Collaborative Peer Coaching That Improves Instruction by Allen Dwight W.;LeBlanc Alyce C.;

Author:Allen, Dwight W.;LeBlanc, Alyce C.; [Allen, Dwight W.; LeBlanc, Alyce C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 3032366
Publisher: Corwin Press
Published: 2004-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

Most felt that making suggestions presented its own challenges. Some even argued there wasn’t always a need to write suggestions when none came to mind during an excellent lesson. They objected to writing something down just because it was required, and a number of them admitted leaving the suggestions section blank. Still others formulated suggestions as “continue with” statements, such as “continue with your Socratic method” or whatever the positive teaching strategy was. As the discussion continued, it was evident that many teachers simply weren’t sure how to improve their skills at making meaningful suggestions.

“You know, for all of us, visiting other teachers and offering feedback is a new experience,” Joy observed. “Is there some way we could get some training on how to make suggestions? Do you think that would be useful? None of us has actually been taught how to observe teaching performance.”

“I don’t think we really need formal training,” said one business teacher. “I do think that meetings such as this one are helpful, though. Maybe we could see what kinds of suggestions everyone else is making and get an idea of what’s expected. I also think sharing our 2 + 2 experiences is motivating. It makes me want to do more observations.”

Others agreed that more informal meetings to touch base would be welcome. Privately, Joy was concerned that some of her colleagues didn’t understand the importance of making suggestions. But, she thought, maybe it’s a matter of practice. At least they seem open to learning better feedback skills.

Discussion returned several times to the issue of who was participating in 2 + 2. If more teachers participated, a music teacher commented, not only would observations be easier to schedule but also a wider variety of feedback would be possible. Teachers also requested more clearly defined guidelines for participation. Some believed the informality of the pilot made it harder to make 2 + 2 observations a priority.

Finally, was there any way a formal 2 + 2 program could be made part of the appraisal process? After all, if 2 + 2 were firmly established, teachers would receive many more observations from a variety of professionals throughout the year than the formal appraisal process afforded them. Surely that would provide a more accurate picture of their performance. This was something Joy hadn’t considered. She wondered what Sissy would think of that.

Joy was more than satisfied with the range and depth of the feedback. The whole meeting itself—with its give and take—had been a new experience. Her initial belief that 2 + 2 was an excellent program had certainly been confirmed. Now she had the feeling that they hadn’t really even begun to explore its potential. She agreed that they needed more information about how to expand the program and possibly add a performance appraisal component. Before approaching Sissy, however, she wanted to have a better idea about how to proceed with 2 + 2 from its originator. After all, this had been just an informal experiment so far. This would be a good time to visit Dr.

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