Peer Coaching to Enrich Professional Practice, School Culture, and Student Learning

by Pam Robbins

Overview

How can educators work together more effectively to improve professional practice in a way that enhances student performance? The answer, says author Pam Robbins, involves combining collaborative activities and peer coaching--teachers supporting teachers. This book describes how any school can implement these proven practices and experience positive changes in teaching, school culture, and learning.

Robbins explains how to develop a collaborative, learning-focused culture and build trust among colleagues; offers strategies for participating in difficult conversations that yield useful feedback; clarifies how to develop, sustain, and evaluate peer coaching efforts; and showcases exemplary peer coaching practices used in real schools. She also includes coaching tools, scenarios, process guidelines, and reflection questions that make it easier to transfer these ideas into a school setting.

Peer coaching offers a job-embedded learning strategy; it's a valuable structure for supporting schoolwide and districtwide priorities such as analyzing data, improving instruction, integrating technology, and implementing standards. In short, it creates an effective way to support the growth of every teacher and enrich learning processes in any school.

Pam Robbins is a former teacher, coach, director of professional development, and school leader. She consults with high-performing and low-performing districts and designs and conducts workshops on leadership, school culture, organizational change, mentoring, and peer coaching.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416620242
Publisher:	ASCD
Publication date:	05/19/2015
Pages:	180
Sales rank:	1,125,886
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Establishing the Need for Peer Coaching

2 Exploring the Forms of Peer Coaching

3 Building a Foundation for Collegial Dialogue: Structures for Collaborative Work

4 Investigating the Components of Formal Coaching

5 Creating the Effective Pre-Conference

6 Ensuring a Skillful Observation

7 Inviting Reflection Through the Post-Conference

8 Cultivating the Context for Peer Coaching

9 Guiding the Implementation of a Peer Coaching Program

10 Keeping the Momentum Going for Peer Coaching Success

Appendix A: Reflections from School Leaders

Appendix B: Sample Pre-Conference and Post-Conference Questions

Appendix C: Topics for Peer Coaching Sessions

References

Index

About the Author