01.Professional Learning and Development
Paper
Teacher Video Co-coaching to Support the Development of Dialogic Teaching in the Primary Classroom
Carole Bignell, Chris Holligan
University of the West of Scotland, United Kingdom
Presenting Author: Bignell, Carole;
Holligan, Chris
Dialogic teaching has been seen as a method of supporting social and moral learning processes (English 2016). It has been framed as improving student learning by teachers improving classroom dialogue and interaction patterns (Alexander, 2020). This presentation reports on a two-year qualitative study of peer co-coaching triads introduced to develop English primary school teachers’ skills in dialogic teaching. Whilst much is known about teacher development by means of more formal learning activities, research on more everyday situated teacher learning is limited (Kyndt et al 2016). Supporting teacher development includes collaborative teaching practices, and increasingly, coaching is acknowledged as a facilitator of teacher professional development. In an educational context, coaching can take many forms, with emphasis often placed on the role of the instructional coach working in a dyadic relationship alongside a teacher with the intention of developing instructional practice (Haneda, Teemant, and Sherman 2017; Lofthouse, 2018). In the field of educational leadership, the potential of group coaching has been recognised for enhancing learning about leadership practices (Fluckiger et. al., 2016). However, research into group coaching in the wider school context (and specifically group coaching between teachers) remains minimal (Fluckiger et al, 2016). Furthermore, Roberston (2009) acknowledges that educational leaders do not necessarily have the skills, theoretical frameworks, time or experience to effectively coach their staff in the development of instructional practices.
This presentation responds to the lacunae in our professional knowledge through consideration of a research project undertaken with seven teachers in a primary school in the South of England. The research focused on developing teachers’ skills in using group (peer) video coaching to further dialogic teaching approaches in their classrooms. In doing so, it sought to address previous recommendations (Bignell, 2018) that academics should seek out models of professional development which empower teachers to lead professional dialogue in order to develop the depth of understanding required to effectively implement dialogic teaching in daily classroom practices.
To that end, a model of group (triadic) video coaching was adopted that sought to develop teacher skills in dialogic teaching and explore the potentialities of a group coaching methodology. In seeking to give voice to the participant experiences, the research drew upon pre and post-project questionnaires and post-project interviews. Throughout interviews, the teachers, Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher reflected extensively upon their experiences of group coaching and how they understood the impact on professional learning in situ. Two research questions were addressed:
-
To what extent can teacher video co-coaching enhance the development of dialogic teaching skills?
-
What are the advantages and limitations of a using group video co- coaching approach for professional development?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe research adhered to the interpretive paradigm. Teachers’ experiences of seeking to develop dialogic teaching in their classrooms were conceptualised as socially constructed. Each participant’s experience of working in a reflective co-coaching triad to develop dialogic teaching in their classroom reflected local cultural realities, including patterns of experience within the participant group reflecting their collective experience.
A qualitative case study was conducted over a period of 2 years. The case was a large inner-city primary school in the South of England; the majority of pupils were from low socio-economic backgrounds. At the start of the research period, 55% of pupils were identified as being eligible for Pupil Premium funding (Department for Education, 2017).
A convenience and opportunistic sampling strategy was adopted to recruit. The school was known to the researcher (having affiliated links to the University at which she was working). Teachers from the school who were keen to develop their skills in dialogic teaching and co-coaching volunteered as participants. The Headteacher selected six teachers who had a range of teaching experience and taught pupils across the breadth of the primary age range. With one teacher moving on to a new school at the end of the first year and another taking up his place at this point, seven teachers took part in this research-led intervention.
The intervention consisted of six termly researcher-facilitated co-coaching sessions over a period of two years. During these sessions, teachers worked in co-coaching triads to watch, discuss and reflect upon videoed extracts of teaching. Sessions lasted three hours, and so there was time for each teacher in the triad to share their chosen video extract and take part in an associated coaching discussion. The teachers were encouraged to focus discussion of videoed teaching on teacher and pupil use of dialogic talk moves and the interactional behaviours. The GROW co-coaching model (Whitmore, 2009) was used to direct triad reflection and identification of each teacher’s next steps at the end of each session. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThematic analysis of interview data revealed that teachers reported using dialogic teaching approaches more frequently, attributing this to participation in the teacher triad co-coaching intervention. The advantages of using group video co-coaching approach in this context were afforded by several dynamics:
- the ability to replay teaching episodes for analysis of dialogic bids in order to be able to focus on the interactional detail of the lesson(s) - specifically dialogic teaching.
