Teacher Preparation: Coaching for Excellence

What is the impact of coaching when used in teacher preparation field experiences? Traditional teacher preparation and mentor feedback centers on supporting teachers to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes required to become teachers in Alberta, Canada. Generally, a clinical supervision model is used to provide feedback and evaluate. However informative, a clinical supervision model is limited. This paper will describe the benefits of adding coaching to complement traditional supervisory approaches during student teacher’s field experiences to engage them in reflection, clarify their purpose for teaching and align beliefs between theory and practice. Coaching provides an engaging, high impact experience that encourages the development of resilient and reflective teachers.