Running head: TEACHER COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 1

Teacher Coaching and Development Process

Savannah Miller

Grand Canyon University: EAD-530

8/5/20
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Inquiry into Teaching and Learning: Observation Pre-Conference

One of the key aspects that is different in this pre-conference from the ones I have

experienced as a teacher, is the administrator taking the lead. In my pre-conferences, my

administrator will ask me what I have planned and then ask guiding questions depending on what

I do or don't say. After presenting him with a written lesson plan, he also will ask certain

questions to guide my thinking and make sure the lesson is planned and prepped to an

appropriate level. 

The key questions asked during the pre-conference were: What are your objectives, how

will you know the students met those objectives? What are your expectations for students? Is this

new information or something you have worked on before? What is the relationship between this

lesson and lessons you have taught before, and lessons you will teach in the future? What can I

expect to see from students? How will you structure the activity for discourse? What assessments

will you use to check their understanding?

All these questions aligned with specific elements that should be included in a high-

quality lesson. If a teacher has taken the time to plan a high-quality lesson and utilize their

pedagogy to ensure that it includes engaging student tasks, student discourse, and rigorous

questions, they should be able to answer these questions with ease, even if they have not

considered it before. A lesson plan is the best-case scenario, but we always know that there are a

million things that could potentially happen. By being informed and well prepared, teachers can

be more effective at explaining why they made the choices they did. 

Assessment of Teaching and Learning: Classroom Observation

Some things a coach or administrator may look for while observing a lesson are: the

posted objective and standard, visual materials, such as anchor charts and vocabulary, as well as
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student materials and resources. During instruction, administrators and coaches will look for an

introduction to the lesson including informing students of the objective, and perhaps some kind

of guided release.  Another part of this can include metacognitive model, partner work, and then

an independent task. I also find it helpful to pull student exemplars and show different ways to

represent learning. 

For me personally, I make sure every single lesson includes student opportunities to turn

and talk about what they already know, as well as new concepts that they have learned, and I try

to include as much wait time as possible. Additionally, I try not to ask whole class questions

without giving every student the opportunity to talk in a small group or partner group first. I find

that this allows them to be more confident in sharing their ideas and allows me to be able to

random call on students without receiving, “I don't know” as an answer. Finally, they look for an

aligned assessment that is rigorous and shows an increase in the depth of knowledge.

Administrator feedback should begin with effective classroom management. Classroom

management guides student engagement because students that are not able to pay attention

cannot be engaged. Regardless of the quality of your instruction, if the majority of your students

are not able to receive it because of distractions or management issues, it will not be effective. If

management is not a concern, the next feedback I would give would be in regards to lesson

components, and making sure that teachers are writing standards-based objectives, student-

friendly learning targets, and that questions activities and assessments are aligned to both. From

there if necessary, we can discuss potential strategies for making this happen in the classroom

that can include structures, scaffolds, and student engagement strategies. 

Coaches or administrators should not provide constructive feedback during an

observation unless it is absolutely imperative to the safety and well-being of the classroom.
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Teachers are often incredibly aware of when a lesson is going right or wrong, and more often

than not they need the opportunity to correct it and make changes on their own. Additionally, you

never want a staff member to feel embarrassed or targeted in front of their class.

When it comes to supporting during an observation, I would be hesitant. If I felt that the

teacher genuinely would feel relieved and supported from me stepping in, potentially minimizing

a behavior, I may try using proximity or other strategies, but for the most part I would save any

feedback or potential support I could offer for a post observation when I could gauge the teachers

comfort level with providing it. While it may not be optional, it is a courtesy I would like to

extend to my teachers as professionals. 

The feedback that an administrator gives is all for the purpose of teacher development.

This can affect teacher efficacy or confidence. Evaluations naturally have pressure attached when

the evaluation should really serve as an opportunity for teachers to reflect on their practice in the

moment and after the fact. (Mireles-Rios, 2019) The feedback given during and after the

observation is crucial in cultivating this reflection.

Assessment of Teaching and Learning: Post-Observation Conversation

The coach began the conference by thanking the teacher for allowing her in her

classroom, and then asking what the teacher's perception of the lesson was and why. She then

followed up by asking a few other guiding questions. This sets the tone for the post-conference

by showing that the teacher is leading the discourse and the observer is guiding where the teacher

should be going. 

The coach used specific evidence during the post conference in regard to asking a student

what they were doing and why they were doing it. This allowed the coach to give positive
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feedback while also validating choices the teacher had made. Additionally, it showed that the

observer was present at the time and engaged in what her class was doing. 

The coach used several phrases such as, “I think that will be very effective moving

forward” or “I believe that was a good choice.” While she did have good things to say about the

lesson, I think it could have been more effective if she had picked out one area of strength this

teacher demonstrated. This could be one way the teacher is representing leadership, trying new

things, or showing content knowledge. This will not only increase the efficacy of the teacher but

ensure that this is something that has continued throughout their career. 

Teacher performance evaluations are equal parts quality assurance and professional

development. More often this than not this means balancing research versus reality. Any

feedback that is gathered during an evaluation should be shared and used to promote professional

learning. (Lillejord, 2020) The evaluation should be centered around what went right and

highlighting those strengths and making it clear you saw good intentions it can inform their

professional learning and efficacy.

Questions should be used when providing constructive feedback because it allows you to

gauge the reasoning behind the choices that an instructor made. The goal of the questions is to

guide the teacher to a deeper understanding, and to remedy misconceptions, not to knock down

an evaluation score. (National Center for Systemic Improvement at WestEd, 2019) Constructive

feedback should always be seen this way, as adjustments that can be made will improve the

overall instruction and therefore improve the student outcomes. I believe this is a good strategy

because it allows for the focus to remain on what the teacher can control in the future and it gives

the teacher more power as they came to the conclusions on their own. 
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Overall, teacher performance evaluation has two primary objectives: professional

development or inspiring teachers to think about their teaching practices. (Tabak, 2020) This

means that teacher performance evaluations can be used not only to determine competence but

also to inspire one's teaching practice, build instructional leadership, plan and reach goals for

teachers and students, and overall build reflection into an instructor's daily routine. It is

important to keep all these pieces in mind when discussing lessons with teachers, observing in

classrooms, and providing structured feedback.

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References

Lillejord, S., & Børte, K. (2020). Trapped between Accountability and Professional Learning?

School Leaders and Teacher Evaluation. Professional Development in Education, 46(2),

274–291.

Mireles-Rios, R., Becchio, J. A., & Roshandel, S. (2019). Teacher Evaluations and

Contextualized Self-Efficacy: Classroom Management, Instructional Strategies and

Student Engagement. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 4(1),

6–17.

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

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

Improvement at WestEd. National Center for Systemic Improvement at WestEd.

Tabak, H. (2020). Evaluation as an Opportunity for Reflection: Stakeholder View of Teacher

Performance. Participatory Educational Research, 7(1), 127–142.