In the INTERACT research project, teachers receive guidance from their own specially trained coaches. “I am lucky to be able to mentor such committed and skilled teachers”, says coach Liv Jorunn Byrkjedal-Sørby.
She is one of 10 coaches in the INTERACT research project. She normally works as an assistant professor at the Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education. However, several times a month, she takes on the different role of coach for a total of five teachers.
“It is very rewarding for me to be a coach in such a large and important research project. I feel it is very important that research is put into practice, but also that what is being researched is perceived as being useful and relevant to the field of practice – and this project is a prime example of this”, says Byrkjedal-Sørby.
Brave and talented teachers
Before the actual guidance session starts, both she and the teacher she is coaching review a video that the teacher has recorded of their own teaching in the classroom, and then they both select 2 specific clips that they want to discuss together. Seeing as the guidance takes place digitally via a digital platform, she has the opportunity to coach a total of 5 teachers in the project’s intervention group.
“I am fortunate enough to be able to accompany these teachers ‘into’ the classroom. They are very brave allowing me to get close insight into themselves and their own teaching – because I really understand that they might feel a little uncomfortable. However, they are very open and willingly share their experiences. They are extremely skilled, academically strong and dedicated, and they are all passionate about their pupils and their learning outcomes”, she says.
A highly skilled personal coach
In order to be a coach, she has completed CLASS training and certification, and also participated in five days of coach training. She feels that the interaction between the coach and the teacher is the rewarding thing about the role. She sits down with the teacher and goes through what he or she does well – and then they discuss what the teacher wants to practice for the next session.
The coaching she provides is research-based and builds on Teaching Through Interaction (TTI), also known as the TTI framework. TTI identifies three domains of classroom interactions which are classroom organisation, instructional support, and emotional support. Research shows that high-quality interactions within these domains lead to increased pupil engagement.
Many feel alone in the classroom
It is not that often that teachers receive feedback on their own teaching. In addition, many teachers experience burn-out and want to quit their jobs. Guidance on one’s own classroom management can be perceived as useful and motivating for many teachers.
“I think a lot of teachers feel rather alone in the classroom. We know from previous research that teachers find it rewarding to receive feedback and guidance on their own classroom practice. The teachers I provide guidance to also say that they find it useful”, says Sørby-Byrkjedal.
The coach says that she gets to know the teachers she mentors very well, even though everything takes place digitally. She says that teachers are keen to learn as much as possible about what they can do differently in order to make teaching the best possible for the pupils.
“At the end of the day, it is all about the pupils, and that they should learn as much as possible – in every lesson and in every subject. They should have a good relationship with the teacher and fellow pupils. When pupils feel safe and enjoy their time in the classroom, it also provides more room to learn”, she says.
Theory put into practice
“It can be difficult for teachers to translate knowledge from a book or a course into practice in the classroom. One is often alone in the implementation process ”, says Grete S. Vaaland.
“With this form of professional development, the teacher does not have to do the implementation process from theory to practice on their own. The dialogue with the coach helps to convey and concretise the theory of good classroom interaction together with the teacher. In this way, theory is put into practice”, says Vaaland, who is co-principal investigator in INTERACT. The researcher compares the coaching role in INTERACT with a cross-country skiing coach who is to teach Norway’s new skiing talents how to ski as quickly as possible. The coach has knowledge about the body, training principles, skiing and so on, and can help the athletes translate the knowledge into practice.
“The coach does not come in from the sidelines and comment on completely random things about the teaching, but instead possesses knowledge that influences the dialogue with the teacher. They are skilled in classroom interaction and know what to look for”, she says.
Hoping for good results
The intervention in INTERACT is nearing completion for this school year, and teachers are now involved in the final coaching sessions. The researchers will know more about the results in 2 years’ time when the project is completed, but Vaaland is optimistic:
“We know that the teachers in the project find it very useful, but we don’t know yet whether the teachers are actually receiving support to develop their practice for the benefit of themselves and their pupils. We also don’t know if the pupils experience more learning outcomes from this form of coaching, and if so, whether it is something that also turns out to be a lasting change, but that is what we hope the conclusion will be when the project is completed.”
If the project proves to yield good results, this is something the research group hope they can further develop and eventually make available to teachers across the country. She envisions an offer of research-based support for professional development through classroom observation. It will take place digitally and allow teachers across the country to take advantage of the offer.
Closely connected to what is happening
Rune Nordhaug normally works as a head of department at Atlanten Upper Secondary School in Kristiansund, but this year he has also coached 6 teachers from different places throughout the country. He thinks the project is exciting, and finds it rewarding to coach what he describes as skilled and committed teachers.
“Neither the tool nor the method are new, but in this project it has been systematised and closely connected to what is happening in the classroom”, says Nordhaug.
He now hopes that the research project can lead to changes in upper secondary school.
“It is a good tool and a good method for studying the interactions that take place in the classroom, and it also makes teachers more aware of their own role. I hope more teachers can benefit from this in the future, because I think there are many teachers who think it would be useful to receive this kind of guidance”, he says.
Text: Maria Gilje Strand Photo: Marie von Krogh/INTERACT, UiS & private
