Peer Coaching

Getting Started - Preparing Coaches for Online Learning

Part B: Coaching Skills

After reviewing the program goals you know that this program plans to help you develop the skills you need to coach. But what skills do coaches need to be successful?

Before we can define this list, let’s draw on what you know about coaching, and the kinds of roles coaches play. Some general roles we have considered include:
- Providing just-in-time, just enough advice or training
- Co-planning learning activities with teachers
- Modeling or team teaching and reflection
- Observing teachers and encouraging reflection on learning activities
Let’s discuss other roles for coaches that you may have in mind.
Now that we have a fairly strong list of the roles coaches play let's discuss as a whole group the skills coaches would need to be successful in these roles.
Your facilitator will offer suggestions for how to capture your thinking.

Before we look in more detail at the Peer Coaching curriculum, it may be worthwhile to review some research on why school-based professional development, professional development led by the school’s teacher leaders, most often fails. Richards (2003) argues it is because these teacher leaders:

Lack experience;
Have poor communications skills; and
Have limited preparation.

Part C: Online Discussion: How Peer Coaching Helps Coaches Develop Skills

To answer the question, “What do coaches need to know and be able to do to support teachers’ needs?” requires that we explore four closely related questions that we will begin discussing now, and continue to discuss throughout our work together.

What skills and competencies do our students need to be successful in college and their careers?
What are the characteristics of learning activities that will help students develop these skills?
What professional learning is going to best prepare teachers to meet their students’ needs?
What do coaches need to know and be able to do to support teachers’ needs?

Your challenge:
Every year, Kieran asks his History students to do this activity:

Each of you will choose a cabinet minister, research that minister’s life and his/her accomplishments in office. After completing this research write a five page report about this minister. Kieran has collected students’ work on this activity and is preparing to meet his coach to review the activity and students’ work.

Imagine that you are Kieran’s coach, and he is coming to see you in 15 minutes.

Your task:
Go to the online community page and look for the discussion titled: Session 1 - Coaching Skills. Use the discussion forum to discuss these questions related to the above challenge.

Think about this learning activity. Share your responses to the four questions as they apply to your pending interview with Kieran.
As you discuss the questions start to develop your personal responses to the four questions listed above.
Take brief notes on your thoughts and save these. You will use them in the future.

The answers to these four questions form the core of our learning throughout the Peer Coaching Program. In the course of our collaboration together we will periodically explore these questions. We believe that the Peer Coaching Program will provide resources, approaches, and skills that will help you answer those questions and develop the skills as coaches to meet your colleagues’ needs.

Related Scenarios

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