The following is a collection of my thoughts, feelings, realisations and general ramblings about my Peer Coaching experience.
And so it begins.....
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When I got the go ahead from the boss to enroll in Microsoft Peer Coaching, I was excited. I had heard positive feedback about it and was keen to see what it was all about.
To prepare for the first day of training we were asked to do some reading. The first paper 'Learning is the work' by Michael Fullan focused on the concept of collaboration. The main ideas
I took from this article were:
To prepare for the first day of training we were asked to do some reading. The first paper 'Learning is the work' by Michael Fullan focused on the concept of collaboration. The main ideas
I took from this article were:
- We need to engage in continuous and substantial learning.
- We learn best from other teachers (who also need to be working on improvement).
- Helping all students to learn requires a collaborative culture and collective effort.
- Professional development definitely needs a revamp (make learning the day-to-day work).
- Work environment and staff interactions affect student achievement ('bad work conditions make good teachers less effective, and make poor teachers get even worse'), and we have a moral obligation to 'help redefine the profession towards interactive professionalism'.
- We often talk about making student learning meaningful but do we do the same for staff?
- Collaboration is KING. However, structures and scaffolding are needed for it to be effective.
- A 'Peer Coach' is not an expert.
- We are all learners and will be for life.
Reflections from Day 1 & 2
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Day 1
The thing that has provided the most food for thought for me is communication. I see communication as the key to being an effective peer coach. I found the task of using the communication cue card quite difficult (for a variety of contributing reasons). I know that I look like I'm actively listening, nodding my head and leaning forward but I really have difficulty blocking out competing thoughts sometimes. It is also a really difficult task to not impose your ideas on the person you are speaking with. This is definitely something I will need to continue to work on.
Day 2
For the most part, today was helpful in the sense that we were able to talk to each other a lot. We could take ourselves through the peer coaching steps and I felt more comfortable with the idea that someone was watching and take note of not only what I was saying, but how I was saying it. I am definitely beginning to see how peer coaching would happen within the school context and can tell that some colleagues would be ‘easier’ to coach than others. A question raised for me is, how do you coach someone who is reluctant to be coached? And how do I coach someone who I know nothing about. This was raised today in that we need to know as much about someone as possible. In regards to something like community language, is it best to leave that to someone with experience in that area? I have zero experience in a community language classroom.
Everything is coming together today. I am feeling better about where we are headed and what Peer Coaching is going to look like at CPPS. I feel I have very much benefited from having many professional discussions with a wide range of people. The more we talk through it all, the more I am understanding the process and developing my skills as a first time Peer Coach. At this point in time I need to further develop my coaching plan in order to present this to Alex and the staff I would like to work with. Conversations need to be had with Alex in regards to allocation of time/resources to ensure that the 3 of us are able to successfully complete our tasks as well as introduce Peer Coaching to CPPS in a positive manner.
The thing that has provided the most food for thought for me is communication. I see communication as the key to being an effective peer coach. I found the task of using the communication cue card quite difficult (for a variety of contributing reasons). I know that I look like I'm actively listening, nodding my head and leaning forward but I really have difficulty blocking out competing thoughts sometimes. It is also a really difficult task to not impose your ideas on the person you are speaking with. This is definitely something I will need to continue to work on.
Day 2
For the most part, today was helpful in the sense that we were able to talk to each other a lot. We could take ourselves through the peer coaching steps and I felt more comfortable with the idea that someone was watching and take note of not only what I was saying, but how I was saying it. I am definitely beginning to see how peer coaching would happen within the school context and can tell that some colleagues would be ‘easier’ to coach than others. A question raised for me is, how do you coach someone who is reluctant to be coached? And how do I coach someone who I know nothing about. This was raised today in that we need to know as much about someone as possible. In regards to something like community language, is it best to leave that to someone with experience in that area? I have zero experience in a community language classroom.
Everything is coming together today. I am feeling better about where we are headed and what Peer Coaching is going to look like at CPPS. I feel I have very much benefited from having many professional discussions with a wide range of people. The more we talk through it all, the more I am understanding the process and developing my skills as a first time Peer Coach. At this point in time I need to further develop my coaching plan in order to present this to Alex and the staff I would like to work with. Conversations need to be had with Alex in regards to allocation of time/resources to ensure that the 3 of us are able to successfully complete our tasks as well as introduce Peer Coaching to CPPS in a positive manner.
The challenges for Peer Coaching
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The process of Peer Coaching has been one of many ups and downs. It's been rewarding, eye-opening and at times a little frustrating.
Below are the top 3 challenges I faced:
Below are the top 3 challenges I faced:
- TIME - This has probably been one of the most challenging things about Peer Coaching. Every teacher knows that time is precious. With all of my daily responsibilities and desire to have a life outside of the workplace, how on earth was I going to be an effective coach?
- RESOURCES - This became a challenge once coaching had begun. The access to technology when we needed it was not always possible. We needed to do some carefully planning to ensure that we made the most of the resources when we had access.
- NOT BEING THE EXPERT - Being the CC at school i'm often seen by others as having all the answers. I don't mean this in an egotistical way, just in that I am the 'go to' person for technology. I love technology and feel very comfortable trying out new gadgets and am enthusiastic about encouraging others to do the same. It was challenging for me to sit back and not suggest to teachers what I thought they should do. This was an aspect that I had to work very hard on and I feel that whilst I did have success doing this, it remains something to keep in mind.
What have I learnt along the way?
Peer Coaching has enabled me to reflect on my own teaching practice. I have a vast array of technological tools under my belt but I'm realising more that I haven't been practicing what I preach often enough. If i'm going to continue to be a successful coach then I need to be leading by example. I've learnt that scaffolding is just as important for adults as it is for children. As much as I might feel ready to jump in and go for it, others may not feel as comfortable and need more little steps along the way. I've developed my communication skills and continue to work on this everyday. I've learnt to ask the right questions that allow for effective collaboration. The reflecting/debrief part of the peer coaching cycle was probably the most important for myself and those that I coached. Whilst every area is necessary I found that this was the most productive and thought provoking time. |
Where do we go from here?
After my first round of Peer Coaching I hope to work closely with my Stage team to look at how we using technology in our programs. We now have 6 teachers at school who have trained as Peer Coaches so there should be plenty of opportunities for us to implement further innovative projects to the benefit of both students and teachers. |