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COLLEGIAL COACHING

Collegial Coaching:

The Importance of Peer Coaching and How Technology Can Assist

Angél Orellana

Department of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Houston Baptist University

LTDE 5330: Professional Development for Technology Integration

Dr. Katie Alaniz

Houston Baptist University

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Abstract

The purpose of the following study is to show why peer coaching is an effective tool in continual

education and how technology can assist with communicating in a fast-paced environment and

from distant locations. Peer coaching is a non-evaluative opportunity for teachers to improve

with specific instruction and feedback based on their current performance in classrooms. It can

be a learning experience for both the coach and the coachees since different experiences and

knowledge bases are being brought together for the purpose of improvement. The non-evaluative

nature allows peer coaching to be a low-stress learning opportunity. With digital integration,

coaching can occur anywhere and at any time to fit busy lifestyles by using online collaboration

tools such as video calls and Google Suite. By researching literature available and collecting data

about two peer coaching experiences, this paper will show why peer coaching is one of the best

opportunities for teachers to learn about digital integration in the classroom.

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Collegial Coaching: The Importance of Peer Coaching and How Technology Can Assist

Education today has changed radically from just a few years ago. The stereotypical class

has shifted from in-person to hybrid or completely online and newer teaching strategies have

been created and implemented to support the changes. In the media and for many families, there

is a renewed interest in how teachers are managing their classes due to the drastic changes.

However, in education, the idea of reviewing how well a teacher is teaching has been and will

continue to be an ongoing topic.

In their article “Peer Coaching and Better Teaching”, Skinner and Welch describe how

universities have seen an increased emphasis on the importance of peer review in teaching that is

already expected of in publishing research (1996). They reported that while some teachers do not

enjoy having their personal teaching style observed and critiqued, most educators understand the

need to improve how classes are taught. To make sure that the coaching is successful, they

outline eight steps to follow: (1) clarify purpose and procedure, (2) provide formal training, (3)

provide incentives for participation, (4) keep coaching reciprocal, (5) ensure participation is

voluntary, (6) determine if peer coaching should be inter- or intra-disciplinary, (7) collect,

analyze, and report evaluation data, and (8) implement peer coaching as an ongoing part of an

overall culture that values teaching and its improvements. In step 4, Skinner and Welch discuss

how between mentor and peer coaching, the latter is shown to be more effective in their own

experience and in their research.

Peer coaching allows those involved to focus more on what they need. In professional

development, topics are decided on beforehand and are meant to help as many people as possible

at the same time. While this can be a great opportunity for learning, the fact that educators are

required to attend a certain amount of these sessions may make it difficult to fully engage with
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what is being taught if they do not even want to be there to begin with. Since peer coaching is

more one-on-one, learning and troubleshooting can be focused on the needs of the coachee

whether they are a first-year teacher or a veteran with years of experience (Colucci, 2014).

Though teachers are as varied as the students they teach, peer coaches tend to have the

same concerns and passions those they are working with. Since peer coaching is a collaborative

effort, everyone involved can bring their experiences, knowledge, and resources to help create a

collective knowledge base that forms the “core of the peer coaching experience” that will assist

everyone learn more effectively (Jewett and MacPhee, 2014). The strengths of one can be the

strengths of all through this process as coaches and coachees continue to acquire more practical

knowledge.

From a sports perspective, great coaches are invaluable. They not only help their students

learn how to be physically prepared for their activity, but they also help them mentally. Coaches

challenge their students to develop character and social skills while providing them with support

and guidance (Scales, 2016). While sports coaching is more of a mentoring relationship, peer

coaches can still learn valuable skills to encourage and push coachees in certain topics while

considering the mental wellbeing of the person.

Methods

In this section of the paper, I will discuss the peer coaching experience I had as part of

my LTDE 5330 class. The purpose of the assignment was for me to experience first-hand the

benefits or peer coaching while giving two teachers extra support and resources for their classes.

Reflecting on the outcomes, I know that I could have done better. However, I have gained more

experience in collaborating using my strengths and how to find ways to supplement my

weaknesses.
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COLLEGIAL COACHING

In Figure 1, I have included information about the two coaches that I worked with as part

of the project. Even though they are both music teachers, their focuses are very different from

each other.

