Duality in Practice and Mentorship of an English Learner Instructional Coach

• In Event: Polyvocal Professional Learning Through Self-Study Research

Abstract

1.Objectives
This paper stories the learning and discoveries of an English Learner (EL) Instructional Coach (iCOACH) (Author A) with mentorship from a scholar of self-study (Author B). It demonstrates how self-study research improved their individual professional practices within a realm of reciprocity of learning, while ultimately contributing to the knowledge base of their respective practices. The purpose of Author A’s self-study was to examine how her personal experiences as a former EL and then an EL teacher influenced her effectiveness as an iCOACH. It was not only important for her to gain insight from the experiences of the teachers she coached, but also to gain a better understanding of how such insights from personal experiences influence teaching and coaching.

2.Perspectives
The demographics of the USA’s school-age population continue to dramatically shift as do the requirements to more effectively close the achievement gap, with continued pressure from the No Child Left Behind Act/Every Child Succeeds Act (NCELA, 2003). Teachers continue to face difficulty fulfilling their roles without much knowledge or support regarding the social and/or educational culture of ELs with little emphasis on learning from teachers or from on-site teacher educators, referred to as iCOACHes (Duckworth, Walker Levy, & Levy, 2005).

3.Methods
This research utilized self-study methodology (LaBoskey, 2004) to examine how Author A’s experiences as an EL influenced her effectiveness as an iCOACH to ultimately improve her practice in an effort to narrow the achievement gap for ELs. Various self-study methods were utilized, including personal history, memory-work, and arts-based.

4.Data Sources
Data included a series of self-portraits and cataloguing (Samaras, 2011), a Freewrite, Critical Incident Questionnaire, and a Multiple Perspectives Task (Brandenburg, 2008).

5.Results
Iterative data analysis allowed Author A to discover how her multiple selves influenced her effectiveness as an iCOACH. Mentorship from Author B pushed Author A to articulate more crisply how her experiences were actually a strength and a weakness and further see how she could use them to coach more effectively. Seven themes emerged clearly with evidence from the data analysis process: a) awareness and balance; b) NCLB challenges; c) experiences; d) iCOACH role; e) professional learning communities and relationships; f) teacher education; and g) emotions. Author B includes an analysis on her role and learning as a critical mentor and the impact of self-study research which transcends beyond the immediate sphere of influence to other professionals.

6.Significance of the study
Implications of this research inform how a combination of self-study methods, or bricolage self-study method, can be used to improve professional practice, including coaching, teaching and student learning and the reciprocal learning of mentors. This study contributes to the literature of self-study methods where researchers see their self-study questions as components of their intellectual pursuits and not bound by traditional or singular self-study methods. The work further highlights how the field of self-study continues to develop and address practical concerns for practitioners and with advanced and scholarly research.

Authors

• Delia Elizabeth Racines, University of Southern California

• Anastasia P. Samaras, George Mason University