Blog Assignment: Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories
I found the research Coaching as a Key Component in Teachers Professional Development – Improving Classroom Practices in Head Start settings a confirmation to what I have previously witnessed in my work setting. Two years ago, we have a grant to open few preschool classrooms in a near rural area. This time the agency decided to hire coaches to supervise the education piece in these classrooms, instead of Early Childhood Specialist that we have in the other programs. I could not understand then what the difference was, but the Director of Education from our agency, and the Outcome specialist did a research to implement what will be the best practice, taking in consideration the short period of time the grant will be awarded. The research about coaching as being a key component for teacher’s professional development, has the answer for some of the questions I have had before with our agency decision to hire coaches for the new program in our agency. The coaches focus in the classroom only, supporting teachers, and providing feedback to staff on how to implement curricula and how to improve strategies in working with children. Our agency keeps record of children outcomes, and even when we did not participate in a research study, we observed how having coaches in these preschool classrooms helped keep the educational focus to one of quality, benefiting the children enrolled.
The research study concluded the following “Coaching as a form of professional development offers the opportunity to greatly influence the quality of experiences that both teachers and children in early childhood education settings receive. Implementation of a strong coaching component, however, is a complicated endeavor that should be undertaken with strategic planning and advisement. Program administrators should carefully think through and resolve multiple factors, including the kind of coaching model they will employ, the type of skills needed by coaches to support the model, the people they will hire, and the best way to support the implementation and sustainability of the model.
The lessons presented here constitute a first step toward articulating a core set of broad principles regarding coaching implementation. As the research base grows and data from this demonstration continue to be analyzed, forthcoming reports will shed even more light on emerging promising practices in this burgeoning field.”
If I have the opportunity to be in charge to hire staffs to oversee education in preschool program, I would hire coaches to focus in observing classrooms and provide feedback to teachers to increase their professional development, which at the end will bring children’s outcome to a maximum.
Resource:
Chrishana M. Lloyd and Emily LL. Modlin (20012). Coaching as a Keyy Compoonent in Tea chers’
Profeessional Devvelopment: Immproving Classroom Praactices in Heead Start Settings. OPRE
Reportt 2012-4, Waashington, DDC: Office off Planning, RResearch annd Evaluaation,
Administration for Children andd Families, UU.S. Departmment of Heaalth and Humman
It is a great idea to have teaching coaches to come in the classroom to help guide the teachers and direct the children but that can become a problem because then the teacher may feel that they may not be things correctly. This should be done in beginning of the year.
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