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This article was downloaded by: [Simon Fraser University]On: 16 November 2014, At: 17:27Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Interactive Learning EnvironmentsPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/nile20
Peer coaching with interactivewireless technology between studentteachers: Satisfaction with role andcommunicationJoan Marian Fry a b & Michael Koh Teik Hin ba William Paterson University of New Jersey , USAb National Institute of Education, Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity , SingaporePublished online: 16 Feb 2007.
To cite this article: Joan Marian Fry & Michael Koh Teik Hin (2006) Peer coaching with interactivewireless technology between student teachers: Satisfaction with role and communication,Interactive Learning Environments, 14:3, 193-204, DOI: 10.1080/10494820600852969
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10494820600852969
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Peer Coaching with Interactive Wireless
Technology between Student Teachers:
Satisfaction with role and
communication
Joan Marian Fryab* and Michael Koh Teik Hinb
aWilliam Paterson University of New Jersey, USA and formerly atb; bNational Institute of
Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
In technology-savvy Singapore, wireless communication devices were used over four weekly lessons
to facilitate communication between pairs of student teachers (STs). In the naturalistic setting of a
neighbourhood primary school, one ST used the technology to coach the other who was engaged in
teaching. (Both were familiar with the lesson plan and in a later lesson the roles were reversed.) The
coach’s comments (tape recorded) to the teacher were guided by lecturer-designed focus sheets.
Following each lesson, all teaching STs (n¼ 21) completed a short Likert-scale inventory on
satisfaction with the role of teacher, influence of communication on satisfaction with role,
characteristics of the communication as well as satisfaction with the device. Coding of tape
transcriptions after Kahan (2002) showed that the communication was shaped by the focus of the
observation sheets. Means of the tabulated frequencies on each survey item indicated that the
participants were overall very satisfied with the process of being coached. Satisfaction in role
increased across time. However, the influence of communication on role decreased across time.
Satisfaction with communication (amount) peaked in Week 2, but satisfaction in content of
communication increased across time. Although reporting that the devices were clumsy and at
times impeded their teaching, generally the students were satisfied with the technology.
Introduction
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is solely responsible for pre-service
teacher education in Singapore, a nation that has made its mark as an information
and communications technology (ICT) hub in the region. The integration of ICT
into teacher preparation became wide sweeping here as early as 1996. This take-up
within teacher education was in keeping with the Ministry of Education’s (MOE)
ICT master plan for schools. Presently at NIE, ICT has been incorporated with
*Corresponding author. William Paterson University of New Jersey, Wightman Gymnasium
(#120), 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, NJ 07424, USA. Email: [email protected]
Interactive Learning Environments
Vol. 14, No. 3, December 2006, pp. 193 – 204
ISSN 1049-4820 (print)/ISSN 1744-5191 (online)/06/030193-12 � 2006 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/10494820600852969
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varying enthusiasm into teaching and learning for all teacher preparation courses.
This paper reports on a study of peer coaching through interactive wireless
communication within physical education teacher education (PETE).1 In focus were
role satisfaction and several dimensions of communication (perceived effect on role,
satisfaction with content, frequency, and the wireless system) between pairs of
student teachers (STs).
It is over 25 years since Joyce and Showers (1981) initiated peer coaching for
teachers as follow-up to their participation in a professional development course.
They found that the associated communication and reflection improved new and
existing teaching skills among the experienced teachers. The peer-support process has
since been adopted in pre-service teacher education (McAllister & Neubert, 1995).
More recently, peer coaching has been gaining attention in the literature as a method
to supplement the opportunities faculty have for enhancing the quality of PETE
pedagogy (Jenkins, Garn, & Jenkins, 2005; Jenkins & Veal, 2002). Jenkins and her co-
workers have used peer coaching in pedagogy courses conducted in clinical settings to
improve PETE students’ knowledge. Observing their peers’ teaching, the coaches
audio-recorded their comments throughout the lessons, and supplemented these with
written notes and post-lesson conferences. Jenkins and Veal found that both roles
(teacher and coach) contributed to the development of professional knowledge and
skills with immediate and future application. Furthermore, the researchers concluded
that ‘‘the benefits of peer coaching far outweigh the investment’’ (2002, p. 66).