- the dialogic nature of the professional development intervention which mirrored the dialogic ‘drive’ in the classrooms.
- the opportunity for shared, focused reflection on dialogic teaching practices, underpinned by a willingness to be vulnerable to colleagues.
- for most teachers, the professional trust and respect was encoded in the professional model.
The challenges of a using group video co-coaching approach in this context were that some participants felt that video co-coaching exposes potential vulnerabilities about classroom interactional practices that some teachers may prefer to avoid. Participants also reflected that senior leadership ‘drive’ for an intensive professional development intervention was key to its positive impact.
The findings of this research point to the crucial role that peer video coaching plays in supporting teachers to develop dialogic teaching skills in their classrooms. This development was supported by shared teacher analysis of interactional behaviours (specifically the use of dialogic talk moves) within the context of a co-coaching triad. Findings suggest that the participant teachers understood their development of dialogic teaching to be evidenced through the principles of dialogic teaching (Sedova, 2017) and underpinned by a professional commitment to seek out a dialogic stance in their classroom interactional practices (Boyd and Markarian, 2011).
ReferencesAlexander, R.J. (2020). A Dialogic Teaching Companion. London: Routledge.
Bignell, C. (2018) ‘Promoting NQT linguistic awareness of dialogic teaching practices: a dialogic model of professional development’. Literacy, 53(3), 150-159.
Davies, M., Kiemer, K. and Meissel, K. (2017) ‘Quality Talk and dialogic teaching - an examination of a professional development programme on secondary teachers’ facilitation of student talk’, British Educational Research Journal, 43(5), pp. 968–987.
English, A.R. (2016) ‘Dialogic Teaching and Moral Learning: Self-critique, Narrativity, Community and “Blind Spots”’, Journal of Philosophy of Education, 50(2), pp. 160–176.
Fluckiger, B., Aas, M., Nocolaidou, M., Johnson, G., & Lovett, S. (2016). ‘The potential of group coaching for leadership learning’. Professional Development in Education, 43(4), 612-629.
Whitmore, J. (2009) Coaching for performance: GROWing human potential and purpose - the principles and practise of coaching and leadership. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Haneda, M., Teemant, A., & Sherman, B. (2017). ‘Instructional coaching through dialogic interaction: Helping a teacher to become agentive in her practice’. Language and Education, 31(1), 46-64.
Kyndt, E. et al. (2016) ‘Teachers’ Everyday Professional Development: Mapping Informal Learning Activities, Antecedents, and Learning Outcomes’, Review of Educational Research, 86(4), pp. 1111–1150.
Lofthouse, R. (2018). ‘Coaching in education: A professional development process in formation’. Journal of Professional Development in Education, 45(1), 33–45.
Robertson, J. (2009) Coaching leadership learning through partnership. School Leadership and Management, 29(1), 39-49.
01.Professional Learning and Development
Paper
Quavers to Quadratics, Interdisciplinary Co-teaching in Music, and Physics. Teacher Perspectives
Marita Kerin
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Presenting Author: Kerin, Marita
Abstract
Building on earlier research that focused on the undergraduate experience, this paper presents the primary teacher perspective on an interdisciplinary music and physics educational outreach program called Quavers to Quadratics.
This popular program, now in its eighth year, involves pairs of undergraduate music and physics students, (interdisciplinary co-facilitators) creating and presenting a pioneering initiative for 4th – 6th class primary school children and their teachers. The program aims to playfully explore via co-teaching, concepts common to music and physics including pitch and frequency; dynamics and amplitude; tempo and velocity.
