the school level. The purpose of this paper is to focus on tools and routines as mechanisms of principal influence on data-use professional learning communities (PLCs). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a comparative case study of two low-income, low-performing schools in one district. The data set included interview and focus group transcripts, observation field notes and documents, and was iteratively coded. Findings The two principals in the study employed tools and routines differently to influence ways that teachers interacted with data in their PLCs. Teachers who were given leeway to co-construct data-use tools found them to be more beneficial to their work. Findings also suggest that teachers’ data use may benefit from more flexibility in their day-to-day PLC routines. Research limitations/implications Closer examination of how tools are designed and time is spent in data-use PLCs may help the authors further understand the influence of the principal’s role. Originality/value Previous research has demonstrated that data use can improve teacher instruction, yet the varied implementation of data-use PLCs in this district illustrates that not all students have an equal opportunity to learn from teachers who meaningfully engage with data.

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