| This study was a naturalistic inquiry in the form of a case study on the effects of coaching, a non-evaluative supervision using collaborative lesson planning, classroom observations, and changes in teaching practice selected by teachers in order to monitor changes in student performance that indicate improved learning.;In order to improve instruction and compete in an increasingly competitive market for students, the education department at the school studied created a position for an education specialist to provide technical instructional assistance for faculty preparing chefs for the food service industry. To provide this assistance the education specialist used both formal and informal settings to cultivate contexts in which instructors concentrated on the effects of their teaching. The researcher selected five teachers to represent the five units of analysis, or five experiments on the effects of coaching. Participation by the teachers in coaching was voluntary.;The methods used to gather and analyze data were written and videotaped records of classroom observations, interviews, planning sessions, observations by the teachers themselves, department chairmen and educational administrators. All the information recorded was discussed with participants for the purpose of establishing the accuracy of and an interpretation of the record so that it could be used to construct improved delivery of instruction.;The researcher used the theoretical bases of Donald A. Schon's "Reflective Practice", Argyris and Schon's "Theories in Action", "Action Science", Mezirow's "Perspective Transformation", Perry's "Continuum of Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development", Marsick's "Strategic Paradigm" as well as others cited in the references to design a profile matrix of change in teachers' stance toward students and how they learned. The results of the study indicate that constructive changes can be effected through coaching that can improve delivery of instruction and can improve teachers' attitudes and perceptions of the work they do in teaching.;In conclusion, coaching can be a useful addition to staff development that encourages teachers in a postsecondary technical school to expand their personal definitions of teaching and learning and to become researchers investigating the effectivness of their teaching practice. |
