Coaching to Disrupt Deficit Teacher Orientations (Poster 1)

• In Event: Expanding Coaching and Representations to Support Teacher Sense-Making Toward Disrupting Inequitable Mathematics Teaching Practices

Abstract

Objective: Some of our brightest children are also our most vulnerable, as they are placed with teachers that hold deficit views of them (Delpit, 1995; Valencia, 1997). In other words, the same teachers hired to teach and support them, are the same ones that ignore their cultural funds, dismiss their alternative approaches, and ignore their brilliance. This problem is bigger than just a couple of teachers as this deficit perspective is socially constructed across multiple communities and impacts all students of color (Parks, 2010). In many cases, schools, and districts have hired mathematics instructional coaches (IC) as the critical support to improve instruction toward equitable asset based mathematical instruction but not much is known on how ICs negotiate instructional goals, especially with a deficit minded teacher. This exploratory study is situated here, because while, ideally, we want to provide equitable mathematics experiences for all students, we understand that not every teacher may have asset orientations. Therefore, it is consequential to better understand ICs practices towards disrupting teacher’s deficit orientations.

Theoretical perspectives: Digital simulations have become a popular approach in practice-based education (Cohen, Wong, Krishnamachari, & Berlin 2020) as they provide opportunities to distill complex tasks (e.g. instructional coaching) into smaller, distinct, manageable approximations (Grossman et. al, 2009). In particular, this study uses Teacher Moments, a digital clinical simulation platform that engages participants in videos, vignettes and conversational prompts that are representative of an IC’s classroom experience and then calls on participants to respond, “in the moment” (Thompson et al., 2019). Here coaches have the ability to not only practice discrete skills but also practice their sensibility when making improvisational moves or judgment calls during teacher-coach interactions, before stepping in front of a classroom full of students (Grossman et. al, 2009).

Methods and Data Sources: 10 ICs engaged with a simulation that featured Mr. Dailey, a 10-year veteran who facilitates mathematics class by lecturing students, expecting them to passively learn what is being presented. He does not attend to student voice, student positionality and is strictly answer driven. As part of the simulation design, participants are prompted to identify an instructional goal for their work with Mr. Dailey, to which he openly rejects it and admits his deficit mind frame. Using a qualitative research design, we examine coaches’ in-the-moment response to Mr. Dailey and their negotiation practice (what do ICs say/suggest as a plan of action)

Results: The findings suggest that 40% of ICs ignore Mr. Dailey deficit framing of students and ignore the instructional goal they’ve identified. Another 40% of ICs reframe Mr. Dailey’s deficit framing of students while ignoring the instructional goal they’ve identified. And 20% of ICs challenge Mr. Dailey’s deficit framing of students.

Significance and Implications: This study is critical because the dominant discourse that frames students of color as “problem” continues to perpetuate without interruption and ICs can be the first line of defense. Digital simulations allow contextualized practice that can be debriefed and reflected on can be transformative for the field of coaching.

Author

• Gregory Benoit, Boston University
  Presenting Author