Peer Coaching

Getting Started - Coaching Roles

What roles and responsibilities do peer coaches assume?

It is likely the answer to this question will be different for each of you. In the months ahead, you will work with your school staff to develop your coaching plan. As part of this planning process, you will discuss and define your roles and responsibilities as a coach. This activity will start that process.

Part A: Coaching Roles and Responsibilities

In this activity, you will:

Explore possible roles and responsibilities.
Hear what goals some peer coaches set for themselves.
Learn the roles coaches played to reach their goals.

Keep in mind the resource, "Coaching for a Change", (McKenzie, 1999) you may have read in advance of this session. The article will be useful as you build your understanding of coaching roles and responsibilities.

Part B: Coach Attributes

The characteristics or qualities a coach brings to the job are critical to a coach’s success and will shape the roles a coach plays.

Discuss with a peer one or two desirable coach qualities.
Open a list of Coach Attributes and review the qualities teachers who collaborated with coaches say strong coaches should possess.
Discuss these briefly with one or two others and be prepared to share what you feel are the one or two most important qualities of a strong coach.
Keep your list of attributes handy as you define your roles as a coaching and develop your coaching plan.

Part C: Define Coaching Roles and Responsibilities

Review Possible Coaching Roles and Responsibilities and think about which of these roles and responsibilities would make the most sense for you to adopt.
Read the section of the Peer Coaching Overview titled "Coaches Roles and Relationships," which begins on the middle of page 3 and ends in the middle of page 4. It will also be useful as you define your roles and responsibilities as a coach.

Coaching Video
Now you will view a video in which coaches describe their work and the roles they play.

As you view this video, watch for examples of these roles we just discussed.
After viewing the video, log in to the Canvas Peer Coach community and look for the "Define Coaching Roles and Responsibilities" discussion. This is an introduction to the discussion facility in Canvas.
In the discussion: Identify examples from the video of coaches implementing the coaching roles outlined above. For each example you identified, what goal do you think the coach was trying to reach in taking on this role? Do you think another role might have been more effective? Why?
Do this on your own: Drawing on your discussion of the video and the article you read earlier, Peer Coaching Overview, outline two or three roles you think coaches should take on at your school, and write out a possible goal for coaching at your school.

"Coaching Conversations" peer coaches video clip.
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Related Scenarios

» Overview
» Preparing Coaches for Online Learning
» Why Peer Coaching?
» Coaching Roles
» Coaching Plan
» Closing