In regard to technology-assisted learning in teacher education, it is not uncommon
among the readership to associate ICT with interactive CD-ROMs or with e-learning
methods to improve content knowledge and/or pedagogical knowledge. However,
there are other aspects of ICT of which to be aware. It can be particularly useful in
stimulating communication in the form of feedback on teacher performance and
advice from an external other.
For instance, researchers at the Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS)
group of NIE are currently investigating the feasibility of incorporating video and
computer technology into PETE and PE pedagogy. As an illustration, Koh and
Khairuddin (2004) used this aspect of ICT in the development of PE content
knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in the curriculum area of
gymnastics. Whereas, our current study is in the area of using ICT to support
peer coaching between student teachers learning to teach in an authentic school
setting.
Technology-related research within PETE is scant. However, one early line of ICT
study was in the use of a personal audio player to improve performance on key
professional competencies. In this dimension, the effects of audio-cueing in
modifying selected teaching behaviours of ST and experienced elementary PE
specialists were examined by van der Mars (1987, 1988). The pre-recorded tape
prompting teaching behaviours was played into a headset while the teacher was in the
process of teaching. He found it to be an effective means of increasing each teacher’s
use of positive verbal feedback and specific skill feedback, with immediate and
substantial improvements. Giebelhaus (1994) later found that a mechanical third ear
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device also initiated immediate changes in teaching behaviours through prompts from
the transmitter device, because it provided opportunities for appropriate feedback
during a lesson. The stimulus and content of the communication added focus to post-
observation conferencing between student teacher and supervisor.
Extending the applications of wireless technology into a PETE clinical setting,
Kahan (2002) conducted a case study of the two-way communication between a
student teacher (ST) and the cooperating teacher (CT) on practicum. Their
interactions were predominantly CT-initiated with the talk being mainly managerial,
neutral, and specific in nature. Role satisfaction was higher when the wireless
technology was available. At post-practicum interviews, both participants reported
that the ‘‘bug-in-the-ear’’ device stimulated the neophyte’s ‘‘withitness’’ and
autonomy (Kahan, 2002, p. 86).
A common perception among teacher educators is that there is a limited amount of
time to develop teaching skills and subject knowledge among novice teachers (Katene
& Faulkner, 2003). We, too, looked to ways that we could enhance our PETE
students’ learning to teach. We looked to other pre-service contexts where Gordon
and co-workers (Gordon, Gibson, Hall, Dillon, & Perisce, 1997; White & Gordon,
2000) used the third ear device to support peer coaching in a training method to
develop interviewing techniques and other interpersonal skills. Essentially the lecturer
or a trained peer coach provided technology-assisted feedback to a trainee who was in
a ‘‘remote location’’ – in the next room behind a one-way window. In the earlier study
among trainee school counsellors, the counsellor’s task was to develop dialogue
with a third peer who was acting in the role of child-client while being peer coached.
This supportive process was extended in the later study to assist early childhood
STs who were engaged in mock employment interviews. The lecturers’ observations
and students’ reflective journal annotations about the effectiveness of the wireless
coaching process supported the wireless technology’s continued use in both
programs.
Given this backdrop of the university’s encouragement to supplement PE
pedagogy courses with ICT, we considered it possible that peer interaction, by
means of wireless communication devices (‘‘walkie-talkies’’), would provide
opportunities for on-the-spot dialogue as well as emotional support such as positive
reinforcement. Knowing of the success of White and Gordon (2000) in using
wireless-assisted peer feedback to develop professional skills of their early childhood
STs, albeit in mock job interview situations, we anticipated that, through such
vicarious means of support, PETE students would be able to accelerate their learning
phase. We planned to maximize the clinical experiences in a teaching methods
module by providing pairs of STs with interactive technology. This Singaporean
project was set in the context of various initiatives in the use of such devices that were
conducted in school-based university course work among dyads of collaborating
peers (‘‘teacher’’ with ‘‘feedback friend’’). Reported here is the first aspect of the
study – that conducted with a cohort of STs enrolled in a primary school specialist
PETE program. Examined were satisfaction with role, with types of communication,
and ease of technology use.
