Abstract
Coaches can provide teachers with quality professional development experiences by mentoring, providing workshops, modeling, or encouraging professional growth (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). This study focuses on the instructional coach's role in the professional development of teachers of English language learners (ELLs). The study has the following findings. First, the coach, acted as a professional developer for teachers of ELLs in the workshop, because she designed and delivered the workshop, mentored teachers, modeled and scaffolded lessons in the lesson-planning process, modeled teaching, and led them to do self-reflection. Second, from the participating teachers' perspective, the instructional coach's knowledge and understanding of academic language made the workshop well-organized. The teachers of ELLs surveyed and interviewed found the instructional coach they worked with to be helpful, organized, and well-informed. Third, less follow-up coaching support and district policy on coaching made the workshop less effective. Two suggestions for coaches to be effective professional developers for language teachers are provided.