PEER COACHING GUIDE

Paseo Academy

Definition: Peer coaching is a school-based process in which teachers work together with other teachers to provide descriptive feedback and discussion about observed teaching or other pertinent instructional issues.

Purposes:1. Building a school community of teachers who continuously engage

in the study of their craft2. Developing a shared language and approaches to classroom

instruction through teacher collaboration3. Teachers acquiring new instructional skills and strategies4. Enhancing student academic achievement

Characteristics:1. Voluntary2. Teacher-to-teacher3. Non-judgmental4. Non-evaluative5. Supplements supervision by administrators6. Timely7. Confidential (only teacher and coach will share details of

observations)

Coordinator: The Instructional Facilitator shall coordinate the program. He shall be responsible for:1. Enlisting, training, and supporting coaches2. Publicizing the peer coaching process and encouraging teachers to

use the process3. Maintaining records of pertinent data not confidential among

coaches and colleagues4. Evaluating the process on a regular basis and making necessary

adjustments5. Reporting regularly to the Lead Team and to the staff

Coaches:1. Regarded as possessing strong listening, communication, and

interpersonal skills2. Committed to own professional development3. Willing to assist colleagues with instructional goals4. Dedicated to confidentiality of details5. Willing to devote time towards facilitating quality teaching6. Genuinely interested in improving the quality of education for

students and teachers alike7. Able to meet as a group monthly to discuss the process and

instructional issues

Reasons to participate:1. To discuss teaching and learning in a safe environment2. To improve the students’ learning experience and the teacher’s

instructional experience3. To improve student perception of instruction4. To gain specific counsel on aspects of the teacher’s instructional

style5. To seek guidance on implementation of a new teaching method6. To establish the teacher’s areas of accomplishment7. To provide avenues for constructive reflection on teaching and

learning8. To develop concrete short- and longer-term instructional goals

Possible coaching areas:1. Effective teaching skills2. Teacher/student relationships3. Creation of effective learning environments4. Instructional strategies5. Assignment and test construction6. Grading and evaluation techniques7. Alternative assessments8. Educational technology application9. Effective time management skills

Components of a coaching experience: Each coaching experience is custom designed with the teacher’s needs in mind. Thus the composition of a coaching experience can be as individual as the instructional style of the teacher. Nevertheless, the following components should occur in some form if a classroom visit is to be made:

1. Pre-conference: Coach and colleague meet to discuss specific goal(s) of coaching experience

2. Observation: Coach visits colleague’s classroom with specific goal(s) in mind

3. Post-conference: Coach and colleague meet to discuss what is observed in reference to specific goal(s)

However, coaching experiences do not necessarily mean classroom visits. Perhaps coach and colleague only need to meet once or twice to discuss:

1. Teaching goals and strategies2. Brainstorming, problem solving, and developing of strategies3. Class materials

FAQ:1. Will I be penalized in some way if I do not use a peer coach? No.

Involvement is strictly voluntary. However, if you are concerned about any deficiency noted on your formal evaluation, using a peer coach is a good avenue to begin to reach evaluative expectations.

2. How do I find a coach to assist me? The list of trained and available coaches is public. Talk to one directly or see the Instructional Coach. You also can use any other colleague to serve as a peer coach for you.

3. Are the details of the coaching experience confidential? Yes. Only the number of coaching experiences and their general content (ex- classroom management) are reported to the Instructional Coach.

4. What standards are used in peer coaching? The standards used in the formal evaluation process as well as the Show-Me Standards are the basis for peer coaching. However, peer coaches, based on the needs of their colleagues, may use informal standards that are mutually agreed upon.

5. How is peer coaching different from peer support? Both peer support and peer coaching have enhanced student learning as their goal, but peer coaching is a more formal relational process that usually, but not always, involves goal setting, classroom observations, and feedback sessions.

