This research program was guided by the overarching research question:
How can the professional learning of coaches/professional learning facilitators be supported so that, in turn, they can support teachers’ implementation of responsive programs that foster student learning?
This research question was studied in the context of various types of coaching, as outlined by the projects below:
Rationale
Our interests reside in the foundational understanding that professional learning that supports teachers’ growth fosters educational improvement (Fullan et al., 2006; Devine et al., 2013) and enhances student achievement (Elish-Piper & L’Allier, 2011). With this in mind, coaching models of professional learning have been recommended (Kise, 2006; Knight, 2009; Knight, 2017), yet, few studies have explored coaching in Canada (Hardy, 2009; Lynch & Ferguson, 2010). This was the impetus for our project.
We recognize the long held importance of building on teachers’ existing knowledge and working collaboratively together to support their self-directed professional growth (Popp & Goldman, 2016; Stover et al., 2011). In fact, collegial collaboration (Stephens & Mills, 2014) can enhance teachers’ pedagogical knowledge through engaging in critical reflection and goal-directed, self-regulated learning (Toll, 2007; Walpole & McKenna, 2012). Previous research has documented how collegial collaboration (Stephens & Heidi, 2014) can support teachers’ abilities to enhance their knowledge through engaging in critical reflection and goal-directed, self-regulated learning (Gutierez, 2016; Kuh, 2015; Schnellert et al., 2008; Toll, 2007; Walpole & McKenna, 2012). It was our goal to document how various coaches create these conditions for professional learning and how the coaches themselves might be supported in their practice.
There were eight projects in this program of research and a self-study of the two researchers’ experiences. This section introduces the projects and provides a brief outline of the methods and key findings (all participant names are pseudonyms; inclusive personal plural pronouns [they, them, their] are used throughout).
Devine, M., Meyers, R. & Houssemand, C. (2013). How can coaching make a positive impact within educational settings? Procedia – Social and Behavioral Science, 93(21), 1382-1389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.048
Elish-Piper, L., & L’Allier, S.K. (2011). Examining the relationship between literacy coaching and student reading gains in grades k-3. The Elementary School Journal, 112(1), 83-106. https://doi.org/10.1086/660685
Fullan, M., Hill, P. & Crevola, C. (2006). Breakthrough. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Gutierez, S.B. (2016). Teachers’ reflective practice in lesson study: A tool for improving instructional practice. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 61(3), 314-328. https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v61i3.56087
Hardy, I. (2009). Teacher professional development: A sociological study of senior educators’ PD priorities in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Education, 32(3), 509-532. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ859261.pdf
Kise, J.A. (2006). Differentiating coaching: A framework for helping teachers change. Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin Press.
Knight, J. (2009). Coaches as leaders of change. In M. Fullan (ed.), The challenge of change (2nd ed.) (pp. 105-133). Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin Press.
Knight, J. (2017). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. Thousand Oaks CA: Corwin Press.
Ko, M-L M., Hall, A. & Goldman, S.R. (2022). Making teacher and researcher learning visible: Collaborative design as a context for professional growth. Cognition and Instruction, 40(1), 27-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2021.2010212
Kuh, L. (2015) Teachers talking about teaching and school: Collaboration and reflective practice via critical friends groups. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 22(3), 293-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1058589
Lynch, J., & Ferguson, K. (2010). Reflections of elementary school literacy coaches on practice: Roles and perspectives. Canadian Journal of Education, 33(1), 199-227. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ883529.pdf
Popp, J.S. & Goldman, S. R. (2016). Knowledge building in teacher professional learning communities: Focus of meeting matters. Teaching and Teacher Education, 59, 347-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.06.007
Schellert, L.M., Butler, D.L., & Higginson, S.K. (2008). Co-constructors of data, co-constructors of meaning: Teacher professional development in an age of accountability. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 725-750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.04.001
Stephens, D., & Mills, H. (2014). Coaching as inquiry: The South Carolina Reading Initiative. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 30, 190–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2014.907714
Stover, K., Kissel, B., Haag, K. & Shoniker, R. (2011). Differentiated coaching: Fostering reflection with teachers. Reading Teacher, 64(7), 498-509. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.64.7.3
Toll, C.A. (2007). Lenses on literacy coaching: Conceptualizations, functions and outcomes. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers.
Walpole, S., & McKenna, M.C. (2012). The literacy coach’s handbook: A guide to research-based practice. New York: Guilford Press.