Unleash the Power of Collaboration With Peer Coaching

1. Unleash the Power of Collaboration With Peer Coaching Shelee King George

2. Table Introductions • Introduce yourself to the others at your table. Find one thing you all have in common. • Choose a table reporter who will introduce your table using the following prompt: Between us, we have _____ years working in education . One thing we all have in common is __.

3. Welcome Former Special Education teacher and Technology Integration Specialist Program Manager for Peer Coaching Program Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology :

4. Session Overview • 21st Century Skills • Effective Professional Development • About the Peer Coaching Program • Explore Coaching Skills

5. Graffiti Wall: Within your current educational role … How do you promote, lead or participate in collaborative activities?

6. Activity Think of a time that you learned something from a professional development experience that changed your practice as an educator. Think… Share: What made the experience so effective? Compare…

7. Effective Professional Development • On the job, job-embedded • Long-term, ongoing • Focused on classroom activities • Highly collaborative environment • Structured to offer chances to learn from others

8. Classroom Impact

9. Think About Typical Technology Professional Development • Traditional training • Focus on tools • Hands on • Lacks opportunity for reflection • Think about student computer labs..and a computer teacher

10. Misconceptions “If you buy it, they will use it.” “If you buy it, it will change the way children learn.” “If you buy it, it develops 21st Century skills.”

11. Key to Effective Use of Technology • “The more powerful technology becomes, the more indispensable good teachers are.” • Fullan, 1998

12. Infrastructure • Investment in bandwidth but not “human bandwidth” • Time to invest in the human infrastructure

13. Our Dreams As Educators • What skills do our students need for their future?

14. 21st Century Skills: US • Critical Thinking/Problem Solving • Written and Oral Communications • Teamwork/Collaboration • Diversity • Information Technology Application • Leadership

15. Real World Example Bellingham, WA Radio Ad: 104.3 FM Wanted: Traffic Reporter Assistant Must have skill with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and graphic manipulation  Also, must be able to multi-task and prioritize in a fast paced office environment

16. Dreams to Reality Peer Coaching explores the kind of learning needed to prepare students with these skills….

17. Reaching Our Dreams • What skills and knowledge do TEACHERS need to offer this type of learning to their students?

18. Teachers Need To (ISTE): • Inspire student learning and creativity • Design, develop digital age learning expectations and assessments • Model Digital age work and learning • Promote and model digital age citizenship • Engage in professional growth and leadership

19. Enabling 21st-Century Schools Policy Leader Leadership Teaching/ Learning School Leaders Teacher Leaders Teachers Students Teaching/ Learning Available and emerging technologies

20. Unleashing the Power Think of two teachers who have the skills to offer 21st Century Learning to their students. Could they help others do the same?

21. Why Peer Coaching? • Simple method of professional development • Builds teacher leaders • Helps teachers share practices and learn from one another to engage students in powerful learning. • Alignment - adds value to the local context

22. Peer Coaching is…. • Collaborative • A non-evaluative, non-prescriptive collaboration • Based on the collaborating teacher’s wants and needs

23. Peer Coaching Deliberately … • Develops shared leadership and professional learning community. • Chooses topics of collaboration driven by the collaborating teacher • Builds relationships between trusted peers • Encourages the sharing of teacher practice and/or student results

24. Peer Coaching Program at a Glance • Eight day-long coach training sessions scheduled over a twelve month period • Time for coaches to learn, practice, collaborate and reflect • Blend of face-to-face and distance learning activities

25. Peer Coaching Strands • Coaching skills • Tech integration • Lesson Improvement Coaching Skills Lesson Improvement Tech Integration

26. Coaching Roles • Use tech to add value to a lesson • Consult • Plan learning activities • Reflect and offer feedback • Model • Non Evaluative Partnership • Collaborative conversations

27. A Simple Idea • Teachers sharing ideas • Learning from one another • Building relationships • Deliberate collaboration about teaching and learning

28. Coaching Traits • What do you think are the desirable traits of a Peer Coach? ShoutOuts Coach and School Attribute Handout

29. The Trust Model Credibility Competence Caring

30. Communication Skills • Why • Communication Skills Card • Just Listen • A/B partners. • A: Speak one minute • B: Listen then paraphrase • A: Give feedback to B on their accuracy • Probing Questions Exercise

31. Coaching in Practice Milwaukee Schools Catherine

32. Chalk Talk: A Silent ProtocolInsights I gained about Peer Coaching and collaboration • Use markers to respond silently • Circle • Add a note • Connect ideas

33. Provides a Framework for a District or School Staff development activities and resources to develop teacher leaders Facilitator handbook Coaching Handbook Materials and resources on line Peer Coaching Program Quote

34. Questions and Contact Info Closing thoughts Shelee King George skgeorge@PSCTLT.org Peer Coaching in South Africa: OmashaniNaidoo 0114035777 omashani@schoolnet.org.za