Co-teaching is an approach to teaching and learning encompassing the knowledge and skills of two or more ‘experts’ committed to teaching together and at the same time learning from each other. In this program, undergraduate students from the two faculties of music and physics [Music Education at Trinity College Dublin and Physics at University College Dublin] form interdisciplinary pairs of co-facilitators. Primary teachers participating in the program are invited to co-teach with the co-facilitators. Fidelity to the co-teaching model dictates that teachers and co-facilitators meet on three occasions. Co-facilitators visit the school classroom to meet the children and to co-plan with the teacher in advance of the children’s visit to the National Concert Hall, the location of four interdisciplinary workshops, seeing sound, hearing sound, feeling sound, and creating sound. On the day of the visit to the National Concert Hall, the teacher, and co-facilitators lead the children in their exploration of the concepts common to the two disciplines in an informal playful co-teaching pedagogical style. Later the children create their own instruments with recyclable materials. Co-reflection, the final part of the program involves co-facilitators visiting the classroom once again and co-reflecting on the experience with children and teacher. The Quavers to Quadratics program which is funded by Science Foundation Ireland has been rolled out across Ireland, including in Gaeltacht [Irish speaking] areas.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedMethodology: Following ethical approval from Trinity College Dublin, thirty online semi-structured interviews were conducted with participant teachers after the most current iteration of the program was completed. Following a preliminary analytical cycle, two participant-teacher focus groups were convened to further explore the initial themes identified. A subsequent analytical cycle produced the current findings.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsFindings: Although many participant-teachers revealed an interest in both music and physics as a consequence of the program, most admitted to formerly feeling challenged teaching these subjects to senior students in primary school. Findings reveal that teachers hold the program in high esteem with all participants indicating that they would seek to participate in further iterations in the future. Many teacher participants recommended that the program run at the start of each of the three school semesters so that teachers in the classroom could continue to build on the learning experienced via the program. An additional recommendation involved resource packs to help teachers extend the learning.
All teachers commented positively on the expertise and communication style of the undergraduate facilitator dyads.
Almost all teacher participants referred to the benefits of interdisciplinary co-teaching as professional development for teachers, claiming that the initiative served as a strong impetus for continuing music and physics in the classroom. All spoke positively about the informal pedagogical style citing consistently high levels of pupil engagement throughout the program. Some teachers reported that seeing their students participate in the program gave them a fresh perspective on pupil interests and capabilities.
However, many participant-teachers were unhappy with the preparation allocated for co-teaching. While this was conducted via an online introductory workshop, teachers found it hard to find the time to participate. Lack of familiarity with the model impeded their levels of participation initially.
Conclusion: This paper challenges the conventional primary teacher professional development model which takes place for the most part outside of school during the summer holidays. Emergent findings are interesting in the context of situated learning as an alternative, viable, and valued professional development model for teachers.
ReferencesReferences
Kerin, M., & Murphy, C. (2015). Exploring the impact of coteaching on pre-service music teachers. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 309-323.
Kerin, M., & Murphy, C. (2018). Equal Temperament: Coteaching as a Mechanism for Musician–Teacher Collaboration. In Musician–Teacher Collaborations (pp. 217-230). Routledge.
Nilsson, M. H. Z., & Kerin, M. (2022). Interdisciplinary co-teaching in higher education: Comparing results from music-drama and music-physics partnerships in Sweden and Ireland. Nordic Research in Music Education, 3, 75-91.
Scantlebury, K. (2010). Coteaching in international contexts. K. S. C. Murphy (Ed.). Springer Netherlands.
01.Professional Learning and Development
Paper
Teacher Collaboration in Indonesia: Conceptualisation and Practices
Wendi Wijarwadi, Dennis Alonzo, Hoa Nguyen
UNSW, Australia
Presenting Author: Wijarwadi, Wendi
Participation in professional development (PD) activities is a pivotal approach to stimulating school improvement and promoting continuous teacher learning. It is to ensure that teachers have the required competencies to deliver quality teaching and learning activities to support students in achieving better outcomes (Darling-Hammond, 2013; Dogan & Adams, 2020; OECD, 2020). However, the quality of PD programs has a long-standing critique because in-service training, workshop and seminar are perceived to be ineffective because they are not situated within the school context and not embedded in the daily teaching practices (Darling-Hammond, 2013; Forte & Flores, 2014). A school-based PD in the form of teacher collaboration is found to be more effective in improving teaching practices (Weddle, 2022; De Jong et al., 2022).
