Teacher Leadership for Emergent Bilinguals: Using Instructional Coaching to Create Consciously Competent Pedagogical Teacher Leaders

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Leadership for Emergent Bilinguals: National Perspectives From the State, District, Principal, and Teacher Levels

Abstract

Purpose
Research on the academic opportunities and outcomes for emergent bilinguals in public schools shows an ongoing pattern of underachievement (Gándara, 2013). We need radical change in schools to unsettle the status quo for emergent bilinguals. Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) argue, “Students do very well because they have a series of very good teachers—not by chance, but by design. In other words, you have to transform the entire profession” (p. 16). This paper presents quantitative and qualitative evidence to demonstrate how instructional coaching can be used as a driver of radical pedagogical change among general education teachers of emergent bilinguals, shedding light on how every teacher can become pedagogical teacher-leaders within their spheres of influence.

Theoretical Framework
The instructional coaching model advanced is theoretically informed by sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978), critical social theory (Freire, 1994; Sleeter & Bernal, 2004), and principles of second language learning (Lucas & Villegas, 2011). Sociocultural theory describes learning as social, teaching as timely assistance, knowledge as cultural, and student performance as situative, influenced by social, cultural, and historical conditions (Rogoff, 1990; Tharp & Gallimore, 1988). Critical theory, on the other hand, interrogates economic, racial, linguistic, and institutional barriers to educational equity (Kincheloe, McLaren, & Steinberg, 2011). Second language learning requires teachers to simultaneously attend to student communication, patterns of development, and variability. The Six Standards coaching model represent a synthesized and coherent pedagogical approach operationalizing critical sociocultural teaching practices that result in more consciously competent pedagogical teacher leaders.

Methods and Data Sources
A 2015 quasi-experimental study of urban elementary teachers (N = 34; 20 coached) examine the effects of longitudinal instructional coaching to critical sociocultural principles of learning on teacher and student outcomes. Increased teacher use of critical sociocultural practices was hypothesized to increase student achievement and English language development. Teacher and coach data included pre-, during-, and post-intervention observations of teaching, years coached, as well as end-of-coaching qualitative interviews. Student data included criterion-referenced English/Language Arts exams and WIDA assessments of English language development. Coached teachers participated in a 30-hour summer intensive workshop and received seven individual coaching sessions for up to two years.

Results
Coached teachers demonstrated statistically significant growth in use of the six critical sociocultural principles of learning in comparison to a control group. Students of coached teachers out-performed students of non-coached teachers with statistical significance on WIDA (N = 530) and state English/Language Arts (N = 771) exams. District coaches and teachers describe improved self-efficacy and provide evidence of conscious pedagogical competence in meeting the needs of multilingual students.

Scholarly Significance
This paper contributes to the leadership knowledge base for radically improving general education teachers’ pedagogy for serving emergent bilinguals. First, the instructional coaching model provides a value-added example of how pedagogical targets mediate teacher growth and improve student learning outcomes. Second, district coaches and teachers alike demonstrate conscious competence in serving emergent bilinguals, taking on pedagogical responsibility and leadership for emergent bilinguals within their spheres of influence.

Author

• Annela Teemant, Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis