Providing Immediate Feedback to Co-Teachers Through Bug-in-Ear Technology: An Effective Method of Peer Coaching in Inclusion Classrooms

Abstract

More children with special needs are educated in general education classrooms than ever before. Ideally, special education and general education teachers work together in these settings as instructional teams, but a "one teaching, one assisting" model is often in place with the special education teacher assuming a subordinate role. As such, the authors conducted research to determine whether changes can be made in teacher instruction so that both teachers in a collaborative team are highly engaged in the instructional process during the lesson. The authors used a multiple-baseline, across-participants design to assess the effects of peer coaches' giving immediate corrective feedback via bug-in-ear technology on a specific teaching behavior during instruction. Three dyads of co-teachers participated (five women, one man). Each teacher met criterion (three consecutive sessions at 90% or higher) in just three sessions, maintained the behavior at high levels postintervention, and generalized the behavior to a different setting without the peer coach present. Teachers rated the treatment as a beneficial technique that they would recommend to others. Implications for classroom use are discussed.

Understanding feedback: A learning theory perspective

“…Four articles from a behaviouristic point of view investigated feedback via bug-in-the-ear technology and its effects on (student) teachers' teaching behaviours (Goodman et al, 2008; Scheeler et al, 2010Scheeler et al, , 2012Scheeler & Lee, 2002). All of them concluded that immediate feedback is effective, and, in addition, Goodman et al (2008) and Scheeler et al (2010) advised that feedback should be specific and corrective. An overwhelming majority of these (student) teachers showed 90-100% of the desired behaviour in short term and in the 2010 study, Scheeler et al's participants showed their desired behaviour in the long term as well as in other situations in 75-100% of the cases.…”

“…As Table 3 shows, from a behaviouristic perspective (Goodman et al, 2008;Rodriguez et al, 2009;Scheeler et al, 2010Scheeler et al, , 2012Scheeler & Lee, 2002), feedback should be given immediately and/or timely (Auld et al, 2010). In addition, Van der Kleij et al (2012; from social constructivism) described that feedback can be provided immediate or delayed.…”

“…Ten articles were based on behaviourism: Werts, Wolery, Holcombe, and Gast (1995), Lee (2002), Ferreira, Moore, andMellish (2007), Goodman, Brady, Duffy, Scott, and Pollard (2008), Rodriguez, Loman, and Horner (2009), Auld, Belfiore, and Scheeler (2010), Scheeler, Congdon, and Stansbery (2010), Duchaine, Jolivette, and Fredrick (2011), Ochieng' Ong'ondo and Borg (2011), and Scheeler, McKinnon, and Stout (2012.…”

Effects of Coaching on Teachers’ Use of Function-Based Interventions for Students With Severe Disabilities

“…Side-by-side coaching has also been reported to be effective for improving students' behavior. Shanley and Niec (2010) Bug-in-ear coaching has also been shown to increase teachers' implementation of the successful three-term-contingency teaching units across a range of academic subjects (Scheeler et al, 2010). They used a multiple baseline across participants design to demonstrate that bug-in-ear technology with three general education and special education teacher pairs was successful in improving the percentage of correct implementation of three-term-contingency trials.…”

“…Side-by-side coaching is described as a process where an expert, but not a direct supervisor, observes the teacher implementing the target practice, provides feedback in vivo, and may even model the practice with the students while the teacher observes (Kretlow & Bartholomew, 2010). Bug-in-ear coaching is similar to side-by-side coaching; however feedback is provided through wireless headsets to prevent disrupting the flow of the lesson (Scheeler, Congdon, & Stansbery, 2010).…”