Studies have demonstrated that teacher collaboration is the key to creating an effective teacher PD program. For example, a report by OECD (2019) recognises teacher collaboration as one of the most impactful models of PD to improve teacher practices since it fosters continuous teacher learning within the school context and enables more flexibility and efficiency in teacher learning experiences. This evidence is consistent with Darling-Hammond's (2013) study that effective professional development requires strong collaboration among teachers. This research evidence supports teacher collaboration adoption in many schools worldwide (Shavard, 2022; Weddle, 2022)
Given its widely recognised importance, the discourse on teacher collaboration has attracted scholars in the last decades to study it further (e.g., de Jong et al., 2019; Hargreaves, 2019). Although teacher collaboration is a frequently used concept in the literature on professional development (Hargreaves, 2019), this concept is also not well understood. There are apparent issues related to understanding practices of teacher collaboration. First, teacher collaboration has been used in different ways, pointing to different types of interactions among teachers. For example, some scholars view teacher collaboration as an informal, spontaneous, and flexible activity built upon teachers' circumstances (e.g., Brodie, 2021; Hargreaves, 2019) while some view it as a formal and mandatory activity built on teachers' commitment (e.g., Schuster et al., 2021; Webs & Holtappels, 2018). Second, the term is poorly delineated because people conflate teacher collaboration with other professional development terminologies such as Community of Practices (e.g. Hjerto et al., 2014), and Professional Learning Community (e.g.Chua et al., 2020). Third, The existing literature paid little attention to examining the contextual differences in other educational contexts, most of which were conducted in non-western contexts. If teacher collaboration is a product of a particular educational setting, the practices of teacher collaboration in a system as diverse as Indonesia would be a distinctive practice. Hence, it is important to examine how this construct is perceived and practised in Indonesia because cultural dimension elements such as the power distance, the culture of individualism, and the culture of collectivism may influence it.
This issue, as mentioned previously, shows a greater need to grasp the clarity of the teacher collaboration concept so that it will stimulate teachers' engagement in collaboration and guide the principals to promote teachers' engagement in teacher collaboration in the school context. The theoretical perspective of Activity Theory was used since it provides an analytical tool for providing greater clarity for tackling theoretical questions underpinning teacher collaboration practices. In this study, Activity theory was used to examine teachers' experience in collaboration by examining the teachers' activity system and its development, the setting, and the issues that cut across multiple activities within the setting. Thus, we aim to provide greater clarity to these three issues in this paper by answering the following research questions:
How do teachers in Indonesia conceptualise teacher collaboration? What factors influence teachers’ engagement in collaboration?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThis study employed a multiple case study design to address the research inquiry.
The participants of this study included 12 teachers and three principals from three schools in Indonesia recruited using a criterion sampling strategy to ensure the selected participants meet the identified criteria.
Data collection
The data collection phase integrated case study research and activity theory as its research framework. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, field observation and document analysis. At the same time, the activity theory framework was integrated into data collection instruments comprising six components: subject, object, tools, rule, community and division of labour.
The interview questions were adopted from previous studies on teacher collaboration (e.g., Datnow, 2018; Vangrieken et al., 2015), and developed using the Activity Theory framework (Engeström, 1999; Vygotsky, 1978; Yamagata-Lynch, 2010). The interviews included open-ended questions integrating the six components of activity theory and the purpose of the research around these aspects: the understanding of teacher collaboration, the engagement of teachers in collaborative practices, and the factors that influence teacher collaboration practices. After interviewing the participants, the observation of teachers' interactions and collaborative practices was employed. The observation protocol was developed by integrating the activity theory component to record information consisting of participants' profiles, activities, and reflective notes, such as the observer's thoughts, ideas, and challenges.
