Abstract:

The aim of science education in the United States has taken a significant departure from traditional expectations of student learning outcomes as a consequence of the articulation of a new set of learning standards known as the Next Generation Science Standards (or "NGSS"). At the core of the NGSS is the construction of arguments. Authentic construction of arguments requires an instructional focus on “how scientists know” rather than on “what scientists know”. When teaching and learning is focused on a “how scientists know”, value is placed on sense-making, discourse, debate and critical inquiry. If follows that the practices of scientists (and engineers) found within the various enterprises must be what all students engage in during the learning experiences. It also follows that such a focus is designed to break down the “Private Universe” in which learners have been traditionally trapped as a consequence of traditional models of science teaching. At the same time, the NGSS requires teachers of science to make a significant conceptual shift with respect to their perspectives on the design of science curriculum.

One strategy initiative implemented by both individual schools and school districts is that of instructional coaching. One-to-one coaching has been found to be an effective way to improve student learning and, more importantly, sustain shifts of effective practices by teachers (see Fabiano, Reddy, & Dudek, 2018; Kraft, Blazar & Hogan, 2018). Instructional coaching is best described as a professional development program where a coach (a master teacher or professional with expertise in teaching and learning) works with a teacher, one-on-one, to facilitate research-based knowledge and skills into classroom practice. While many different models of instructional coaching exist (Kraft & Blazar, 2017) the objectives are often the same including deepening teacher reflection on their own practice, finding ways to engage learners to a greater degree during a lesson, and/or planning a lesson to increase relevancy to the content, to name a few. A typical coaching model is for the coach and the teacher to plan, implement and reflect on a specific lesson, identifying a specific practice that will be focused on to support the teacher’s development.

This study sheds light on a coaching model using a new framework of teaching practices aligned to the NGSS, emphasizing the shifts that a teacher and coach use across all three phases of the model (i.e., planning, implementing and reflecting). Data collected from coach/teacher pairs working in a large, urban district in the Northeastern United States and across both the elementary and secondary grade bands, will be presented specific to the efficacy of this framework as a way to support teachers’ understandings and how these practices are enacted in the science classroom.

Keywords:

Instructional Coaching, Next Generation Science Standards, Curriculum Design.