Peer

Coaching Reflections and Insights

A Comparison of Peer Coaching and Traditional

Evaluation
PEER COACHING

TRADITIONAL EVALUATION

Trial and Error Method

Put your best foot forward

give-and-take; sharing both ways

one way learning

non-threatening (peers)

can be perceived as threatening

(supervisor)

forward-looking: improvementoriented

looking backward: what has

happened

targets specific areas

general review

ongoing

one shot data

data: given to teacher

personnel file

teacher being observed evaluates

administrator evaluates

focus is on What I saw.

focus often onWhat I didnt see.

FORMATIVE

SUMMATIVE

Adapted from Peer Coaching, National Staff Development Council, December 10, 1991.

Please note the goal of our new TDE model is to provide
teachers with an evaluation experience that looks and feels a
whole lot more like the experience described under peer
coaching!

Rules for Peer Coaching

THE BASICS
1. Were engaging in exploration, not criticism. Were unraveling a
mystery (teaching and learning) together, not monitoring each other.
2. An observed lesson is a shared resource; both teacher and coach
should take something of value away from any discussion of it.
3. Look for, describe, and assess the practice and its results, not the
persons competence.
THE TALK
1. Describe first, discuss details later. First describe what happened,
using your data. The teacher can take or leave that. Only then discuss
what the results were, and only if the teacher initiates the discussion.
2. Talk specifically and concretely. (You called on Will three times,
rather than You tend to call on boys a lot.)
3. Talk about things which can be changed and which are worth
changing. (e.g., Ignore personal mannerisms, unless they are interfering
with student learning.)
4. Remember to focus on strengths. Important learning comes from
building on our strengths as well as from addressing areas of weakness.
5. Check to insure clear communication. Paraphrase a lot: Are you
saying that...? Let me see if I understand you...
6. Interact. The basic human interaction skills of attending, listening,
responding, and acknowledging are important for both the coach and the
teacher.

7 Different Ways to Gather Evidence

Selective Verbatim: Word-for-word record of what individual

learners and/or the teacher say about a particular issue or some other
are of focus (e.g., the observer records the exact wording of how the
teacher asks questions and how a particular learner responds, keeps
note of the questions that learners ask, records the exact
conversation between specific learners, etc.). 

Anecdotal Record: Description of events or episodes that occur

during the class (e.g., the observer records the story of what happens
among learners when the teacher leaves the classroom, or records
the behaviors and conversation between learners as they negotiate
how to work in small groups). 

Class Traffic: A written record of who moves inside the room at
what times (e.g., who enters and exits, movement from large group
to small groups, who goes where). This description can include the
rationale for the traffic (if provided) and how learners and the
teacher respond to the traffic. 

Event Count:A record of the number of times something in

particular occurs (e.g., the number of times the teacher interrupts a
learner, the number of times learners interrupt one another, the
number of times learners initiate a discussion, the number of times
there are periods of silence, etc.). 

Activity Duration: A record of how much time is spent on a

particular event or activity (e.g., the amount of time learners talk
informally versus on task, the amount of time the teacher speaks
versus learners, the amount of time learners have to quietly reflect,
the amount of time learners have to work with one another, etc.).


Time Sample: A record of what occurs at specific intervals of time

(e.g., a record of what learners are doing every five minutes, or what
is happening in the classroom every five minutes). 

Physical Map:A drawing or map of where tables and chairs are

located and the activities that happen there. 

The Hows and Whys of Peer Mentoring

By Marc Osten and Eric Gidseg

Our peer observations were organized in a simple fashion. Every week

the person being observed informed the team of what to look for when
visiting. Sometimes we wanted a certain child observed. Sometimes
the focus was on a curriculum matter. Other times we wanted to
address issues such as methods of class management.
During the week, the three observers would separately come to the
observees classroom and take careful notes for 30 minutes. At the
beginning of the following week, the team held a debriefing meeting
and each observer recounted what they had seen. We rotated the
process so that each team member was observed every month or so.
Scheduling was one of our first obstacles. We each looked carefully at
our specials such as music, at our teaching assistant times and at
lunch schedules to determine when it would be possible to leave the
classroom. During a mid-winter team evaluation, we decided that 30
minutes was not enough time to observe. We solved this problem with
two major adjustments: We increased our observations to 45 minutes
and we chose a focus topic that the other teachers would watch for
throughout the rest of the year.
Scheduling became a bit trickier but we carefully calculated ways to
cover for one another. Sometimes we swapped teaching assistants,
covered each others classes at recess, or ate our lunches during
observations. The administration has been supportive, although all the
work to organize and institutionalize the process has fallen on our
team. Our union (we are members of the American Federation of
Teachers) has not really been aware of the project.
Benefits of Peer Mentoring
The primary goal of the peer observation project is to rethink the way
we do things and adapt to changing times, students, and circumstances.
The benefits of observing went both ways. Not only did observed
teachers get specific feedback but those doing the observing were
exposed to an increased number of children of varying ages, learning

styles, and academic, developmental, and emotional levels. All of us

have benefited from seeing a variety of teaching methods and all have
enhanced our bag of tricks, so to speak.
There have also been what one might call hidden benefits.
After a few months of observing each other, we recognized that we
tended to over-prepare for the time we were observed. We wanted to
impress each other and keep our warts hidden. As trust built, this
need to appear perfect dissipated and we became more comfortable
with letting down our defenses. This led to an unexpected
development: Team members found that while teaching unobserved,
they helped maintain their focus by pretending that someone was
observing them.
Another interesting benefit was how our colleagues acted as a reality
check. For example, one teacher said she felt as if she were always
yelling at her students. The observers reported something very
different. They saw a teacher who appeared to be patient and tolerant.
Clearly, her own thoughts and frustration had shaded her view of her
teaching. The team discussed this further and helped the teacher to
focus on the reasons for her frustratio
A third hidden benefit is that the children see their teachers practicing
what they preach. We make it a point to be very open with the students
about our observations and our team mentoring. In essence, we are
modeling important lessons such as teamwork and learning through
observation. These are the same skills we want our students to learn.
Seeing their teachers struggle to improve and work with their peers is a
powerful example.

