Investigating the Content and Pedagogy of District Professional Development for Coaches

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Leader Learning Needs

Abstract

Many districts devote extensive resources towards developing the knowledge and skills of their coaches, principals, and district administrators on issues of teaching and learning.
This empirical paper applies situated cognition, as a branch of learning theory, to investigate the structure and substance of the district-sponsored professional development for literacy coaches over the 2014-15 school year. First, this paper shines light on coaches' professional learning opportunities related to assessment and meeting protocols. Second, I discuss how many aspects of the professional development did not align with the tenets of situated cognition. Therefore, this paper reveals gaps in district infrastructure for promoting the ongoing learning of instructional leaders.

Author

• Sarah L. Woulfin, University of Connecticut