Coaching in a virtual world: how can it be effective in impacting teaching practices?

• In Event: Virtual Coaching in Early Childhood Classrooms during the Pandemic: Adaptations and Lessons Learned

Abstract

Introduction. Reading and literacy have been a concern since the early 1920s and one hundred years later these are still areas of major concern for educators, parents, and policy makers. Nationwide in 2019, only 25% of 4th graders and 34% of 8th graders were proficient in reading (NCES, 2020). Some school districts have implemented coaching as a form of professional development to enhance teaching strategies (Corbin & Strauss, 2015) in an effort to raise students’ reading scores.
The sudden change to virtual programming within schools and communities that occurred in 2020 impacted many strategies being used to support teachers, including coaching. This study examines the lived experiences of pre-kindergarten teachers and coaches during an early literacy coaching program that shifted to virtual

Research Questions. What strategies were reported as being effective for coaches and teachers?
How did the relationships between the teachers and coaches impact the success of the virtual coaching program?

Participants. Twenty-one teachers and five coaches were surveyed and followed up with interviews.

Positionality. The researcher had various experiences in early childhood settings. Part of the researcher’s experience is from evaluating the training of trainers that took place on the newly implemented literacy curriculum that was used during the coaching. However, the researcher was not involved in the coaching program. These experiences gave the researcher a strong insider perspective (Starman, 2013).

Methods. During the interviews teachers were asked nine questions and coaches were asked seven questions. Interviews were conducted virtually using Zoom, the transcription was initially completed with Zoom and checked for accuracy. Open-ended survey question and interview data was coded using inductive coding, specifically coding with Dedoose software (Corbin & Strauss, 2015).

Findings. Participants described a variety of coaching strategies that affected teaching practices. Despite a majority of teachers reporting that in-person coaching is preferred, there were several strategies that both coaches and teachers agreed were effective in a virtual setting. Constructive feedback was the highest rated strategy by both coaches and teachers that affected teaching practices (see Table 1). This feedback was given through a virtual platform in which teachers uploaded videos and coaches commented within the video. Relationships were the foundation of teachers’ success in the coaching program. Teachers reported that the strong relationships with their coaches helped them reach their goals and gain new knowledge from the program. Further discussion of findings will be provided.

Discussion and Implication. This study adds to existing literature describing strategies used in coaching that positively impact teacher practices. Relationships that included trust, mutual respect, and strong connections were important findings in other research (Knoche, Kuhn, and Eum, 2013 and Wasylyshyn, 2003). Virtual coaching has the ability to impact teacher practices if designed with these key ingredients in mind.

Author

• Melissa Bishop, Coastal Carolina University
  Presenting Author