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Methods
This project was supported by a Singapore MOE Academic Research Fund Grant (RP
4/01/JMF) in which it was intended that the interactive technology would be used in
PETE pedagogy where the student teachers were learning how to teach using a
constructivist tactical approach to games teaching (McNeill, Fry, Wright, Tan, Tan, &
Schempp, 2004). However, the ‘‘ear-bug’’ research was also part of a comparative
study with a colleague, who had received a 2001 – 2002 teaching development grant
at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) for using similar interactive wireless
technology in PETE and sports coaching pedagogy. In April 2001, the principal
investigator was engaged as a consultant on the HKBU project and to participate in a
pilot study with the view also to undertake the research within PESS at NIE.
Pedagogical Context of the Research
Feedback from pedagogy lecturers, student teachers, and trainee coaches in HKBU
was extremely encouraging and, based on the results of that pilot study (Chow, Mak,
Cheung, & Louie, 2001), we designed the pedagogical protocol shown in Table 1.
This research was conducted within the parameters of a teaching methods module. In
the January semester, 2003, a total of 21 primary PE student teachers (6 women and
15 men), enrolled in a second-year teaching methods module, gave written informed
consent, and participated in this study by providing data on particular aspects of the
wireless-assisted feedback program. Their pedagogical module had emphasized
teaching games through a conceptual approach and involved teaching in a school-
based clinical setting. As the program shown in Table 1 indicates, earlier in the
semester we lecturers had modelled ‘‘ear-bug’’ assisted peer coaching and the class
had had opportunities to become familiar with its use in on-campus peer teaching.
For the first two thirds of the semester, three hours (a double and a single lesson)
had been taught on campus through lecture, group work, video analysis lecturer-
demonstration lessons, practical tutorials, and short peer-teaching strategies with
reflection. For the final third of the semester (the duration of the study), the weekly
double lesson was held in a coeducational neighbourhood primary school (of mixed
race, culture, religion – Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Other), while on campus the
single lesson was devoted to lecturer-facilitated group discussion and reflection.
Data Collection
Setting. For each of four weeks at the school, each ST taught one half-hour lesson,
scheduled between 7.30 and 10.30, when 10 classes were allotted by the school
administrators to NIE STs’ lessons. With neither control over the timetable nor
knowledge of the pupils, the lead author assigned the STs in pairs to one of the
available classes (averaging a minimum of 40 pupils); that is, each ST had
approximately 20 pupils (a ‘‘half-class’’) to teach over the full lesson period. In one
period, eight STs taught four coinciding PE classes, but later in the morning there
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Table 1. Pedagogical design for ear-bug enhanced PETE
Step Process
1 At the beginning of the semester, the lecturer/researchers defined the parameters of the
peer feedback system. They briefed the entire class in detail about the coaching
process of the ‘‘feedback’’ assignment, task specifications, feedback focus, group
structure, as well as group members’ roles and responsibilities. This introduction was
specifically related to the content of the pedagogy module in which the study was
conducted. The pedagogical process comprised classroom lectures, on-campus
practical tutorials which included peer-teaching, and school-based (n4 20) teaching
whereby one class was broken into two groups each to be taught by a student teacher
(ST). The relationship between the module content/activities and the research
project was clarified. STs informed that all would use the technology, but that they
would later be invited to volunteer to participate in the study.
2 Within those parameters, the research team demonstrated the wireless feedback
system. One person (‘‘feedback friend’’) coached the lecturer who was teaching in
either the practical pedagogy lecture or a practical sports lesson. Meanwhile, another
colleague observed the coaching process and provided process feedback to the
lecturer feedback friend pair. These roles changed according to the class context and
teaching assignment. Following the practical lectures the trio discussed the process.
3 When a demonstration was conducted during a pedagogy lecture the faculty team and
STs discussed the process, nature of wireless communication, feelings about
receiving and giving feedback, as well as the difficulties experienced using the
technology. The STs had time to ask questions of the team.
4 During subsequent practical tutorials all STs had opportunities to practise each role
(teacher, coach, and process observer) in peer microteaching situations. The STs
chose their dyad or triad. Their teaching performance, emotional responses and
perceptions of using the technology were discussed during each session. The lecturer
(lead author) also used a walkie-talkie with which to communicate with any of the
‘‘teachers’’ and sometimes suggested timing or content of communication to the
coach.
5 Prior to the school-based teaching experience, the STs were again briefed about the
specifics of the study and asked to volunteer for the study. All students in this
particular cohort provided written informed consent. They confirmed their
teacher-coach/feedback friend groupings and also chose with whom they would
share their class (so forming teaching pairs).
6 Teaching pairs planned a four-lesson mini unit; teachers had to brief their respective
coach on the plan. They also discussed the feedback system and set up, within their
group, a set of protocols; for example, a teacher might have devised a signal for
looking for assistance on timing. Each week each ST taught one lesson and provided
wireless feedback on one lesson. There was also to be post-lesson debriefing and the
following day each coach to provide focused, written feedback to the teacher who was
to use that written feedback, their own responses to the lesson, and their observations
of their pupils to self-evaluate their own lesson. The coach was to record her/his talk
on a voice recorder.
7 Post-unit unidentified questionnaires were completed and submitted along with the
written informed consent. The pedagogy modules were also student-evaluated in
accordance with university policy.
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was only one class (two STs each with own coach). Since ‘‘games’’ were blocked in
the school’s PE program during those weeks, the STs took over teaching a unit of
games fundamental (Grade 2), soccer (Grade 4), or netball (Grade 6). The children’s
usual PE teacher taught their other PE lessons during the week.
Each weekly session proceeded as follows. The STs arrived at the school prior to
the daily assembly with the National flag raising, anthem, pledge of allegiance, and
announcements. They prepared their lesson site and equipment before collecting
their class. Although held on asphalt playing surfaces in the outdoors, over the four
weeks none of the lessons was interrupted by inclement weather.
Because the school-based teaching was an integral component of all pedagogy
modules in all PETE programs, many of the older children remembered the PESS
lessons from previous semesters. Although the transceivers were worn in waist
pouches and as such were not highly conspicuous, the black lead to the earpiece and
microphones was visible, but once their initial curiosity was satisfied (‘‘Oh, teach
better, lah [sic]’’ – Week 1), the youngsters were observed to take little interest in the
devices. (Their attention was on the variety of activity in the STs’ lessons.)
Teacher-Peer Coach Pairs
The coach, or ‘‘feedback friend’’, had the responsibility (a) to be briefed on the lesson
plan prior to the lesson, (b) to provide feedback to the teaching friend during the
course of the lesson using the interactive wireless feedback system and a lecturer-
designed lesson analysis sheets, and (c) to engage with the teacher in discussion of
the lesson at the end. The roles were reversed in a later lesson on the same morning.
(The students negotiated their pairings and the one triad formed to accommodate the
uneven number.) Across the four weeks, their in-the-moment-of-teaching commu-
nication, feedback, and reflections were to focus on use of time (as planned), task
presentation, teacher withitness (Kounin, 1970), and feedback.
Prior to using the technology (16 sets of Kenwood UHF FM transceivers, model
TK-371S � Kenwood Corporation), STs refamiliarized themselves and selected the
communication channels for use in the authentic school setting. Following each
lesson, the pair engaged in reflection on the lesson. As soon as possible, the coaching
peer ‘‘fleshed out’’ the written feedback sheet and gave it to the teacher to supplement
their oral communication (within and post-lesson). Then, the teacher took the
written feedback and using her or his own responses to the lesson, observations of
the pupils, analysed his or her own lesson. As part of the academic assessment for the
pedagogy module, students were graded on the quality of their planning, teaching,
self-reflection, and written feedback provided to their partner. They were not graded
on the in-the-moment of teaching peer coaching. The data were processed after the
semester.
During the course of each morning, the principal investigator (module lecturer)
and a research assistant set up cameras, distributed the walkie-talkies, and micro-
voice recorders (see below) and then oversaw the transfer of equipment to the
appropriate pairs of students from one lesson to the next. After PE lessons, the
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classroom teachers collected their class from the playground. Meanwhile in the short
break between lessons, ST teacher and feedback friend (coaching pairs) exchanged
comments regarding the lesson, made any adjustment to the teaching space, and
rearranged equipment. Then, the teachers of the next lesson went off to collect the
appropriate classes. Following the last lesson, each week the lecturer (principal
investigator) facilitated a 15- to 30-minute debriefing session before the STs made
their way back to campus.
