Blended ContentAccording to Koehler and Mishra (2009), teaching is a multifaceted and sometimes ill-defined art and profession, which may influence how teachers incorporate technology into their curricula. Specifically, they highlight the ways in which social aspects, contexts, and structures inside their organizations might act as barriers to the absorption of technology. Based on Shulman's (1987) PCK paradigm of teacher technology comprehension, Koehler and Mishra (2009) developed the TPACK framework with the purpose of gaining an understanding of the diverse combinations of teacher pedagogical knowledge (PK), content knowledge (CK), and technological knowledge (TK). This method has the potential to enhance the efficacy of technology usage and integration by measuring teacher knowledge and promoting teacher education and professional development (See, Figure 1). Professional development programs that increase teacher knowledge of technology and teaching with new technologies may benefit teachers and TPACK competencies.
Within the realm of teacher professional development, coaches play a vital role. A review of the literature on teacher professional learning (TPL) shows that successful TPL is defined as learning that results in changes in teacher practices and improved student performance. Empirical studies on effective Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) pinpoint seven crucial elements that result in improvements in student performance. These components include active engagement with the content, interactive learning to include instructors, cooperative work with peers, mentorship from a coach, constructive feedback and reflection, and extended duration (Darling-Hammond, et al., 2017). The existing body of research unequivocally recognizes coaching as a highly efficient method for altering practices and improving student performance in a specific area, while simultaneously possessing the capacity to improve all other areas (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Desimone 2009; Penuel et al., 2007). An extensive analysis of 60 research articles on coaching provides strong evidence that coaching greatly influences teaching approaches and improves student learning results (Kraft et al, 2018).
In this qualitative study we designed a two day professional development workshop that brought together researchers and coaches recruited based on their self-identified problems of practice regarding technology integration. The professional development consisted of a mixture of structured writing sessions and informal activities that allowed participants to share their ideas and experiences according to a series of pre-planned questions. The workshop functioned for pairs to create their own PD deliverable materials to improve teacher TPACK and increase tech integration in teachers’ classrooms that they coach in.
Data sources include semi-structured interviews and focus groups that lasted approximately 60 minutes and were conducted using the Zoom digital platform.These interviews aimed to understand the multifaceted obstacles faced by coaches when trying to aid teachers in the integration of technology within their schools. Braun and Clarke's (2012) thematic analysis method was employed to identify codes, patterns, and themes from the participants using TPACK as a lens. As the data evolved, codes were adjusted and re-categorized to ensure clear representation of the coaches' voices. This process yielded 2 overarching themes.
We discuss the two overarching themes.
Enhancing teacher understanding of technology and its use
In their post-interviews, the coaches that participated in the professional development workshop reflected on the ways that their PD deliverable materials would help enhance teacher learning regarding technology. One coach highlighted their decision to format their deliverables as vignettes to make new technology accessible: “We wanted it to be as accessible as possible. At one point we started talking about vignettes for teachers who might be struggling to figure out how to use AI in the classroom”. A second coach reflected similarly that the format mattered, voicing “We decided that we could make our document 20 pgs long, but we wanted it to be approachable for teachers. ..We had to keep adjusting to make sure things fit our goal and our priorities”. The last coach reflected on her ability to learn as a teacher coach to then pass that knowledge to the teachers she worked with, noting “The biggest change for me was to listen. I came in with all these ideas and got a chance to listen and figure out how I could add on ideas”. All coaches seemed to consider the accessibility and access points for teachers to grow their content and technological knowledge.
Supporting Teachers across educational content areas
A second theme emerged when interviewing the coaches regarding the applicability of their PD deliverables to a variety of contents and scenarios. One of the coaches remarked that she believed that teacher buy-in was generalizable, but after working with a researcher and thinking about specific teacher struggles “...during her research, she found so many other reasons that I didn't even think of…it put pieces together so much easier as to how we can better support them because we needed to know the why before we could know how to support them”. The other two coaches remarked that they could see themselves expanding their PD deliverables with one remarking “We want to add some more lesson plan ideas for different areas for teachers who may be interested in doing things like this” and the third planning to align it to a curriculum that she is working with this upcoming year for 5th grade classrooms.
This study contributes to professional development models meant to improve teacher TPACK and confidence using new technology. Since this model includes both coaches and researchers, it helps to bring research into the classroom. However, the materials are made by coaches who are in and near classrooms, making them more usable and accessible for practitioners. This helps teachers grow in their practice, while also bridging the gap between research and practice. Additionally, this study provides a guide for employing coaches to help teachers with tech integration as they are an underutilized resource for introducing new teaching and technology techniques. Overall, this study aims to bring technology research and practice together through coaches talent and experience in the classroom and with teachers. Through this study, we advocate for more models where administrators leverage coaches as experts with shareable knowledge for teachers. We also advocate for teachers and coaches to work together to address problems and possibilities for their own practice that are relevant and pressing in education currently.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, vol. 2: Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp. 57–71). American Psychological Association.
Chen, C.-H. (2008). Why Do Teachers Not Practice What They Believe regarding Technology Integration? The Journal of Educational Research, 102(1), 65–75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27548264
Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning policy institute.
Desimone, L. M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational researcher, 38(3), 181-199.
Koehler, M., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education, 9(1), 60-70.
Kraft, M. A., Blazar, D., & Hogan, D. (2018). The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of educational research, 88(4), 547-588.
Penuel, W. R., Fishman, B. J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L. P. (2007). What makes professional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American educational research journal, 44(4), 921-958.
Shulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard educational review, 57(1), 1-23.
Woodruff, K., Hutson, J., & Arnone, K. (2023). Perceptions and barriers to adopting artificial intelligence in K-12 education: A survey of educators in fifty states.
Yang, T. C., & Chen, J. H. (2023). Pre-service teachers' perceptions and intentions regarding the use of chatbots through statistical and lag sequential analysis. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 4, 100119.
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