Session one
Session 1 is designed to orient participants to the Peer Coaching Program. Participants work toward the following objectives:
Principals are invited to session 1; their attendance helps with planning and administrative buy-in (if a preincipal annot attend, another leader from the school may be asked). Participants will also be introduced to the resources found within the Peer Coaching Program site and the online discussion board used to encourage collaboration among coaches. Peer Coaching Program Group Norms will be explored and set for future sessions.
Peer Coaching website / google group orientation
- Identify the attributes of effective school-based professional development.
- Describe key research that supports ongoing, collaborative staff development for teachers.
- Create a coaching plan with your principal that identifies who you will coach, sets goals related to the needs of collaborating teachers, aligns with your school's educational goals, and identifies the resources the school will provide to support coaching implementation.
Principals are invited to session 1; their attendance helps with planning and administrative buy-in (if a preincipal annot attend, another leader from the school may be asked). Participants will also be introduced to the resources found within the Peer Coaching Program site and the online discussion board used to encourage collaboration among coaches. Peer Coaching Program Group Norms will be explored and set for future sessions.
Peer Coaching website / google group orientation
The Coaching cycle
Assess
The first stage in helping a teacher develop and implement a project is to determine the teacher's technology skills and instructional strategies. This information helps the coach and teacher define a lesson or project the teacher can successfully implement, or to identify the kind of coaching resources, or skills the teacher might need to carry out the project.
Set Goals
Setting reasonable and realistic goals that are linked to the school's educational goals and curricular standards is a critical first step toward establishing a solid coaching relationship and helping teachers integrate information and communication technology into their classroom activities.
Prepare
Participants learn to use the Learning Activity Checklist to evaluate the strength of a proposed lesson, project, or unit. Working in teams, coaches use the checklist to assess the lesson design of a series of activities that are often implemented by classroom teachers. Coaches then learn to make suggestions for improvements This part of the cycle depends on "best teaching practices" and coaches might provide learning activity models, resources, teaching technical skills, and other activities that help teachers prepare to implement technology-rich, engaging learning activities.
Implement Activities
Coaches often find that the teachers they work with benefit from seeing their coach modle a technology-rich lesson or team teach a lesson or project with their coach. Coaches report that the coaching and collaboration skills they have developed in the Peer Coaching Program are essential to successful coaching.
Reflect/Debrief
One of the strengths of peer coaching is that it provides for structured opportunities for reflection thte help teachers improve their instruction. The Peer Coaching Program uses a variety of tools coaches can use in this process, including a Collaboration Log. One of the resources that coaches most value is the opportunity to come together during the later stages of their enrollment in the Peer Coaching Program to continue to collaborate on common problems and common solutions.
The first stage in helping a teacher develop and implement a project is to determine the teacher's technology skills and instructional strategies. This information helps the coach and teacher define a lesson or project the teacher can successfully implement, or to identify the kind of coaching resources, or skills the teacher might need to carry out the project.
Set Goals
Setting reasonable and realistic goals that are linked to the school's educational goals and curricular standards is a critical first step toward establishing a solid coaching relationship and helping teachers integrate information and communication technology into their classroom activities.
Prepare
Participants learn to use the Learning Activity Checklist to evaluate the strength of a proposed lesson, project, or unit. Working in teams, coaches use the checklist to assess the lesson design of a series of activities that are often implemented by classroom teachers. Coaches then learn to make suggestions for improvements This part of the cycle depends on "best teaching practices" and coaches might provide learning activity models, resources, teaching technical skills, and other activities that help teachers prepare to implement technology-rich, engaging learning activities.
Implement Activities
Coaches often find that the teachers they work with benefit from seeing their coach modle a technology-rich lesson or team teach a lesson or project with their coach. Coaches report that the coaching and collaboration skills they have developed in the Peer Coaching Program are essential to successful coaching.
Reflect/Debrief
One of the strengths of peer coaching is that it provides for structured opportunities for reflection thte help teachers improve their instruction. The Peer Coaching Program uses a variety of tools coaches can use in this process, including a Collaboration Log. One of the resources that coaches most value is the opportunity to come together during the later stages of their enrollment in the Peer Coaching Program to continue to collaborate on common problems and common solutions.
hssd reflection questions re: the coaching cycle
- How does the coaching cycle reflect our "Plan-Do-Check-Act" process?
- How might Peer Coaching support the implementation of Student Learning Outcomes as an improvement process?