The Effects of Virtual Coaching on Teacher Candidates’ Instructional Development
Abstract: A virtual coaching intervention utilizing Skype VoIP and Bug-in-the-Ear (BIE) Bluetooth technology paired with tablet devices provided immediate guidance and feedback to nontraditional teacher candidates during a semester-long internship experience. Participants were enrolled in a required internship as a capstone of their nontraditional university teacher preparation program. This study reports participants’ perceptions and concerns about a virtual coaching model. Participants cited benefits of the model to their own practice, to the observer, and to their students. They also shared suggestions and recommendations to include discussion of the technology utilized. Ultimately, the intervention model was seen as a positive experience that enabled participants to redirect their instructional practices and behaviors immediately.
Presider: Peggy Semingson, The University of Texas at Arlington