WorkshopsPeer Coaching is a process in which teachers learn how to observe each other’s classes, interview each other’s students, microteach ten-minute slices of class, and give helpful feedback based on each.
This day-long workshop trains faculty to:
- Observe each other’s classes
- Interview each other’s students
- Microteach ten-minute slices of class
- Give meaningful feedback based on each
As teachers, trial and error can make us all great, but peer coaching is a way to speed up the process. It is based on the premise that teachers have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and that, together with students, “we are the experts.” It is also based on the premise that we can improve our teaching by microteaching slices of classes for each other, by observing each other’s classes, and by interviewing each other’s students.
The workshop time is spent training participants to be effective observers and interviewers of students by learning to give and receive effective feedback from each other and from students. The interactive workshop includes a microteaching session in which one participant teaches a ten-minute slice of a class and receives feedback from all. In teams of three or four, participants then microteach themselves. (Note: these teams should be the same teams that will conduct classroom visits throughout the term).
The workshop also trains participants to effectively observe teachers in the classroom and interview the students of the teacher observed. During these classroom interviews, students write about what most and least helps them learn, and why; then they share in small groups and report to the whole class. This process is similar to the small group instructional diagnosis (S.G.I.D.). A schedule is then set for each teacher to visit the class of every other teacher in their team (two–three visits total), observe the class, and offer to interview the class as well.
The workshop is based on a program at New Mexico State University, founded in 1996, and on two published articles on the first efforts at the program here. These are available by request from Tara Gray.
What Participants Say
In this program at other schools, almost 60 percent of the participants judged peer coaching as the most effective teaching improvement strategy. That is, Peer Coaching was rated more effective than teaching workshops and reading about teaching, as well as administrative, peer and student evaluations. Respondents wrote:
Who Should Participate
Anyone should volunteer to participate who wants to improve their teaching.
The group size should not exceed 30 participants so that individual attention can be provided to all.
Location
This workshop will be conducted at your school, college, or university, and tailored to your specific needs.