Evaluation of Teacher Coaching Activities

Both teachers and coaches can benefit from teacher coaching activities.

Teacher coaching activities can seem pointless if you are comfortable in your job and sure that you provide top-quality lessons to your students. The quality of teaching is an important factor for any school, and the teacher coaching activities are done to ensure that teachers continue to provide their students the best education. Learning about the teacher coaching can help you evaluate whether it is an efficient method of maintaining educational standards.

Teacher Turnover

Teacher coaching activities have been shown to have a positive effect on urban schools, where the teacher turnover is high. A study done by University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University researchers investigated the effect of teacher coaching in high-turnover urban schools. The study compared schools with teacher coaching to schools without coaching, and found that the schools with coaching provided both better teacher quality and better student outcomes. According to the research, teacher coaching benefits new teachers, and this logically may help to improve teacher turnover. If there is a strong support network in place, teachers will be less likely to move schools at the first opportunity.

Coaching Vs. Coursework

A study completed by University of Michigan researchers pitted traditional coursework-based teacher-training methods against modern teacher coaching in a study on teachers of young children. The researchers found that the early-childhood teachers who received coaching performed better than teachers taught by traditional, coursework methods. The researchers attributed this to the fact that teacher coaching is an individualized method of learning, as opposed to a rigid, same lesson each time, coursework-based approach.

Coaches Benefiting Teachers

Finding out what teachers look for in a coach can help you evaluate teacher-coaching activities by providing a framework for the ideal coaching environment. Two researchers from the University of South Carolina interviewed 35 teachers who had participated in a teacher coaching program in order to investigate the area. The research showed that teachers appreciate coaches who provide support, help them try new things, and give them information on research-based instructional strategies. Teachers also appreciated coaches who encouraged them to create a curriculum more tailored to students. The research shows that teachers appreciate collaborative coaches who have a firm research basis for the methods and standards they extol.

Teachers Benefiting Coaches

Teacher-coaching activities can also have a positive effect on the mentors themselves. A researcher from the New York City Board of Education interviewed over 500 teacher mentors and found that they claimed to have learned from teachers' methods, lesson plans and curricula, as part of their work as mentors. Psychological benefits of mentoring have also been identified by many researchers. A study published in the Journal of Staff Development showed that the process of mentoring improves the self-esteem of the mentors. The research seems to suggest that teacher-coaching activities benefit the teachers, students, and even the mentors themselves.

References

• Eurek Alert: New Studies Highlight Benefits of Teacher Coaching
• Eric Digests: Teacher Mentoring as Professional Development
• Danielson Group: Teacher Evaluation