When Good Intentions Go Awry

By Eric Gidseg

Peer observations often provide insights that are quite painful to hear
but which can improve our teaching. I learned this the hard way.
In my class of 21 kindergartners, there was a child whom I felt was
unreachable in the context of whole class or group activities. I asked

the team to help me out.

I use a large group setting, what I call my morning circle, as the
primary teaching modality in my classroom. After the large group, the
children go to center activities which provide an opportunity for
practice and exploration. Since this child was apparently getting little
from our morning circle, her entire morning was affected. She moved
through centers with little understanding or direction.
As we sat together on the rug each day to hear stories and discuss
current explorations, this little girl (whom I will call Jennifer), often sat
on the periphery. She would look down at her hands and generally
appeared lost in her own inner world.
Jennifer was a child who carried a lot of emotional baggage, and her
home life was troubled and unstable. She was generally unable or
unwilling to participate in classroom activities, especially verbal ones.
When things became stressful for her, she would act in, crossing her
arms across her chest and making a sour face.
I felt on the verge of giving up with Jennifer. All my attempts to get
her to participate had failed. To some extent, I had allowed myself to
give less thought to her. Just as she had banished herself from the
center of the class, so had I pushed her to the periphery of my
awareness.
I knew I needed help. I hoped that my peers had experience with
children who were as reticent as Jennifer and could offer concrete
suggestions. What I received from my team was quite shocking and
caused me to look at my own failures and to re-examine my teaching.
During the observations, my peers noted that although Jennifer was
passive and seemingly inattentive for much of the time, there were
several brief moments where Jennifer had tried to make contact. But I
had failed to recognize her attempts. For example, at one point I had
been reading a book to the class. One peer observer later reported that
Jennifer quietly said during the reading, Guess what, Mr. Gidseg?
But I apparently didnt hear her, or at least didnt respond.

I asked myself, How could I have missed such an event? Jennifer had
made a significant step outwards and I had failed to recognize it. I then
asked myself, How long had she been reaching out only to find
herself ignored by me? The peer observer went on to report that
Jennifer approached me later, apparently to ask me something. I did not
recognize this and instead I spoke to her. I asked her to be my special
helper at our listening center. She crossed her arms and moved angrily
away from me. I remembered the incident. At the time, I was mystified
by Jennifers behavior.
At the debriefing, my reaction was visceral. I buried my head in my
hands and said, This is like a knife in my heart. Its still painful for
me to watch the tape of my debriefing. My colleagues were
tremendously supportive, as always. My teammate who watched me
miss opportunities with Jennifer told me that as he watched these
events, he knew that they would be painful for me to hear. Another
observer expressed that Jennifer was careful not to let even her
reaching out become too obvious.
I received many ideas from my peers about how to help Jennifer. These
ranged from being sure that she sat in front of me during our morning
circle time to privately meeting with Jennifer before or after our circle
to be sure that she received enough direction to do productive work for
the day.
As I had time to process the feelings, observations, and ideas that were
generated from my debriefing, I realized that the significant
information that I received was the recognition that Jennifer was, in
fact, reaching out. It was now up to me to be attentive to her as much
as possible.
I resolved to have her near me as much as possible, to not allow her to
become part of the periphery. I created small time frames where she
and I could chat, in private, about the work for the day. The changes
were remarkable in a short period of time. Not only was I giving more
attention to the details of her behavior, I also found more room in my
heart for her. The team had helped me to see her in a new light.
There was a lot going on inside of Jennifer and I was determined to

reach her. As she became more tuned in to the workings of the class,
she began to make friends. She suddenly found herself to be fairly
popular. Her self esteem was given quite a boost.
Jennifers relationship with me also improved. She began talking to me
each morning, little bits at first. She spoke about her family and her
friends. On one occasion she brought pictures for me that she made at
home. She quickly started to ask questions and enjoyed reading books
with me. She had begun to learn. She was able, for the first time, to
write her name correctly. Jennifer maintained her reticence towards
performing in front of the class, but she was no longer afraid to
speak.
As a veteran teacher with 20 years of early childhood experience, I was
humbled by the effect that the team had on my awareness and teaching.
Through their supportive critique, my eyes were opened to some of my
own blind spots. And Jennifer was the fortunate recipient of a more
enlightened approach from a newly revitalized teacher.
Eric Gidseg has taught kindergarten and first grade for 20 years. For 11 years he taught
kindergarten in faculty administered Waldorf schools, where he first discovered the
potential of professional development.
Marc Osten has taught 2nd and 3rd grade for several years. Previous to working in
education, he worked on consumer and environmental protection concerns for national
and international organizations.