This research provides insights into the experiences of a cohort of H&PE teachers and consultants as they were learning to become instructional coaches amidst curriculum change in one Canadian province. Moments of curriculum change offer critical periods through which teachers can be supported through targeted and ongoing professional learning and development (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012; Patton, Parker, & Pratt, 2013). Instructional coaching is a job-embedded, sustained, and collaborative form of professional learning that “provides intensive, differentiated support to teachers so that they are able to implement proven practices” (Knight, 2009, p. 30) based on their context-specific needs.
METHODS: Over one year, instructional coaches (n = 13) participated in three focus group interviews at the beginning, middle, and end of the professional learning initiative. They also contributed open-ended survey items at the beginning and end points. Data were first analyzed deductively (generating codes that reflected expectancy-value theory: self-efficacy, importance-value, and usefulness-value) and then inductively, where codes were generated that represented salient ideas, concepts, or experiences that did not necessarily represent a pre-identified theoretical framework.
RESULTS & IMPLICATIONS: Participants reported very positive experiences learning about and using instructional coaching. From their experiences, participants suggested that instructional coaching was an important and useful approach to professional learning that carried the potential to improve teachers’ abilities to implement the new H&PE curriculum in authentic and meaningful ways. Providing deep learning opportunities to fewer teachers was seen as mostly beneficial in the long-term. With that said, they also identified the substantial investment of time and money required to make instructional coaching effective for both instructional coaches and teachers. The mostly positive outcomes suggest that organizations that provide professional learning opportunities for teachers in H&PE may find instructional coaching to be a promising approach to supporting teachers’ sustained professional learning during times of curriculum change.
