Volume 2 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 43

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 41 workshop, lesson planning, instructional strategies, data analysis, parent conferences, district expectations, small group instruction, student-centered learning, and technology integration. Recommendations When asked “What recommendations do you have for improving the district’s coaching model?” The participants responded with a variety of recommendations including the wish that their coach had more knowledge about their individual campus or program, that meetings be more structured with a district timeline, and that coaches and teachers have the opportunity to meet sooner, possibly in the summer. Summary of Findings The purpose of the current qualitative research study was to explore new teachers’ perceptions of instructional coaching as professional development, their perceptions of the impact of instructional coaching on their instructional practices, and their perceptions of the impact of instructional coaching on their abili- ty to implement district expectations. Research Question 1 According to the new teachers, how has instructional coaching impacted their professional development? All twelve participants indicated they were engaged in personalized professional devel - opment through instructional coaching because it was aligned to their specific needs. The participants worked on various focus areas, supporting the idea that instructional coaching is person- alized to individual needs unlike more traditional professional development in which all participants are engaged in the same training. Research Question 2 In what ways has instructional coaching impacted the instruc- tional practices of the new teacher? All twelve of the participants indicated that instructional coaching impacted their instructional practices. In particular, the participants identified areas such as classroom management, lesson planning, instructional strategies, small group instruction, workshops, inquiry and exploration, assessment, balanced instruction, and technology integration. Classroom management and instructional strategies were the most reported instructional practices that were impacted. Research Question 3 From the perspective of the new teachers, how has instructional coaching impacted their implementation of district expectations? Eleven of the twelve participants reported that instructional coaching impacted their ability to implement district expectations. In particular, participants shared that instructional coaching impacted their ability to support student collaboration, improve lesson designs, integrate technology, implement inquiry and exploration, implement workshops, utilize student-centered learning, and implement common instructional expectations. Several participants indicated that it was easy to forget about dis - trict expectations once immersed in the classroom but the weekly visits with their instructional coach helped to keep the district expectations at the forefront of their mind. Implications Overall, the research findings support instructional coaching as an effective form of professional development. All of the partici - pants indicated they believed instructional coaching to be profes- sional development that was personalized to their specific needs. In addition, all participants indicated that instructional coaching had a positive impact on their classroom instruction. Lastly, eleven of twelve participants indicated instruction - al coaching impacted their ability to implement school district expectations. The participants indicated that their instructional coach did not push district expectations on them, but rather effectively kept district expectations at the forefront of their mind during ongoing collaborative and reflective conversations. While all of the participants indicated that there was a positive impact on their classroom, a couple of the participants reported they might have benefited more if their instructional coach had experience with their particular instructional program. In addition, there were recommendations that instructional coach - es become familiar with the particular expectations at individual campuses in order to better support teachers. A significant finding is the extent to which relationships contribute to the success of instructional coaching. All of the participants offered positive remarks about the relationship they had with their instructional coach, sharing they enjoyed the relationship between themselves and their instructional coach and benefited from the learning that took place as a result of instruc - tional coaching. They indicated that they trusted their instruction - al coach and valued the relationship.