Peer Coaching

Helping teachers develop sense of vision

Coaches can help teachers develop vision by pointing out how ICT can help learners achieve assessment standards.

Providing informal assistance and advice

Much of coaching happens informally as coaches encounter teachers during the school day. This may happen as you pass in the hallways, or in the lunchroom.

Teachers may ask for one bit of timely advice. For example, one teacher might ask about resources on a project. You might give this teacher the address of a great website. Another teacher might need guidance on how learners can evaluate information they find on the Web. In response, you might point this teacher to resources that you have collected that would help learners evaluate web-based information.

One key is to be sure you provide a limited amount of high-quality information. One good site a teacher can use is much better than a long list of sites they don't have time to explore.

Assisting teachers in planning an ICT integrated project or unit

Coaches assist teachers in planning in many ways. Some of these include helping them locate resources for a class project, assisting with creation of an assessment tool, and providing guidance on how to structure activities.

Modelling / Team teaching

Modelling or team teaching a lesson helps teachers see what the effective integration of ICT looks like. Most coaches engage in this type of activity. Teachers and coaches report it is also extremely energizing to collaborate in teaching a unit. It can also offer teachers fresh perspectives on how to structure learning activities.

Providing one-on-one or small group training

Coaches often provide one-on-one training for the teachers they work with. For example, a teacher may have learners working on autobiographies. The coach may help the teacher and a few of her learners learn how to use a scanner or digital camera to include the learners' photos in their work.

Coaches can't ignore the need to keep computers working
If ICT doesn't work, teachers won't ask the coach for assistance.

But coaches cannot assume the role of technical support specialist
If they do, they won't have time to help teachers integrate ICT.

Coaches help create a technical support model for their school, identify those who can provide such support, and occasionally help teachers solve minor problems.

Learners in a Grade 2 classroom were given the assignment of learning about the weather
The peer coach helped the teacher to create a presentation template.

Learners in one Grade 2 classroom were tracking the number of cholera cases in the past two decades
The coach helped the teacher integrate the spreadsheet so the learners could use the charting features of a spreadsheet to graph the results of this project.

Learners in a biology class were asked if lions should be reintroduced into the Karoo National Park.
The peer coach helped the teacher pre-research some websites.

You don't need to be an expert in all areas
You don't need to be an expert in all areas, but you do need to know where to go for assistance.

Successful coaches may be just one step ahead of collaborating teachers
Coaches are often just a step ahead and are engaged in continuous learning. Many coaches report that learning is a two-way street and they often learn a great deal from collaborating teachers.

You won't be able to affect every teacher in your school in the short term
One coach may affect all teachers in a small elementary school over 3-5 years. But a single coach isn't likely to change teaching practices of a comprehensive high school with 200 teachers. Coaches should start small to guarantee success.

Few coaches work on a sustained basis with more than four teachers
One successful school asked its coaches to work with just two teachers in the first year. They quickly experienced what they called a ripple effect. Their successes with these two teachers led other teachers to ask for coaching. These coaches took on two new collaborating teachers but still limited the number of teachers they collaborated with.

Establishing a successful coaching programme makes it more likely that your school will continue your coaching programme and perhaps add additional coaches
And time provides the opportunities for you to reach more teachers and for your school to decide if it should provide more coaches.

Coaching isn't a one-year programme
Coaching should be something you and your school see as an ongoing professional development effort for a number of years.

Common Planning Time: Many schools start by establishing a common planning time for coaches and the teachers they collaborate with
This model works well for coaches in secondary schools. It has also worked for primary schools that have coaches who devote half or more of their time to coaching. It is generally not a realistic alternative for most schools that cannot provide release time for their coach.

Scheduled professional development time: Most schools have professional development built into their yearly schedule
Many coaches have found these release days to be an extremely effective way to provide time for coaching.

Release time: Release time is also a common model to provide time for collaboration and the only practical way to allow modelling or team teaching

• One successful school provides each coach and collaborating teacher with five days of release time to collaborate
  This school provided clear directions for the use of this time. It had to be used to "create or support inquiry-based, ICT integrated lessons" that are assessment standards-based and reflect the teacher ICT integration competencies.
• Many teachers and coaches find that three to four hours is the right amount of time for effective collaboration
  Instead of providing substitutes for full release days, some schools provide teachers and coaches with a substitute for a period of the school day.
• In addition to the time provided for coaches and teachers to collaborate, this school also provided coaches with two additional days so that the coaches could develop their skills and reflect on ways to improve the coaching programme.

Meet with teachers to understand their classroom plans
Many coaches find it valuable to help teachers integrate ICT by enriching an activity the teacher already offers to learners. For example, in an example cited above, primary school learners in one classroom were tracking the cases of cholera. The coach helped the teacher integrate the spreadsheet so the learners could use the charting features of a spreadsheet to graph the results of the research.

Plan practical projects connected to assessment standards
One of the examples cited above integrated ICT into a weather project. This was a project the teacher could easily complete in the time she allotted for weather and it was directly connected to writing and General Science assessment standards.

Be enthusiastic and keep an open door
You need to be supportive of teachers no matter what their ICT skills or plans. You also need to be available to help them.

Have realistic time commitments
You have to balance the need to help others with your own needs. Don't try to do more than you can fit into your schedule. While you need to be available to help, you don't have to have instant answers. You may respond to a request for help by saying, "I think I have something to help. Can I bring it to you tomorrow?"

Provide small bits of just-in-time advice
Much of coaching involves responding to teachers' questions. If a teacher asks for help on a topic make sure to provide at least one useful resource. One high-quality resource is often much more effective than a whole list of resources. Most teachers won't have the time to explore the list. You need to find a way to provide just what they need.

Some schools ask that collaborating teachers use ICT to enrich assessment standards-based learning activities
Many schools ask to see a few examples of these learning activities each year.

Other schools ask teachers to create learning activities that encourage learners to learn actively and/or develop critical thinking skills
These schools may ask the teachers for a few examples of learner work that reflect these types of learning and thinking skills.

Some schools ask teachers to track indicators that ICT increases learner motivation to learn (or interest in learning)
These indicators might include stronger learner work, fewer discipline problems, increased attendance, and parents' observations on their child's attitude toward school.

Finally, the Peer Coaching Programme asks collaborating teachers to complete a brief survey of ICT usage at the start of the school year, and again late in that school year
This survey can measure progress in integrating ICT.

Schools have found a number of sources of funding to support their coaches:

• The most common support comes from the school's budget.
• Other schools have found special funding from sponsors of school based professional development or ICT integration programmes.

Regional managers have provided:

• Support for coaches in the form of subject advisers, learning facilitators or ICT coordinators.
• Structured opportunities for coaches in the region to meet and collaborate.