Teacher Coaching and Development

As a principal, a key responsibility is to promote shared accountability for each student’s success. Principals who provide supportive coaching to teachers help them develop their professional skills and demonstrate that shared responsibility promotes trust and collaboration. The basic coaching cycle includes three stages: 1) pre-conference, 2) classroom observation, and 3) post-conference.

After viewing and reading this week’s topic Resources, research the teacher coaching and development process. Compose a 500–750 word  summary answering the following questions on teacher coaching and the development process :

Inquiry into Teaching and Learning: Observation Pre-Conference

• What aspects of the pre-conference is different from what you have experienced as a teacher?
• What questions do coaches/administrators ask teachers during the pre-conference? Provide specific examples.
• How could teachers’ responses indicate their level of planning and preparation for the lesson?

Assessment of Teaching and Learning: Classroom Observation

• When observing a lesson, what are components a coach/administrator might look for? Explain your answer.
• What types of feedback should coaches/administrators provide teachers after viewing the lesson? For instance, classroom management, pedagogy, and lesson components could be areas to observe. Is one of these an area that an administrator should focus on more or less? Why?
• Should coaches/administrators provide constructive feedback or additional support during an observation? Explain your answer.

Assessment of Teaching and Learning: Post-Observation Conversation

• When watching the post-observation videos, what did you notice about the opening comments by the coaches? How does this set the tone for the post-conference?
• Did the coach use specific evidence during the post-conference when giving the teacher feedback? What effect did this appear to have on the discussion?
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the coach’s/administrator’s ability to provide positive feedback. In your opinion, did the coach validate the strengths of the lesson? Explain.
• When a coach/administrator provides constructive feedback, it is sometimes phrased as a question. Why is this a good strategy when asking the teacher to reflect on areas of the lesson that need refinement?

Provide a minimum of three scholarly resources to support your summary.