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How Academic Discipline Influences Coaching

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How Academic Discipline Influences Coaching IDEAS HOW ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE INFLUENCES COACHING BY EVTHOKIA STEPHANIE SACLARIDES iven the widespread than when they are working on reading Although the word “coach” can implementation of instruction? This is an important area take on different meanings, here I instructional coaching, of inquiry to ensure that coaches are refer to a coach as someone who works it is not surprising that most effectively supporting teaching directly with teachers by engaging them coaching research has and learning across a diverse range of in high-quality learning to enhance Gexplored a variety of topics, including academic disciplines at their schools. instruction and, ultimately, student coaching roles and practices, coaches’ In a recent study, I partnered learning (McGatha et al., 2015). Data preparation and ongoing learning, with three coaches and six elementary sources included interviews with the and coaching’s impact on teachers and teachers to better understand teachers’ principals, instructional coaches, and students across subjects such as literacy, learning opportunities during one- teachers, as well as observations of the mathematics, and technology. Yet little on-one coaching (Saclarides, 2018; coach-teacher dyads as they engaged in research has examined how academic Saclarides & Lubienski, 2018), coaching cycles. discipline influences the way coaches including whether those opportunities During the interviews, I asked work with teachers. varied according to academic discipline. coaches Meg, Claire, and Jade if they For example, given that elementary The three instructional coaches were tended to coach teachers differently teachers often feel less confident in trained as generalists and expected to depending on the discipline — for mathematics than literacy (Drake et coach across all disciplinary areas (e.g. example, whether they were coaching a al., 2001), might a coach approach mathematics, literacy, social studies, teacher in literacy versus mathematics. a teacher differently when they are and science) and all elementary grade (To protect participants’ identities and working on mathematics instruction levels. in accordance with IRB regulations, all October 2020 | Vol. 41 No. 5 www.learningforward.org | The Learning Professional 51 IDEAS names are pseudonyms.) Meg said it was important to discuss 3. School-based leadership Despite the small size of this initial the content first to give teachers a teams should identify and study, coaches’ responses provide some solid foundation on which to build discuss their disciplinary insight that can inform coaches’ and when discussing pedagogy. She noted strengths so they have a shared school leaders’ reflections on their own that teachers’ underdeveloped content understanding of how to coaching programs and also inform knowledge in mathematics and science leverage them to best support future research on this topic. could potentially negatively impact teachers. Regardless of coaches’ their instruction: “Do I understand it comfort levels in each discipline, HOW EXPERTISE MATTERS enough to teach it?” this makes for a stronger and Of the three coaches interviewed, Thus, when coaching teachers in more coherent approach to one (Claire) reported no disciplinary the disciplinary areas of mathematics teacher and student support. differences in her coaching. The other and science, Meg sought to deepen her Overall, results from this small- two (Meg and Jade) did note some teachers’ content knowledge first before scale study shed light on how important coaching considerations discussing how to most effectively teach academic discipline influences the across disciplines based on two factors: that content to students: “Let’s break way instructional coaches work with their own disciplinary expertise and this down to where you understand teachers. Future research should teachers’ comfort level with the the parts, and then we can work on the consider exploring this topic using discipline. delivery.” a larger sample size of coaches while Meg said her expertise in also seeking to incorporate the voices mathematics, science, social studies, IMPLICATIONS of teachers to better understand their and technology made her feel more Based on these initial findings from perspectives. comfortable coaching teachers in these my small sample, I offer several factors disciplines, whereas Jade said she felt for administrators and instructional REFERENCES more confident in literacy. But they coaches to consider as they seek to Drake, C., Spillane, J.P., & reported using different coaching support coaches’ professional learning Hufferd-Ackles, K. (2001). Storied strategies when coaching in disciplinary opportunities while simultaneously identities: Teacher learning and subject- areas in which they felt less confident. building strong coaching programs at matter context. Journal of Curriculum Because she didn’t perceive literacy their schools. Studies, 33(1), 1-23. and writing to be her strongest suits, 1. Instructional coaches need McGatha, M.B., Davis, R., & Meg said she appreciated that her access to ongoing and Stokes, A. (2015). The impact of teachers could also seek support from meaningful professional mathematics coaching on teachers and the literacy interventionist at her school. learning to deepen their students. (Brief). National Council of Jade, who was more comfortable content knowledge across Teachers of Mathematics. with literacy than mathematics, said multiple disciplines. This is Saclarides, E.S. (2018). Co- she was more likely to model a literacy especially important for the teaching and modeling: The work of lesson for teachers than a math lesson. many instructional coaches who coaches and teachers as they engage in In mathematics, she said, “I’m more are charged with supporting one-on-one mathematics professional willing to do some co-teaching with all content areas (e.g. literacy, development. (Doctoral dissertation). math and let them take the lead.” mathematics, social studies, University of Illinois, Urbana- By sharing an instructional space science, and technology). Champaign. and being jointly responsible for 2. Elementary schools might Saclarides, E.S. & Lubienski, instruction, co-teaching a mathematics consider exploring content- S.T. (2018, April). Exploring the lesson likely removed some of the focused coaching models. In content and depth of coach-teacher talk pressure from Jade that she would such a model, coaches would during modeling and co-teaching. Paper otherwise experience during modeling. focus their coaching efforts presented at the American Educational In addition to considering their in only one discipline, such Research Association, New York, NY. own disciplinary expertise, the two as mathematics. Ultimately, • coaches also weighed the importance this model could potentially Evthokia Stephanie Saclarides of attending to teachers’ disciplinary capitalize on coaches’ self- ([email protected]) is an comfort level, given that elementary identified strengths by allowing assistant professor at the University teachers are trained as generalists and coaches to focus their efforts of Cincinnati. ■ expected to teach all disciplinary areas. on coaching in the academic In particular, for disciplinary areas discipline in which they feel in which teachers felt less confident, most confident. 52 The Learning Professional | www.learningforward.org October 2020 | Vol. 41 No. 5.
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