Monday, July 2, 2012

Goals




Chapter 1 defines peer coaching as “a confidential process through which two or more professional colleagues work together to reflect on current practices; expand, refine, and build new skills; share ideas; teach one another; conduct classroom research; or solve problems in the workplace.”  Let’s go with the suggestion at the beginning of Chapter 1:  In the best of all possible worlds, what would you want peer coaching to look like, sound like and feel like at Meridianville Middle School?

3 comments:

  1. In the ideal situation we would have plenty of time to work together. It would be great to be in each other's classrooms at least once month. We would also need time to plan future meetings and time to discuss the results of the observations. Of course, this becomes very difficult because of our different schedules: coaching, kids, planning periods, etc.

    We could use our lunch meetings to utilize the "narrative" form of peer coaching as written on p.3 Most teachers are comfortable with and enjoy sharing stories about lessons that worked well in their classrooms.

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  2. In the best of all possible worlds, peer coaching would be positively encouraged but voluntary. Teachers would select the colleague/s with whom they would like to work; they would have time in the day to meet and plan before and after the observation; classes would be easily covered by a sub. The observations and subsequent discussions would be confidential. Suggestions and ideas would be tried until solutions were found to help the teacher improve in the observed area. Additionally, those not participating in peer coaching would not see it as "another program" but would come to see it as a way to grow and improve as a teacher. We do tend to get isolated in our room when we all get so busy. This can cause us to get stuck in our (teaching) ways and forget we need to keep refining ourselves. In the best of all possible worlds, peer coaching would be second nature to the faculty of MVMS so we are all actively connected and trying to continuously improve ourselves and our school.

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  3. The two previous comments pretty much sum up what I hope peer coaching could become at MMS. I would like to add that many of us already do some of the components of peer coaching. Keeping our plan simple is something that we need to remember so we don't view it as one more thing to do.

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