During the summer months and
throughout the school year, teachers are required to attend various staff
development programs. The purpose of
these programs is to ensure that high-quality instruction is available to all
students. Many times the staff
development that is offered does not accomplish the goals that it is trying to
meet. As school districts around the
country face increased budget cuts, providing high-quality staff development is
often one of the first things to go. Often
staff development is offered in a large group “one-size fits all” model, which
teachers find frustrating. This style of
staff development cannot meet the unique needs of teachers and their students.
In my district, we have
previously been offered time weekly to engage in onsite small group staff
development that was differentiated to meet teacher’s needs and interests. This year that time has been cut. To meet the professional needs of our
teachers we are trying a different approach to staff development. We will be starting a peer coaching
initiative at my school in the fall.
This peer coaching cycle will be based on each teacher receiving both a
10 minute coaching observation and a 15 minute feedback and planning conference
every two weeks. This format is based on
research done by Joyce & Showers (2002) and Bambrick-Santoyo (2012). According
to Joyce & Showers (2002), (see Fig A.) peer coaching has significantly
higher outcomes than other forms of staff development.
Figure A. (Joyce & Showers, 2002)
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TRAINING COMPONENTS AND
ATTAINMENT OF OUTCOMES
IN TERMS OF PERCENT OF
PARTICIPANTS
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|||
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Outcomes
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||
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Components
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Knowledge
(thorough)
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Skill
(strong)
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Transfer
(executive
implementation)
|
|
Study
of Theory
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10
|
5
|
0
|
|
Demonstrations
|
30
|
20
|
0
|
|
Practice
|
60
|
60
|
5
|
|
Peer
Coaching
|
95
|
95
|
95
|
Peer Coaching builds
independence and shared responsibility among teachers. Using this approach we hope to be able to
meet the individual needs of our teachers and focus staff development on
meeting the unique needs of each group of students. Meaningful learning “is based on a broader
vision of learning that includes not only acquiring knowledge but also being
able to use knowledge in a variety of ways (Mayer, 2002) . This is the kind of knowledge that is
facilitated by peer coaching. Teachers involved in peer coaching develop strong
pedagogy “with someone nearby to encourage, critique, and suggest next steps” (Cushman, 2010) . Having an expert listener available on a
routine basis to notice and support growth encourages teachers to develop
expertise. There will be many challenges
as we implement this initiative, both logistical and cultural, as we seek build
a school climate that will support peer coaching, but the potential rewards are
worth the risk.
Works Cited
Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2012). Leverage Leadership:
A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Cushman, K. (2010). Fires in the Mind. San
Fancisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student
achievement through staff development (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Mayer, R. E. (2002, Autumn). Rote versus Meaningful
Learning. Theory into Practice, 41(4), 226-232.
