Improving feedback through unpacking, engaging with and challenging teachers’ theories of practice

Abstract

Teacher professional learning and development has long been seen as an effective way to change teacher practice, and many theorists highlight the importance of engaging with teachers’ theories of practice during the process. A teacher’s theories of practice consist of the ideas, beliefs and attitudes that drive his or her teaching practice. There is a paucity of research however, into how professional development providers can successfully unpack, engage with and, if necessary, challenge, teachers’ theories of practice in ways that lead to pedagogical changes in teachers’ classroom practice. The context of professional learning and development in this research was coaching. Participating coaches were either external or in-school facilitators who worked with teachers in cycles of observation and feedback/feed forward. The research focussed on discussions between coaches and teachers throughout the observation process. Coaches and teachers were volunteers drawn from secondary or area schools. The research comprised three studies. Study 1 was a small interpretivist study that set out to investigate coaches’ levels of feedback that were effective in changing teacher practice. Post-observation discussions between coaches and teachers were audio taped and transcribed and semi-structured interviews were undertaken with teachers. Findings indicated that teachers remembered and acted on very little feedback. A proposed explanation was that coaches’ failure to unpack, engage with or challenge teachers’ theories of practice led to the feedback having little salience for the teachers. As a result of the findings from Study 1, Study 2 aimed to help coaches engage with teachers’ theories of practice through developing a tool, the Engaging with Teachers’ Theories of Practice (ETTOP) rubric (Version 1). Study 2 consisted of three phases. In phase 1, data were collected to determine coaches’ skills prior to training in the use of the tool. In Phase 2 the ETTOP rubric (Version 1) was developed and coaches were trained. In Phase 3, phase one data collection was repeated to identify shifts in the practice of coaches and teachers. As with Study 1, feedback/ feed forward discussions were audio taped and transcribed and teachers interviewed. At the beginning of their interviews teachers completed a questionnaire. Findings indicated that although training in the ETTOP rubric iii (Version 1) helped coaches unpack and engage with teachers’ theories of practice, most teachers did not report pedagogical shifts in their practice. An explanation for this finding explored in Study 3 was that while coaches surfaced the teachers’ beliefs and ideas at a superficial level, they failed to develop a discussion in which these ideas were explored and, if necessary, challenged. Findings also led to the revision of the ETTOP rubric, the coaches’ training and the data gathering instruments. Study 3 was a quasi-experimental study with a one-group pre-test/post-test, involving a greater number of coaches and teachers than Study 2. Procedures were the same as for Study 2, with one addition. As well as teachers, coaches were interviewed at Time 1 and 2 to investigate their perceptions of changes in their practice. Study 3 found that when coaches engaged with teachers’ theories of practice at a deep level, teachers reported pedagogical changes in their practice. Even with training, however, many coaches struggled to unpack, engage with and challenge teachers’ theories of practice. There were two major findings across the three studies. The effectiveness of using a tool was enhanced when coaches developed routines around its use. Even with the aid of a tool, however, coaches struggled to create dissonance with teachers’ current position and thereby begin the process of conceptual change. Further research is warranted in refining both the ETTOP rubric and training for coaches and teachers to effect pedagogical changes in teacher practice. This research provides some direction for schools and external providers of teacher professional development that a stronger focus on engaging with teachers’ theories of practice may lead to teachers improving their practice through implementing pedagogical changes.