ERIC Number: EJ1020099
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Sep
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1073-5836
EISSN: N/A
From Classroom to Coach: One Teacher's Journey
Cataldo, Penny
Teaching Children Mathematics, v20 n2 p110-115 Sep 2013
In this article Penny Cataldo, a veteran early childhood mathematics teacher, describes her experience as a first time early childhood math coach. In contrast to her role as a teacher, as a math coach she was expected to lend her "expertise" to her fellow early childhood colleagues and help them develop their math practice. After conferring with a local mathematics consultant, a first-grade teacher, a former math coach, and reading key publications on the topic, she explains that a valuable insight was to realize that coaching a new teacher--versus an experienced one--would require a different approach, including learning to discuss ideas that invite teachers to verbalize their thoughts. Asking specific questions helped inform her about a teacher's comfort level in teaching math, his or her understanding of the concepts to be taught, and his or her knowledge of child development. She also describes how communication was critical to her effectiveness as a math coach. She established consistent meeting times and endeavored to keep the lines of communication open with the teachers she was coaching. In her meetings, she learned to ask questions and listen carefully to teacher responses. She explains that encouraging teachers to voice their thoughts and ideas has been instrumental in her development as a math coach. Lastly, Cataldo describes how the discussion of a teacher's teaching style and lesson design has proven to be an effective technique to support his or her professional development. In these discussions, they reflect on ways to enrich the content knowledge of their students, how to address the "big idea" in the units, student achievement goals, classroom management, lesson materials, and differentiating instruction that supports the wide range of learning styles reflected by their students. A bibliography is included.
Descriptors: Mathematics Teachers, Mathematics Instruction, Early Childhood Education, Coaching (Performance), Expertise, Teacher Collaboration, Teaching Skills, Beginning Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Competencies, Questioning Techniques, Teaching Styles, Faculty Development
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1502. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-3702; Fax: 703-476-2970; e-mail: orders@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Journal Articles
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A