Increasing Teacher Opportunities to Respond in a Head Start Program Using a Bug-In-Ear Coaching Model
A coach whispering through an earbud quickly lifts how often preschool teachers ask questions during math.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Four Head Start teachers wore an earpiece during math time. A coach whispered quick reminders like "ask the class a question now."
The team counted how many chances each teacher gave kids to answer or speak. They started coaching only after each teacher’s baseline stayed flat.
What they found
Every teacher gave more response chances once the earpiece was on. Two teachers showed a clear jump the day coaching began.
The gains held while the earpiece stayed in place.
How this fits with other research
Frederiksen et al. (1978) did the same thing 45 years ago with a tape recorder and mirror. They also saw fast jumps in teacher talk after short practice sessions. The new earpiece just makes the feedback live.
Minard et al. (2026) got similar gains without any coach in the room. Teachers used a paper tally and got feedback later. Live coaching works faster, but self-monitoring keeps working when you leave.
Justus et al. (2023) gave teachers a $3 hand counter to track their own praise. Both tools are cheap and fit in a pocket. Bug-in-ear is instant; the counter is silent. Pick the one that matches your staff’s style.
Why it matters
You can raise teacher talk in one prep period. Slip a Bluetooth earbud into the teacher’s ear, open a Zoom call on mute, and whisper prompts from the back of the room. Start with one lesson a day and fade the earpiece once the rate holds. No extra pay, no sub coverage, just a working headset.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Early childhood teachers play a critical role in the kindergarten readiness of preschool age children. Yet, they often receive little and insufficient training in the use of evidence-based practices that can increase academic success and prevent undesired behaviors. As a result, preschool teachers tend to use more exclusionary practices when disciplining students. A promising strategy for developing the skills of preschool teachers is the use of bug-in-ear coaching, a coaching strategy where a trained individual provides in-the-moment support to a teacher from a location outside of the classroom. This study examined bug-in-ear coaching to support preschool teachers in using opportunities to respond during explicit math instruction. A multiple baseline design across teachers was used to assess the impact of the intervention on the teachers’ rates of implementation of opportunities to respond. Bug-in-ear coaching was associated with an increased rate of opportunities to respond for all teachers during the intervention with a functional relation for two out of four teachers. All teachers’ rates of opportunities to respond were below their intervention rates during maintenance. Further, teachers reported enjoying the intervention and the opportunity given to improve their practices. Teachers also expressed their desire to have this level of coaching in their centers.
Early Childhood Education Journal, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s10643-023-01498-4