Coaching as a Model to Support Beginning Teachers' Responsiveness to Student Sensemaking

• In Event: 54.044 - Exploring Varied Approaches to Supporting Responsive Teaching in Science and Mathematics

Abstract

As part of a study on noticing and responding to student sense-making in elementary science classrooms, our research team developed a model of engaged and equitable sense-making (E&E sense-making) in which students draw on scientific knowledge as well as one another’s cultural knowledge and experiences, have agency to have and revise ideas, find their ideas valued by others, and use one another’s ideas to co-construct knowledge. In prior work, we found many beginning teachers struggled with various components of E&E sense-making by, for example, shutting down student agency or viewing sense-making moments as chaotic and confused (Authors, in press).

Therefore, we designed this study to pilot coaching strategies and revise tools for beginning teachers to be more responsive to students’ E&E sense-making. We analyzed interactions around the coaching and tools to consider what comprises an effective intervention. Using participatory design-based methodology, the first author coached one first- and one second-year teacher in their classrooms for one week each. This involved introducing E&E sense-making, co-planning a science unit, observing lessons, modeling responsive moves, debriefing daily, and revising the tools. One tool focuses on responsive questioning while the other evaluates student sense-making.

We analyzed the data using multiple stages of open coding with constant comparison (Corbin & Strauss, 2014). We examined field notes, identifying initial emergent themes around E&E sense-making moments and interactions around the tools, and we continued open coding to develop those themes. We returned to video and audio data to further refine these claims.

Analysis of transcripts from classroom instruction before and during the intervention indicates both teachers progressed in their questioning practices in response to students’ sense-making, allowing students opportunities to have and revise ideas and co-construct knowledge (see Table 1). Before intervention, Brianna elicited students’ ideas, responding in neutral or positive ways. During intervention, she learned to press students to think about their own and others’ sense-making. Before intervention, Melanie tended to ask more closed questions with specific answers. During intervention, she learned to ask more open-ended questions to elicit student sense-making.

Table 1. Sample excerpts from Brianna and Melanie's classroom instruction before and during the intervention

Analysis of debriefs illustrates how elements of the coaching served to support the teachers in developing their responsiveness, including the use of the two tools. For example, Brianna started carrying around the questioning tool during a lesson. We talked about it later that day (see Table 2). The use of the tool not only helped guide Brianna to make in-the-moment decisions about questions to ask, but soon she noticed this felt more natural.

Table 2. Excerpt from debrief about Brianna's use of the questioning tool

While many researchers agree that responsiveness is important, there is large variation for how to support teachers in its enactment. Building off prior work, this study explores how to support teachers’ responsiveness. While an intense and personalized model of coaching raises questions about scalability, this study advances knowledge of specific tools and approaches that can influence expanding teacher responsiveness in practice.

Authors

• Christa Haverly, Michigan State University

• Christina V. Schwarz, Michigan State University

• Angela Calabrese Barton, Michigan State University

• Melissa Braaten, University of Colorado - Boulder