Forging the role of the digital technology coach: flexibility, responsiveness, and resourcefulness in supporting teacher professional learning

Abstract

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study explored the experiences of a digital technology (DT) coach over the duration of a school year, as she forged her role and sought to support elementary teachers’ abilities to integrate technology in instruction across the curriculum. In a school district in Ontario, Canada, the DT coach engaged teachers in individualised, face-to-face, classroom-based coaching and facilitated small group professional learning meetings. This study sought to understand how a DT coach navigates her role, with attention to the factors that affected her ability to support teachers. Multiple data sources were collected including observational field notes from group meetings and classroom-based coaching sessions with teacher participants, as well as individual interviews with the coach and a convenience sampling of teacher participants. Analyses of these data derived six interconnected themes: flexibility and responsiveness, authenticity and humility, growth mindset, relationships, engagement, and resourcefulness in overcoming constraints. Implications include the need to further examine the characteristics of effective DT coaches, with particular attention to their flexibility, humility, and learning orientations. Additionally, this study revealed the need for further research exploring the professional learning of DT coaches and continued exploration of factors that affect the efficacy of DT coaching.