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Running head: TEACHER COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Teacher Coaching and Development Process

Michelle A. Kuby

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

EAD-530: Improving Teacher Performance and Self-efficacy

Professor Richard Rundhaug

August 25, 2021

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TEACHER COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
The teacher coaching and development process is a necessary and crucial responsibility

of an educational leader. This process is part of the evaluation process and is used to improve the

instruction for the students and to identify areas of strengths and areas for improvement. The

teacher coaching and development process is sectioned off into three different stages, the

observation pre-conference, the classroom observation, and the post-observation conference.

After researching this process, I noticed many similarities and some differences between

my experiences as an educator and my findings. For a typical evaluation, the pre-conference I

have had with my evaluator were not as in-depth as the examples I have researched. Typically, I

would be asked to fill out a basic template to describe my upcoming lesson, certain aspects I

want my evaluator to look for, and student outcomes. This document would be submitted to the

evaluator the day before the classroom, and we most likely not meet in person prior to the

classroom observation. Reflecting on this, I believe that meeting in person prior to the classroom

observation would be extremely beneficial for not only my preparedness but for the student

learning and success.

From the pre-conference video examples, there are some questions that seemed to be

consistent. One question that I thought was great was “How will you be able to tell if the

students mastered the objective.” This question requires teachers to defend their lesson plan steps

as well as their assessment tool. Sometimes, this reflection leads the teacher to add or adjust

areas within the lesson that they had not previously considered. Another question that I believe is

essential for the pre-observation conversation is “Is there anything specific you would like me to

look for?” This question allows the teacher to talk about their strengths and reflect on why they

want the evaluator to focus on that.

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TEACHER COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
For the observation pre-conference, the evaluator can gain a general understanding on

how well prepared the teacher is for the upcoming lesson. If the teacher does not provide

substantial answers to the questions asked by the evaluator, this is a good indication on the

unpreparedness of the teacher, and most likely will be unsuccessful during the observation. If the

teacher provides, strong, thoughtful remarks to the questions during the observation pre-

conference, this is a great indicator that the teacher is prepared for the upcoming lesson and will

most likely do well during the evaluation.

During the classroom observation, the administrator is looking for several aspects such as

student engagement, scaffolding, and specific actions that meet the lesson objective. In my past

experiences, for example, my evaluator was a big proponent on student driven learning with

minor teacher interventions. During my evaluations, I would provide support to students when

necessary, not by providing the answers, but by scaffolding questions to guide the students back

on track. This was an aspect of my teaching that was highly praised by my evaluator and

something that I worked really hard to achieve.

After viewing the lesson, I believe it is important for the administrator to provide teachers

with feedback related to all facets of teaching such as classroom management, lesson

components, and student achievement. I do not believe that there should be one area of focus

more than others when being evaluated because there are many roles a teacher must play during

a lesson. When an evaluation focuses on one aspect, usually a point of weakness, it ignores the

many strengths the teacher has.

Watching the post-observation videos were very enlightening on what the proper way to

conduct an observation conversation. In each of the videos, the tone for the post-conference was

set immediately by the opening comments by the administrators, which focused on the strengths
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TEACHER COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
of the lesson they observed. Using specific evidence from the observed lesson when providing

feedback seemed to be a useful conversation tool to engage the teacher in the reflection process.

These specific examples were also used to provide positive feedback and support their claims

with evidence. I believe this is beneficial to the tone of the conversation because at times,

evaluations can be uncomfortable for teachers. When the evaluator provides the teacher with

evidence on their successes, it can bring joy and a positive mindset. Many times, this information

is presented in question format rather than a statement. What this does is it provides the teacher

with time to reflect on their lesson and for them to realize their strengths on their own. This

strategy is a similar strategy to what was mentioned earlier, guided questioning.

The three aspects of the teacher coaching and development process are all necessary

components in order to support the teacher and encourage the most successful outcome.

Providing the teachers with opportunities to discuss their upcoming plans and reflect on their

achievements and areas of weakness are great ways to encourage the growth of the teacher.
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TEACHER COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Reference:

Instruction, O. o. (2016, July 5). Pre & Post Observation Conversations [Video]. Retrieved from

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fszjY0tKJlA

Khachikian, R. (2016, January 14). Part 1: Elementary Pre-Observation Conference [Video].

Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FacY1ScZ5r4

Khachikian, R. (2016, January 14). Part 2: Elementary ELA Classroom Observation [Video].

Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlfDPLNC3IE

Khachikian, R. (2016, January 14). Part 3: Elementary Post-Observation Conference [Video].

Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYbmTVr7q-8

Loewus, L. (2017). Principals Are Loath to Give Teachers Bad Ratings. Education Week, 1-7.

National Center for Systemic Improvement at WestEd. (2019). Effective Coaching: Improving

Teacher Practice and Outcomes for All Learners. National Center for Systemic

Improvement at WestEd, 17.

Schools, D. (2013, October 11). Certified Pre Observation- Conference 1 [Video]. Retrieved

from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjs54GZrVhQ