Abstract
This qualitative study examined the effects of a coaching program as part of a professional development effort to support integration of mobile technologies in a hospital school setting. The professional development consisted of two components: (a) the researchers introduced pedagogical models for incorporating mobile technology in education and (b) a technological expert (the iCoach) provided one-on-one and small-group personalized coaching. After studying the contextual challenges and teachers' needs over a period of 12 months, an effective coaching model emerged. This was a personalized model geared to each teacher and tailored to the unique features of this hospital context. An integral part of the model was a reflection strategy, which encouraged teachers to question their teaching with the purposeful use of technology. Data collection involved teachers' reflections, iCoach reflections, and semi-structured interviews. Many themes emerged from the data analysis; the two main ones were the uniqueness of the setting and the multiplicity of demands on the teachers and the iCoach. The study developed a set of guidelines to help teachers use technology in an integrated pedagogical way.
Highlights
Providing appropriate education to children unable to attend regular school is challenging
The aim of this research was to investigate a personalized coaching program developed in an Australian hospital to meet the unique needs of hospital schoolteachers
To make the process effective for the teachers, professional development (PD) was offered consisting of two components: (a) the introduction of pedagogical models for incorporating mobile technology in education and (b) one-on-one and small-group personalized coaching provided by a technological expert
Summary
Providing appropriate education to children unable to attend regular school is challenging. In Australia, hospital schools are typically small schools situated in regional hospitals catering to schoolage children and staffed by teachers under the jurisdiction of the local Department of Education. These hospital schoolteachers can help students using a range of educational delivery options to maintain their learning and reduce the isolation and anxiety that disrupted schooling may cause. To make the process effective for the teachers, professional development (PD) was offered consisting of two components: (a) the introduction of pedagogical models for incorporating mobile technology in education and (b) one-on-one and small-group personalized coaching provided by a technological expert (the iCoach)
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