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Coaching Teacher Candidates: What Does It Look Like? What Does It Sound Like?
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Burke, Abigail J. |
| Copyright Year | 2017 |
| Abstract | Instructional coaching for reflection has traditionally not been part of teacher preparation. In addition, there is limited understanding of developmental coaching relationships within the context of field experience in teacher preparation programs. Reflection has increasingly been recognized as a central element of professional growth during teacher preparation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the essence of instructional coaching between teacher candidates and an instructional coach as it relates to reflection of practice. Teacher educators would benefit by knowing more about the learning that occurs within the directed conversations between the instructional coach and teacher candidate. This study provided new information regarding the structure, context and content of coaching conversations, in order to better understand factors that facilitated learning that led to more reflective practice. By participating in coaching conversations with an instructional coach, teacher candidates were able to engage in reflective practices that may not have been achieved alone. With the support and guidance of an instructional coach, the teacher candidates were able to identify noteworthy events, analyze these events to gain new understandings about teaching and learning, and set goals based on the newly acquired knowledge. In this article, we will explore a coaching model that has been implemented at a university's teacher preparation program as well as share key learnings, successes, and next steps for developing reflective practitioners. Teacher education programs are poised to provide future teachers or teacher candidates explicit and scaffolded experiences throughout their teacher preparation program in pursuance of an inquiry stance. The National Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (NCATE, 2002) makes it clear that advancement of reflective practice is an essential component of teacher preparations. This university utilizes instructional coaching as one method of preparing teacher candidates for the complex work ahead of them. Employing instructional coaches to work with teacher candidates during field experience was a recent addition, implemented during the fall of 2013, to the teacher preparation program. The goal of this research was to examine the phenomena during coaching conversations. This clarification and understanding can build a foundation for enhanced coaching during teacher preparation. Through a fine-grained analysis of the interactions between instructional coaches and teacher candidates, this study helped to articulate and clarify the structure, content, and context of the coaching conversation. A phenomenological design was used in order to explore the lived experiences of teacher candidates and instructional coaches as they engage in reflective practices during coaching reflective conversations. Creswell asserts “in qualitative inquiry, the intent is to develop an in-depth exploration of the central phenomenon” (2012, p. 203). Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the essence of instructional coaching between teacher candidates and an instructional coach as it relates to reflection of practice by answering the following research question: How did the structure, content and context of the conversation build reflective thinking in the teacher candidate? |
| Starting Page | 5 |
| Ending Page | 5 |
| Page Count | 1 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Volume Number | 2 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=ctlle |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=ctlle |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
