Unleash the Power of
Collaboration With Peer Coaching
Shelee King George
Table Introductions
Introduce yourself to the others at your
table. Find one thing you all have in
common.
Choose a table reporter who will
introduce your table using the following
prompt:
Between us, we have _____ years working in
education . One thing we all have in common is __.
Welcome
Former Special Education
teacher and Technology
Integration Specialist
Program Manager for Peer
Coaching Program
Puget Sound Center for
Teaching, Learning and
Technology
Session Overview
21st Century Skills
Effective Professional
Development
About the Peer
Coaching Program
Explore Coaching Skills
Graffiti Wall:
Within your current educational role …
How do you promote, lead or participate in
collaborative activities?
Activity
Think of a time that you learned
something from a professional
development experience that changed
your practice as an educator.
Think…
Share: What made the experience so effective?
Compare…
Effective Professional Development
On the job, job-embedded
Long-term, ongoing
Focused on classroom
activities
Highly collaborative
environment
Structured to offer chances
to learn from others
Classroom Impact
Type of
Training
Knowledge
Mastery
Skill
Acquisition
Classroom
Application
Theory
85%
15%
5-10%
85%
80%
10-15%
90%
90%
80-90%
PLUS
Practice
PLUS
Peer
Coaching
Study
Teams
Class Visits
Think About Typical Technology
Professional Development
Traditional training
Focus on tools
Hands on
Lacks opportunity for
reflection
Think about student
computer labs..and a
computer teacher
Misconceptions
“If you buy it, they will use
it.”
“If you buy it, it will change
the way children learn.”
“If you buy it, it develops
21st Century skills.”
Key to Effective Use of Technology
“The more powerful technology becomes,
the more indispensable good teachers
are.”
Fullan, 1998
Infrastructure
Investment in bandwidth but not “human
bandwidth”
Time to invest in the human
infrastructure
Our Dreams As Educators
What skills do our students need for their
future?
21st Century Skills: US
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
Written and Oral Communications
Teamwork/Collaboration
Diversity
Information Technology Application
Leadership
Real World Example
Bellingham, WA Radio Ad: 104.3 FM
Wanted: Traffic Reporter Assistant
Must have skill with Word, Excel,
PowerPoint and graphic manipulation
Also, must be able to multi-task and
prioritize in a fast paced office
environment
Dreams to Reality
Peer Coaching explores the kind of learning
needed to prepare students with these
skills….
Reaching Our Dreams
What skills and knowledge do TEACHERS
need to offer this type of learning to their
students?
Teachers Need To (ISTE):
Inspire student learning and creativity
Design, develop digital age learning
expectations and assessments
Model Digital age work and learning
Promote and model digital age
citizenship
Engage in professional growth and
leadership
Enabling 21st-Century Schools
Policy
Leader
Leadership
Teaching/
Learning
School
Leaders
Teacher
Leaders
Teachers
Students
Available and
emerging technologies
Teaching/
Learning
Unleashing the Power
Think of two teachers who have the skills to offer
21st Century Learning to their students.
Could they help
others do the
same?
Why Peer Coaching?
Simple method of professional development
Builds teacher leaders
Helps teachers share practices and learn
from one another to engage students in
powerful learning.
Alignment - adds value to the local context
Peer Coaching is….
Collaborative
A non-evaluative, non-prescriptive
collaboration
Based on the collaborating teacher’s
wants and needs
Peer Coaching Deliberately …
Develops shared leadership and
professional learning community.
Chooses topics of collaboration driven by
the collaborating teacher
Builds relationships between trusted
peers
Encourages the sharing of teacher
practice and/or student results
Peer Coaching Program at a Glance
Eight day-long coach training sessions
scheduled over a twelve month period
Time for coaches to learn, practice,
collaborate and reflect
Blend of face-to-face and distance
learning activities
Peer Coaching Strands
Coaching skills
Tech integration
Lesson Improvement
Coaching Roles
A Simple Idea
Teachers sharing ideas
Learning from one another
Building relationships
Deliberate collaboration about teaching
and learning
Coaching Traits
What do you think are the desirable traits
of a Peer Coach?
Shout Outs
Coach and School Attribute Handout
The Trust Model
Communication Skills
Why
Communication Skills Card
Just Listen
A/B partners.
A: Speak one minute
B: Listen then paraphrase
A: Give feedback to B on their accuracy
Probing Questions Exercise
Coaching in Practice
Milwaukee Schools
Catherine
Chalk Talk: A Silent Protocol
Insights I gained about Peer Coaching
and collaboration
Use markers to
respond silently
Circle
Add a note
Connect ideas
Peer Coaching Program
Provides a Framework
for a District or School
Staff development
activities and
resources to develop
teacher leaders
Facilitator
handbook
Coaching
Handbook
Quote
Materials and
resources
on line
Questions and Contact Info
Closing thoughts
Shelee King George
[email protected]
Peer Coaching in South Africa:
Omashani Naidoo 0114035777
[email protected]