Data Collection and Analyses
Surveys. At the end of each weekly session, all students completed a five-item
questionnaire (adapted from Kahan, 2002) on various aspects of satisfaction –
dissatisfaction with their role as a student teacher, content, and amount of the
communication plus satisfaction with the technology. They responded on a 5-point
Likert scale. In addition, participants were surveyed on the extent of influence the
communication had on their role as a teacher. However, due to the unidirectional
nature of that item, a 4-point scale was used. Through an open-ended question, there
was also an opportunity for the STs to list any dissatisfaction they might have had
with regard to the whole experience. In Week 1, each participant randomly drew a
number. Although names to these identity numbers were not recorded, they were
used by STs to code each week’s form and so facilitated tracking levels of satisfaction
for the four-week duration of the project. Item-by-item, frequencies were tabulated
and mean group scores were computed.
Coaching dialogue. Each coach also had a micro-voice recorder which they were to
switch to ‘‘on’’ and tape their side of the dialogue. We were unable to source
equipment which would have captured both the teacher’s and coach’s speech on to
the same tape. This qualitative aspect was disappointing because week-by-week some
coaches forgot to turn on the tape, inserted their tapes into the wrong recorders, or if
the recorder was switched on, it might have been left abandoned while the coach
tracked the teacher as she/he moved through the class. Although limited, the content
of communication recorded complements the data from the rating scales. The
audiotapes were transcribed and coded so that the recorded feedback could be
tracked across the four weeks. The transcripts were analysed around Kahan’s (2002)
categories of collegial communication (type: description, prescription, and inter-
rogative; and valence: positive, neutral, and corrective) and the weekly lecturer-
specified observation foci.
Results
Table 2 provides a summary of the survey results. To allow for a more detailed
analysis, the average score for each item of the questionnaire was computed with the
scores ranging from 5 to indicate ‘‘very satisfied’’ to 1 being ‘‘very dissatisfied’’. As
appropriate, textual data have been integrated into the reported quantitative data.
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Because there were no names on the surveys, links between individuals through the
two data sets were not possible. However, the textual data enrich interpretations of
the numerical descriptions.
Across the weeks the teachers got regular positive reinforcement from their coaches
(‘‘good organizational skills’’ – Week 1; ‘‘good clear illustration’’ – Week 2; ‘‘good the
kids are enjoying themselves’’ – Week 3; ‘‘yes, very clever!’’ – Week 4). Overall, the
survey results reflect a positive response in the group to the use of the wireless
communication device. The STs’ satisfaction level in their role as a teacher in the
micro-teaching setting increased from 3.7 in Week 1 to peak at 4.05 in Week 3 before
levelling off at 4 in the final week, and so reflects a general satisfaction in their role.
With regard to the extent the communication influenced their perception of
satisfaction of the role as a student teacher, it is interesting that the reported extent of
influence diminished with the weeks from an initial high of 4.1 (strong influence) to a
final 3.76 (moderate influence).
For the aspect on the degree satisfaction with the amount of communication, the
mean score increased from 3.25 (neutral) in Week 1, to peak at 3.81 (satisfied) in
Week 2 and finally levelling off at 3.76. The STs were overall satisfied with the
amount of communication that occurred via the wireless set. Limitations in the
available technology restricted the communication taping to that of the coaches.
Analysis revealed that the captured voice data were almost invariably comments
initiated by the coaches in response to either their observations or prompts on the
weekly observation guide. Only occasionally was there an indication that a teaching
partner had sought information or advice from the coach in the moment of teaching
(‘‘Listen I’ll tell you . . .’’ – Week 2). That is not to say that, in keeping with the notion
that it was an interactive process, collaborating pairs had not discussed and decided
on the type of content and timing of communication prior to the lesson.
