Supporting Teacher Growth & Development

Overview

To support teacher growth and development, I coached a history teacher at my school site utilizing a socio-cultural approach to help provide guidance for instruction and practical strategies for engaging students and improving their academic learning.

The volunteer teacher (VT) I coached has been teaching for 10 years (7 years teaching English and science in a Special Education program at a middle school and 3 years teaching history at a high school). The VT provides instruction in English but is proficient in Spanish which allows him to communicate with Spanish-speaking parents and provide language/curriculum support to students if needed. The VT has experience with coaching, observation, and instructional feedback as he has participated in our school’s instructional rounds (IR) where he has observed colleagues and provided instructional feedback to 10th-grade faculty using the school-created form. The VT is familiar with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) since he participated in the Cal APA Cycle 3 last year where he was responsible for coaching a teacher to strengthen their practice and improve student learning. He was also part of the formal evaluation process during the 2019-2020 school year which utilizes the Teaching Learning Framework which is aligned to the CSTP.

One observation tool my school uses is department-based and the intended outcome for teachers is to reflect and improve on their pedagogy and it is expected that observations occur each semester. Our administration meets with department chairs to refine classroom observation protocols. In regards to adult learning theory, our school maximizes the wealth of knowledge and experience of faculty in which learning from colleagues and prioritizing what is important to the teacher is key, which aligns with Knowles’s Four Principles of Andragogy. The department observation tools are jointly developed with the department chair and teachers where together they review data and make adjustments to instruction as needed. Each department selects the focus of observation based on student needs and developmental growth. Teachers are invited to observe each other where the intended outcome for students is to improve a student-identified need (this year it is student engagement during distant learning).

Another observation practice my school uses is IR. IR are led by the small learning communities (SLC) at our school. IR according to Marzano (2011), “the primary purpose is for observing teachers to compare their own instructional practices with those of the teachers they observe.” These observations are aligned with our accreditation goals. The visits are short (about 5 min.) but one period is visited multiple times to allow the observer to see multiple activities/strategies along with their instructional plan. These observations are aligned to our Single Plan for Student Achievement and school goals. Feedback and coaching as a follow-up to any visit will be dependent on what was observed and the purpose of the visit. The intended outcome for our school is the growth and sharing of best practices of student learning.

Formal observations and evaluations are led by the administration and look for elements from the LAUSD Teaching and Learning Framework (TLF). The TLF is aligned to the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) and utilizes research-based strategies to help our students. The union contract is followed to determine teacher evaluation and frequency of observations. According to our union, “evaluations shall be made at least once each academic year for probationary or qualifying employees, and at least once every other year for permanent employees.” For employees deemed “highly qualified” and employed by the district for at least 10 years, the period between evaluations may be extended beyond the two-year period. The intended outcome of these evaluations is for educator growth, development, and support as well as to evaluate employee performance and provide assistance/remediation if performance is less than satisfactory.

To guide the pre-observation and post-observation meetings, the processes, forms, and/or documents I used modeled the formal observation process my school uses in relation to selecting a CSTP and utilizing a rubric to measure teacher growth. The pre-observation meeting as part of the coaching cycle included working jointly with the VT to co-determine a CSTP to help foster and support his growth and development. Since my VT has a breadth of experience in social studies, my plan was to work jointly with him and determine if there were areas for improvement. The VT conducted a self-assessment while reviewing their student achievement data and other relevant artifacts. The observations were held via Zoom (online program) and working jointly with my VT, we co-determined evidence to collect as it aligns to the CSTP. Together, we selected a class to conduct the observation and became familiar with the classroom context to maximize our efforts in student learning and teacher development. The post-observation meeting was selected jointly with the VT and the focus was to allow the VT to reflect on his teaching practice and provide him an opportunity to self-assess how the lesson went - successful CSTP practices that positively impacted student learning as well as any missed opportunities for learning. We analyzed the evidence collected to determine the effectiveness of teaching practice for the selected CSTP.

Main Activities

The main activities in the coaching cycle were:

1) Pre-observation meeting: welcoming the VT to the teacher growth plan

• co-determining with the VT the CSTP we will focus on

• setting dates with the VT for the observation

2) Observation: conducting the observation with an observation tool

3) Post-observation meeting: meeting with the VT to provide feedback through a coaching dialogue about their successes and needs as well as coaching feedback

A challenge in the coaching cycle would be providing specific support to help meet the learning needs of his student during distance learning. Learning and teaching in a pandemic is a challenge and no research exists on how to do this effectively. Using a reflective approach (Metacognition Theory) will help as we think critically of ways to address those challenges. A strategy to address the challenges we face is to seek out coherent practices currently in place at our school and attend professional development opportunities on distance learning.