Data Analysis
Case study research as the study design and activity theory as the theoretical framework were incorporated into the data analysis. This study undertook a theoretical thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006) comprising of familiarisation with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and connecting thematic analysis to theoretical analysis. The activity theory was used to generate initial codes for a data set to determine coding relevance concerning the subject, object, tools, community, rule, and division of labour. It also includes classifying themes into relevant activity system components to determine which themes belong to specific components. The data analysis from each activity system and the joint activity system also explored contradictions within and across activity systems to produce a valuable theoretical lens for this study. It strives to examine the inconsistency between and within the activity systems of teachers and principals.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsAnalysis of the data showed the following initial findings:
First, formal and mandatory collaboration emerged as Indonesia's main feature of collaboration practices. All participants referred to a school-based teacher collaboration called MGMP, a government program that clustered teachers based on their school subject. While some teachers value the MGMP program since it facilitates their professional development, some teachers voice their concerns for the MGMP as it is merely an obligatory program with a default structure to follow. This kind of collaboration has been mentioned as 'Contrived Collegiality' by Hargreaves (2019), potentially hindering teachers' progress in collaborative practices.
Second, teachers value collaboration more as a beneficial practice to enhance personal relations with other teachers. This perception may be influenced by the collective culture of Indonesian people, where they emphasise interrelation as the core value of how a society should operate. It also reflects how cultural contexts influence collaborative practices among teachers.
Third, some contradictions are identified within and between the activity system. For example, teachers' participation in collaboration was halted by their teaching workload during school hours. They value collaboration as a beneficial practice personally and professionally, yet, they rarely participate in it. Meanwhile, the principal praised the implementation of the new curriculum as more supportive of collaborative culture among teachers. However, teachers do not share the same perspective due to a lack of support to learn the new curriculum.
Conclusion
This finding provided empirical support for how teachers in Indonesia conceptualised and practised collaboration. While collaboration is mostly implemented in a formal and a top-down approach, teachers view the practice of collaboration as an instrument to connect with other teachers and build social relations. This study also made a theoretical contribution to the conceptualisation of practice where the social settings of a collaboration influence the practice of teacher collaboration.
ReferencesBraun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Brodie, K. (2021). Teacher agency in professional learning communities. Professional Development in Education, 47(4), 560-573. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1689523
Darling-Hammond, L. (2013). Getting teacher evaluation right: What really matters for effectiveness and improvement. Teacher College Press.
Datnow, A. (2018). Time for change? The emotions of teacher collaboration and reform. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 3(3), 157-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpcc-12-2017-0028
de Jong, L., Meirink, J., & Admiraal, W. (2019). School-based teacher collaboration: Different learning opportunities across various contexts. Teaching and Teacher Education, 86, 12. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102925
Dogan, S., & Adams, A. (2020). Augmenting the effect of professional development on effective instruction through professional communities. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and practice, 26(3-4), 326-349. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2020.1832064
Engeström, Y. (1999). Activity theory and individual and social transformation. In Perspectives on activity theory (Vol. 19, pp. 19-30). Cambridge University Press.
Forte, A. M., & Flores, M. A. (2014). Teacher collaboration and professional development in the workplace: a study of Portuguese teachers. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), 91-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2013.763791
Hargreaves, A. (2019). Teacher collaboration: 30 years of research on its nature, forms, limitations and effects. Teachers and Teaching, 25(5), 603-621. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.1639499
OECD. (2019). TALIS 2018 results (volume II): Teachers and school leaders as lifelong learners. O. Publishing.
OECD. (2020). Education at a glance 2020: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en.
Schuster, J., Hartmann, U., & Kolleck, N. (2021). Teacher collaboration networks as a function of type of collaboration and schools’ structural environment. Teaching and Teacher Education, 103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103372
Shavard, G. (2022). From school improvement to student cases: Teacher collaborative work as a context for professional development. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1879216
Vangrieken, K., Dochy, F., Raes, E., & Kyndt, E. (2015). Teacher collaboration: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 15, 17-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.04.002
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Webs, T., & Holtappels, H. G. (2018). School conditions of different forms of teacher collaboration and their effects on instructional development in schools facing challenging circumstances [Article]. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 3(1), 39-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-03-2017-0006
Weddle, H. (2022). Approaches to studying teacher collaboration for instructional improvement: A review of literature. Educational Research Review, 35, 100415.
Yamagata-Lynch, L. C. (2010). Activity systems analysis methods: Understanding complex learning environments. Springer Science & Business Media.
|