Summary: Peer coaching can be a source of suggestions for change desired by the teacher; a forum for discussion, recommendations, and encouragement; and an opportunity to meet colleagues who share the individual’s desire to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

Research Appendix:

Education Week

Why peer coaching? Statistical support for peer coaching comes from many sources. Perhaps the most easily understood data follows:

5% of learners will transfer a new skill into their practice as a result of theory

10% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration

20% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration, and practice within the training

25% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration, and practice within the training, and feedback

90% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory and demonstration, and practice within the training, feedback, and coaching           

The Effectiveness of Peer Coaching on Classroom Teachers' Use of Differentiation for Gifted Middle School Students

Caroline Sarah CohenUniversity of Connecticut, 1997

The purpose of this study was to examine whether peer coaching was perceived by participating middle school teachers as a useful professional development technique for the acquisition of curricular and instructional differentiation strategies for high ability and high achieving students in the regular classroom. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to describe participating teachers' perceptions of the training and supported practice of peer coaching. Key participants in this study were middle school classroom teachers; additional participants were district administrators, peer coaches, students, and parents.

Partial findings: Peer coaching is useful for the development of new instructional

strategies. Peer coaching is positively perceived by teachers.

Peer Coaching: An Effective Staff Development Modelfor Educators of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students

Paul Galbraith and Kris Anstrom, 1995

The following areas need to be explored because peer coaching is more complex than it first appears: The coaching process Coaching vs. evaluation Selection of coaching partners Training of coaches Administrative support

Factors to be considered before implementing peer coaching: General perception of teachers that they can always improve Reasonable level of trust among people involved School climate of caring and helping

Functions of successful peer coaching: Companionship Feedback Analysis Adaptation Support

Benefits of peer coaching: Builds relationships among teachers Alternative to one-time staff development workshops Pooling of intellectual resources Individual professional development Improve school climate Enhance school effectiveness

Effect of Peer Coaching to Enhance Communication SkillsJanice Klimek and Carol Roever

Missouri Western State College 1998

In this study two faculty members of the Business and Economics Department researched the effect of peer coaching in regards to oral presentations. The experimental group had 22 students in a Business Communication class coaching 22 students in a Managerial Accounting class for oral presentations. The control group had a Business Communication class of 20 students and a Managerial Accounting class with 20 students; no peer coaching was used in these classes.

Subjective results: Students endorse peer coaching as an effective technique

Students prefer the coaching method to the lecture method

Objective results: Significant correlation between GPA and oral presentation scores Insignificant differences between oral presentation scores of

coached and non-coached students

Partial recommendations: Schedule coaching efforts immediately preceding presentation

dates Give students more time for their coaching activities

Training Teachers for Using TechnologyGlenn A. Brand

Journal of Staff DevelopmentWinter 1997

Time: Teachers must have substantial time if they are to acquire and then

transfer to the classroom the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively and completely infuse technology into their curricular areas.

Overwhelming sentiment that schools have yet to create the kind of training and practice time teachers need in order to learn how to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum.

Time required is whatever satisfies a teacher’s need for exploratory learning.

Individual differences: When designing staff development sessions on technology,

individual differences must be addressed and individual strengths supplemented.

A “one size fits all” philosophy is not a sound basis for developing staff training programs for the technological development of teachers.

Peer coaching: Peer coaching and modeling have been most effective in

transforming workshop application to classroom application and practice.

Peer coaching is effective because it does a better job of addressing the unique learning needs of individuals.

Modeling enables teachers to observe expert performance.

Alternate Visions of Practice:An Exploratory Study of Peer Coaching, Sheltered Content,

Cooperative Instruction and Mainstream Subject Matter Teachers

Lillian Vega CastanedaCalifornia State University, San Marcos

This study describes a secondary staff development program for mainstream social studies teachers. The staff development program focuses on training mainstream social studies teachers to use cooperative grouping strategies and sheltered/ELD techniques in their daily teaching. The model promotes ongoing interaction between trainers and trainees through the use of non-evaluative peer coaching processes.

Peer coaching findings: Teachers recommended that peer coaching be implemented during

the entire academic year not just in the summer training session of this staff development model.

Teachers agreed that peer coaching should be voluntary and non-evaluative, and that coaches should be “invited” into the classroom.

Teachers felt that administrators must support peer coaching at the institutional level.

Teachers agreed that peer coaching was critical to their training so they could “try out” theories and instructional strategies and gain immediate feedback on their performances from unbiased third parties.

It may be that peer coaching gives teachers a rare opportunity to reflect upon and analyze their own practice of teaching.