Supporting quality social studies instruction: the social studies practices continuum

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.

Instructional coaches' framing of a mathematics 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.

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

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.

Making Sense of Sensemaking: Understanding How K–12 Teachers and Coaches React to Visual Analytics

With the spread of learning analytics (LA) dashboards in K--12 schools, educators are increasingly expected to make sense of data to inform instruction. However, numerous features of school settings, such as specialized vantage points of educators, may lead to different ways of looking at data. This observation motivates the need to carefully observe and account for the ways data sensemaking occurs, and how it may differ across K--12 professional roles. Our mixed-methods study reports on interviews and think-aloud sessions with middle-school mathematics teachers and instructional coaches from four districts in the United States. By exposing educators to an LA dashboard, we map their varied reactions to visual data and reveal prevalent sensemaking patterns. We find that emotional, analytical, and intentional responses inform educators’ sensemaking and that different roles at the school afford unique vantage points toward data. Based on these findings, we offer a typology for representing sensemaking in a K--12 school context and reflect on how to expand visual LA process models.

Instructional Coaching Cycles and Career and Technical Educators’ TPACK

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.

Coaching Co-Teachers: Increasing Specialized Instruction in Inclusive Settings

Although the co-teaching service delivery model is the most commonly used service delivery model used to support co-teachers in the inclusive setting (Cook et al., 2017), research indicates that co-teachers may need support in order to increase the use of specialized instruction to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities (Scruggs et al., 2007). In this manuscript, we provide a process for instructional coaches to use to (a) develop and deliver effective professional development and (b) coach co-teachers. This process maximizes the potential of the co-teaching service delivery model in improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

Truth Hidden in Plain Sight: How Social–Emotional Learning Empowers Novice Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Title I Schools

Educational inequity for students in highly impacted urban schools in the United States remains a persistent challenge despite efforts to reshape teaching practices. This article argues for the inclusion of holistic qualities of novice teacher effectiveness, including how the social and emotional learning (SEL) of teachers contributes to the development of critically informed pedagogies for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students. Using data from 21 interviews with novice teachers, mentor teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders, we argue that the skills and dispositions for student SEL can be used to inform understanding and implementation of culturally responsive pedagogy for novice teachers.

nstructional Coach Leadership: Perceptions of Purpose, Practices, and Supports in Coaching for Educational Equity

There has been increased investment in instructional coach positions in public school districts in recent years. Instructional coaches are put into positions of leadership with great variation in their leadership skills, training, and support. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived experiences of instructional coaches, including their leadership roles and tasks, the supports they need, and the challenges they face so their leadership work can be planned for and well implemented to improve educational equity for students. This study used a non-experimental, qualitative phenomenological research design. Twenty seasoned instructional coaches were interviewed. Qualitative interviewing was ideal to understand their lived experiences and perceptions of their experiences. Five themes emerged: 1.Instructional coaches are agents of change for the sake of students. 2.Instructional coaches do much more than coach. 3.Instructional coaches lead with influence by leveraging relationships. 4.Instructional coaches must attend to perception and politics daily. 5.Instructional coaches need support from their administrators. Instructional coaches recognize their service is to teachers, but they know the end result of that service is to improve outcomes for students. They see their work as critical to the implementation of district and school plans, goals, and initiatives, and ultimately critical to student achievement. To impact change, they work tirelessly to support the differentiated needs of teachers to improve learning environments for students. Educational equity matters to coaches, for they want no student to have limited opportunities or outcomes, particularly students from historically underserved groups. Ultimately, instructional coaches recognize the moral purpose of their work, improving student outcomes and educational equity. Instructional coaches are "go-to" staff members. Most coaches spend the bulk of their time in "other duties as assigned." Those duties keep their schools progressing, as coaches fill the gaps in work that would potentially go left undone if not for the coach. They are dependable, hard workers who see the value of doing the "other duties as assigned" in service to teachers and as a benefit to students. Instructional coaches come to the work of coaching as established teacher leaders who often get instant credibility from their teacher peers due to their experience. But instructional coaches know that instant credibility has limits. They know they must develop and constantly maintain positive, trusting relationships with teachers. They recognize that such relationships are foundational to their leadership success. Instructional coaches know they cannot tell people what to do and expect results. Rather, they leverage relationships and use influence as their main leadership method. Instructional coaches are a minority group amongst their peers. This creates issues of perception around, "What do coaches do?" and "How do they spend their time?" Instructional coaches are well aware of these perceptions and are mindful to attend to the perception of their peers at all times. They are keen to be visible on their campuses, be helpful to everyone at all times, and maintain positive relationships so as not to lose credibility and influence. Instructional coaches need collaborative relationships with their administrators for the purpose of effectively implementing district and school change initiatives that lead to positive student outcomes. Coaches recognize they are not administrators and cannot lead change in the same way as an administrator. But with collaborative relationships with administrators, they can be a powerful team. They are grateful when they receive administrative support and seek it as their main need for ongoing success in the coaching role. This study is important because it demonstrates that instructional coaches can be linchpins of change in their schools and districts. While coaches are focused on supporting teachers and growing teacher efficacy, they are ultimately focused on student achievement outcomes and educational equity as the moral purpose of their work. This study also demonstrates that coaching time need not be purely focused on coaching tasks; rather, time in non-coaching tasks is highly beneficial to coaches' work. Time spent in "other duties as assigned" is a political investment in relationships and influence that can constantly be leveraged to make meaningful change for the benefit of students. Ultimately, instructional coaches are quite keen about the politics of their positions and this study redefines the notion that coaches experience a lot of negative tension in their roles. Rather, they have a matter-of-fact knowledge of politics and perception as a reality they reckon with daily. Their astute understanding of the politics of their role is an asset and indicative of their leadership knowledge and skills. Instructional coaches are influential teacher leaders, and they are needed in our schools.