Professional Development | News

Massachusetts Adopts Video-based Coaching Platform for Early Educators

• By Stephen Noonoo
• 04/21/14

To help shore up its professional development among early education instructors, the state of Massachusetts is introducing a video-coaching support platform from Torsh to help provide feedback and analysis.

The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Childcare will use the web- and mobile-based platform, called TALENT, with early child care and out-of-school-time education providers. The platform lets users upload instruction-related video, taken via mobile app, for viewing and provides space for reflection, discussion, and feedback.

Its use will help support Massachusetts's EEC Peer Assistance and Coaching pilot, which pairs early education professionals across the state with peer-coaches who provide feedback and support. The idea is that teachers will upload video and then collaborate with their coaches based on the material. The platform also includes audio transcription services for hearing-impaired users and analytics features.

"TALENT can be used either asynchronously or synchronously and it enhances professional development when it is paired with face to face training," said Lisa Van Thiel, an adjunct faculty member of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts, Boston who works closely with the PAC program, in a statement. "As part of the PAC pilot, it is an excellent supporting tool in improving the quality of Massachusetts's early childhood programs through a peer to peer coaching model."