As for the level of satisfaction with the content of the communication, this ST
cohort was generally satisfied throughout the weeks, with the mean score peaking at 4
(satisfied) by the end of the fourth week. Descriptive (‘‘The group on the left did it
wrongly’’), prescriptive (‘‘Go and stand nearer and talk to them’’), and interrogative
(‘‘Can you indicate whether . . . ?’’), the types of communication identified by Kahan
(2002), were evident in the coaches’ dialogue. Across the weeks, the content of
Table 2. Weekly survey results on the use of ear-bug device during microteaching
Weekly means
Questionnaire item 1 2 3 4
Satisfaction with role as student teacher-teacher 3.70 3.81 4.05 4.00
Extent of influence the communication
had on the role as student teacher
4.10 3.81 3.89 3.76
Satisfaction with amount of communication 3.25 3.81 3.76 3.76
Satisfaction with content of communication 3.85 3.86 3.85 4.00
Satisfaction with communication device used 3.60 3.67 4.06 3.86
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communication kept parallel with, but was not confined to, the weekly lecturer-
prescribed observational focus: management in Week 1 (‘‘Get them to organize the
equipment’’), task presentation in Week 2 (‘‘How about providing a challenge?’’),
teacher withitness in Week 3 (‘‘It’s getting a bit static’’), and feedback in Week 4
(‘‘Maybe give them reassurance’’).
Finally, the level of satisfaction with the communication device tended to remain in
the neutral – satisfied – end of the continuum, with the greatest satisfaction reflected
in the third week of use. These technical aspects of the device (‘‘Something’s wrong
with the talkie?’’ – Week 3; ‘‘Shall I raise my voice?’’ – Week 4) have implications for
servicing ongoing research that will be discussed later.
Discussion
In some ways the data generated from peer coaching pairs echo the findings from
Kahan’s case study (2002) in a practice teaching setting of the wireless interactions
between a student teacher and her cooperating teacher. As in that case, the Singapore
‘‘teachers’’ were rarely initiators of the peer communication. These student teachers
were also well satisfied in their teaching role and reported that the wireless system was
linked to their role satisfaction. Overall, our results suggest that there were positive
effects coming from in-the-moment wireless assisted peer coaching. From the
increased satisfaction (from 3.7 to 4.0, Table 2) with their role as a teacher in the half-
class clinical setting, it appeared that quite possibly this teacher satisfaction was linked
to the positive reinforcement received from their coaches. It would also seem that the
participants perceived themselves as more effective teachers. Although it is not
possible to apportion the amount of contribution to the increased teaching
satisfaction as a result of using the wireless audio-feedback equipment, judging from
the increased satisfaction with the amount (from 3.32 to 3.76) and the content (3.85
to 4.0) of the communication, we allude to the use of the equipment as having a
positive effect on their satisfaction with their teaching.
However, the extent this communication influenced their perception of satisfaction
(with their role as a student teacher) diminished with the weeks, from a high of 4.1
(strong influence) to 3.76 (moderate influence). This reduced influence across time is
in accordance with the wireless communication of scaffolding teacher development.
This is the Vygotskian notion of being guided toward a zone of proximal development
wherein, as learners approach the desired behaviours, their reliance on external
support decreases. Thus, there is a self-weaning off the coach’s ‘‘lifeline’’ extended by
way of the walkie-talkie. Furthermore, if the ways these student teachers put the
technology into use suggest that wireless facilitated coaching might be more relevant
for beginning teachers operating either on new ground or in difficult situations
(Giebelhaus, 1994), then perhaps these student teachers felt settled in their teaching
context. This dip in perceived influence might also be attributed to the student
teachers’ relying less, over the weeks, on positive verbal feedback from their peers for
affirmation and/or direction in their practice. Rather, in the later weeks they used the
equipment for communication with varied valence (neutral: ‘‘remember to cue ‘Eyes
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on basketball’’’ – Week 3; or corrective: ‘‘Get them going!’’ – Week 4). These shifts in
quality of communication could also imply that using the wireless technology could
have increased the coaches’ observational skills, as well as their association with what
was transpiring in the lessons and when it was their turn to be ‘‘teachers’’ they were
more satisfied in being able to internalize their observations in their own practice and
as such reported less influence of communication on their being in the role of teacher.
