Peer Coaching Reflection

Going into this peer coaching experience, I desired to look at my student’s engagement
in math. I noticed that they were frequently less attentive during our math lessons and it often
prohibited us from finishing other things in the classroom because we would spend so much
time trying to gain everyone’s focus and attention. In On the Nature of Teaching Labaree
describes the “central problem facing the teacher” as “control”, (Labaree, 2000) this is exactly
what I was experiencing, I wanted control over their learning and their attentiveness to
learning. My goal for this session was to gain insight on exactly where I was losing my students
and to find strategies to aid in regaining their focus and being proactive against inattention as
opposed to reactive.
When I went into carrying out this plan, I wanted my master teacher to come in and
observe me in person and if that were unable to happen, I would record myself on my laptop.
As my building is not always the most secure, I was discouraged from bringing in my laptop, and
my master teacher frequently had meetings with other teachers in the district as well as our
administrators so she was unable to come in and watch me teach a whole lesson. As an
alternative, we talked in-depth about the situations surrounding my math lesson. We examined
questions such as: What’s going on in the classroom immediately before our lesson? Where are
the students before and during the lesson? Where do they go at the end of the lesson? Etc.
At the end of this discussion, we concluded that some problems may be surrounding the
environment. We realized that the students spend the whole afternoon at their desks and
although they are requested to rotate during centers (which happens immediately before and
after math) they are still asked to sit in those same seats. This conclusion lead us to dive into
the practice of looking at the whole child. In her article What is the Purpose of Education
Willona M. Sloan cites the whole child approach as something that will “develop and prepare
students for challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow,” (Sloan, 2012) By looking at
the whole child in this instance, we looked at their age group specifically; at five years old, it is a
lot to ask them to stay in the same general area for three hours with no break and maintain the
same focus. Add to that the fact that the seats are hard and not always comfortable and that
our curricula has discussed counting in a predictable way for the past fifty days and it begins to
make sense why the students have a harder time focusing for this part of the day.
Going through and examining these ideas and concepts were extremely valuable for me
and was immensely more personal and relevant than any other professional development I
have attended. This not only reminded me of the importance of knowing my students, but
reiterated why this is an essential quality teaching practice. “Teachers need to develop a broad
relationship with students for the purpose of understanding their learning problems,” (Labaree,
2000) and in this instance this is clearly shown to be true. When I took a step back to look at my
students as who they are (five-year-olds whom have never been to school before and are still
learning what it means to be a student) I realized that having them sit in one general area for
three hours (whether they are rotating or not) is not conducive for them.
After this activity, the high-leverage practice of leading discussions (University of
Michigan, 2018) was improved by analyzing my instruction (University of Michigan, 2018) and
while I did find strategies for regaining their focus outside of what I have been doing, I was able
to find a way to be proactive and analyze why I was losing my students during math lessons. I
was also reminded of the importance of knowing my students and paying attention to what I
know about them to make lessons or various settings more appropriate and fitting for them. As
a result of my peer coaching, I am now conducting whole group math lessons on the carpet
either in a circle so we can all see each other or in their usual carpet spaces. This provides a
change of scenery while also giving us a more intimate feel during our learning.

Works Cited
Labaree, D. (2000, May/June). On the Nature of Teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(2),
227-33.
Sloan, W. M. (2012, July). Education Update. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from ascd.org:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-
update/jul12/vol54/num07/What-Is-the-Purpose-of-Education¢.aspx
University of Michigan. (2018). Teaching Works. Retrieved from teachingworks.org:
http://www.teachingworks.org/work-of-teaching/high-leverage-practices