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As states and districts adopt policies and programs to broaden participation in computer science, there is a growing need to effectively develop and support more computer science teachers. Instructional coaching is a form of professional development that districts can implement to provide ongoing support to teachers. In Chicago, a recent policy change made computer science a high school graduation requirement. The district adopted the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum and professional development program as the primary means for fulfilling the requirement. As part of the district’s effort to consistently offer equitable computer science experiences for all students, an emphasis was placed on supporting ECS teachers through coaching. Over the past five years, the district developed, implemented, and refined an instructional coaching model for ECS teachers. The coaching model continues to scale up across the district, with over 50 teachers participating in the 2019-2020 school year. The coaching team also adapted the model in response to the shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, the authors share details of the ECS coaching model in Chicago, its impact, and lessons learned from the past five years of implementation.
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“Even when it was hard, you pushed us to improve”: Emotions and teacher learning in coaching conversations
We investigate the role of teachers' edge-emotions in coaching conversations. While emotions are common in instructional coaching, they are under-examined in research. This qualitative study examines a particularly emotional coaching event that we facilitated with an experienced mathematics teacher. We use Kerdeman's (2003) framework of being “pulled up short” to describe how the teacher's under- standing of her lesson was interrupted, resulting in negative emotions. She was ultimately motivated to transform her practice with our empathy and sustained support. We discuss implications for instruc- tional coaching, particularly how edge-emotions can be leveraged to support teachers' conceptual change.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2100784
- PAR ID:
- 10512565
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elselvier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Teaching and Teacher Education
- Volume:
- 121
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0742-051X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 103934
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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K-12 computer science (CS) teachers are often the only teachers of the subject at their school. Many school-based administrators and personnel lack the content knowledge to support their ongoing professional growth. How then can an ecosystem of support be developed to support K-12 CS teachers? We have created several tools aligned to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers that support administrators, instructional specialists, and teacher leaders to provide evidence-based feedback and promote the ongoing development of CS teachers at their schools. These tools, including a CS coaching toolkit and instructional practice evidence guide, have the potential to drive impactful, job-embedded development.more » « less
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Problem. Currently, state- and district-level policies in the United States call for teachers to be qualified to teach computing in K-12 classrooms. Recognizing that equity-focused practices are key to reaching all students in computing and leveraging a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP), we piloted an intervention designed to provide one-on-one coaching to teachers. Research Question. Our research questions for this project were: 1) What impact does CS coaching have on teacher capacity to implement equitable teaching practices? and 2) What, if any, changes to teacher practice are sustained during and after the CS coaching process? Methodology. Our mixed-methods study leveraged three primary forms of data from teachers who were coached (coachees) and teachers providing coaching (coaches). These included pre- and post-surveys, coaching logs, and self-reflection checklists. Findings. Participants reported use of high-impact instructional design and classroom practices increased significantly from pre- to post-intervention. Their abilities to discuss topics of identity and plan activities that use evidence-based, CS-specific teaching strategies saw the most dramatic increase from pre- to post-intervention. Implications. Coaching may be an impactful way to develop teacher’s use of equitable teaching practices.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103934