The level of satisfaction with the communication device tended to remain in the
neutral – satisfied – end of the continuum. Note that it peaked in the third week of use
(4.06) before petering out to 3.86 in the final week. This has several implications. It
could be that the novelty of the equipment use had worn off by this time. It is also
possible that some users became less reliant on feedback as they had matured in their
teaching practices over the weeks of the clinical experience. However, given that
satisfaction with the content remained steady and the amount of communication
increased in the fourth week, it would suggest that the diminishing level of technical
satisfaction with the equipment may have to do with the technical glitches
experienced. Some of the concerns expressed by the users included the device being
inconvenient to use as it was bulky, with wires occasionally getting in the way of
movement, and their having to tweak with the knobs during conversation. Certainly,
such technical details can be improved upon with features such as voice activation
and the integration of seamless wireless ‘‘blue-tooth’’ technology. With time, such
devices could become miniaturized adding to greater convenience. For now,
increased familiarity with regards to the use and technical limitations of the device
can help users work around these minor irritations and focus on the bigger picture of
improving teaching effectiveness.
The wireless technology provided an opportunity to engage the student teachers in
critical and reflective thinking on the process of teaching. To do so competently, they
would have needed to have already internalized the fundamental content knowledge
and pedagogical knowledge in order to participate in a deeper discussion. It is in the
hope that, through such social interactions within their communities of practice (Lave
& Wenger, 1991), teacher-coach pairs, made more intimate through the use of the
technology and with the learning tasks, novice teachers are able to offer ideas or
resources, articulate, and support positions on issues, reflect, and re-evaluate
personal positions in relation to PE pedagogy. In the post-modern information era,
there are opportunities through technology to facilitate student teachers’ learning to
teach. In the context of physical education classes in the open playground, wireless
technology was found to facilitate peer coaching in student teacher pairs and enrich
their pedagogy program.
In this study, interactive technology was useful in building role satisfaction in
student teachers who were engaged in the process of learning in authentic school
settings. Moreover, satisfaction with the frequency and content of the communication
and its quality suggest that the process had implications for the categories and level of
professional knowledge which is constructed while in the role of coach as well as in
that of teacher. From this, there are several applications of coaching through wireless
communication that could be extended to athlete development. In non-competitive
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situations coaches could cue their athletes to a key component of their performance,
pacing in a middle distance run or focusing prior to taking an archery round of shots.
Where rules permit, wireless coaching could be extended to competitive sports
environments.
There are several applications of wireless-supported instruction which warrant
further investigation, including analysis of both the teachers’ and the coaches’
knowledge structures prior to and following the teaching-coaching experiences;
comparison of role satisfaction and communication between teachers of various levels
of expertise; and further exploration of the system in various authentic learning
situations such as content knowledge coursework and field work. Our introduction
set this study in a context where STs were learning to use a mandated constructivist
approach to games teaching – a form of enquiry teaching. In our situation, wireless
coaching has possibilities for extending STs’ questioning techniques, through their
coaches (either novice-peer or expert) prompting the beginning teachers to probe
their pupils’ thought at deeper levels (McNeill, Fry, Wright, Tan, & Rossi, 2006).
In our own enquiry (Fry, Chow, & Koh, 2005) we have followed another stream of
ear-bug research: Its use on practicum in asymmetrical collaborating relationships
(the beginning teacher paired up with the university supervisor). In the practicum
setting Kahan (2002) has already explored some wireless possibilities for enhancing
communication and improving the quality of teaching practice supervision from a
cooperating teacher’s perspective. The full extent of the possibilities for wireless
communication could prove to be between experienced teachers. In other words,
wireless peer coaching also has implications for staff development among experienced
teachers as well as for supporting those learning to teach. At the university level – as
an adjunct to our modelling reflective practice to the STs – we have been using the
technology to improve our own pedagogical practices within a mutually supportive
triad of PETE lecturers intent on improving pedagogical practices in curriculum
content and pedagogy courses. Another potential area of study is in the potential
benefits wireless communication might have in extending teachers’ knowledge
structures.
Note
1. The research was conducted when both authors were at the National Institute of
Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
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