Abstract
This chapter reports on a study of classroom coaching as a collaborative approach to professional development. Fourteen high school mathematics teachers were coached in 17 different classes for a combined total of 210 classroom visits in one academic year. Observations were combined with debriefing sessions after each visit and final interviews. The teachers had previously participated in one or two extensive professional development programmes, and the collaborative coaching was originally intended to help determine the impact of the professional development on classroom practices. The chapter discusses teacher behaviours in seven categories that were the focus of observations: equity; multiple representations; technology; student understanding; cooperative groups; alternative assessment; and innovative curriculum. However, the teachers reported that the coaching itself was a critical extension of the professional development. We concluded that classroom coaching, while expensive in resources, can be a crucial element of professional development, because it can help teachers both implement and sustain changes in classroom practice.
The research reported in this chapter was partially supported by the Dwight D. Eisenhower Mathematics and Science State program administered by the California Post-secondary Education Commission (CPEC) grant #785-5. The professional development projects discussed were funded by the Commission (#785-7) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Teacher Enhancement Program, grant # 9155282. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors only and do not represent the views of the Commission or the National Science Foundation. Portions of this research were presented in 1999 at the annual meetings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education and the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education.
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Becker, J.R., Pence, B.J. (2003). Classroom Coaching as a Collaborative Activity in Professional Development. In: Peter-Koop, A., Santos-Wagner, V., Breen, C., Begg, A. (eds) Collaboration in Teacher Education. Mathematics Teacher Education, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1072-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1072-5_6
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