Coachee Grade Subject Years Experience Main Interests

Ms. Mendoza PreK-5 Music 1 - Digital Integration

- Classroom Management

- Strategies for students with

high energy

Ms. Harrison College Music 1 - Instructional Design

- Student Feedback

Figure 1: information about the coachees

As I asked my coachees if they would be interested in peer coaching, I already had in

mind some of the topics that I knew they would benefit from the most. Both coachees are close

friends of mine whom I met in my undergraduate studies and are now in teaching positions.

Since I know them well, I was able to create a general goal for what we could do and how to do

it before I formally spoke with them.

During our first discussing about our end goals, we were able to “clarify [our] purpose

and procedure” (Skinner and Welch, 1996) together and work on the finer details of how we do

so. As peers, we are of “equal status” so I could more provide “horizontal communication and

mentor teaching” at the same time (Parker et al. 2008). This also meant that conversations

flowed more easily between us making the process faster and more collaborative.
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I was unable to meet with either of my coachees face-to-face, so we relied heavily on text

messages and video calls to discuss everything. This was very helpful for my coachee who is a

first-year teacher in elementary and needs to use every minute of her free time wisely. By

communicating through technology, we were able to fit our conversations around her busy

schedule. My other coachee lives in another state, so using technology was the only way we

could communicate.

Finding a decent amount of time to meet and discuss was difficult at the very beginning.

Since our schedules did not line up well, I created a Google Slide presentation to be the first step

in giving useful information to my coachees. I had three main goals for the slides: define the

purpose of peer coaching, encourage self-reflection, and provide resources that could be utilized

in the coaching experience. This turned out to be a great idea as it gave us a guide of what to

discuss once we were able to video chat. The presentation was also a great first example of how

to use technology to provide information to students in a way that they can return to and revisit

the information.

Ms. Mendoza Ms. Harrison

Google Slide Google Slide

Music Play Online Beta Google Form

Groove Pizza

Figure 2: the main resources discussed in coaching

Figure 2 shows the tools we decided to focus on in this coaching experience. Both

already have experience using slide presentations in their own studies, so I encouraged them to
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use it in the classes they teach. Afterwards, we chose tools based on the needs they had in their

classrooms.

In Ms. Mendoza’s case, we had to choose tools that she could use in her ever-changing

environment. In her school, she has her supplies on a cart to move from class to class and

students have iPads. She needed items that could be implemented in possibly awkward spaces

that may not have a projector. The first resource I recommended to her was Music Play Online

Beta. The website is a free online resource with a wide variety of lesson plans and activities at

the elementary level. With this, we were able to find some activities that would help her high-

energy students stay engaged in the lesson and could work in any space Ms. Mendoza may use.

The second resource we discussed was Groove Pizza. This is another free online tool that

students can use to create simple repeating beats. This tool is great for her class since students

can experiment on their iPads by themselves or in small groups.

While I gave Ms. Harrison information about these tools as well, we needed to find

different tools she could use in her class. While she is a TA for Music Theory, her main

responsibility is as the director of one of the choirs at her university. Her role is to choose music,

teach it to the choir, and conduct during the performance. I recommended she create a survey so

that students can give her anonymous feedback about how she was doing. We discussed how to

write the questions to encourage students to give honest feedback instead of vague answers.

Using a Google Form Ms. Harrison created, students were able to express how they enjoyed the

choir and gave details on why the choir was a success.

Conclusion

In comparison with traditional personal development, I believe peer coaching is much

more effective but requires more investment. Personal development is usually designed take an
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hour or so and may or may not have a hands-on activity. Colucci describes peer coaching as “a

formal process of two teachers coming together to reflect and refine their practice through

structured conversation” (2014). Peer coaching is supposed to take time for reflection, research,

and implementation. The process is more time consuming, but the results are much more

meaningful.

One of the most crucial elements in the coaching process besides time is good

communication. Since we have been friends for years and have had conversations about how to

teach, my coachees and I were able to jump right into what they felt they needed the most help

with. If we did not already have a good rapport, we would have needed to be more purposeful in

our conversations to make sure that were communicating properly.

Overall, peer coaching was a learning experience for all involved. While I was teaching

my coachees about how to use digital integration to assist them in the classroom, they taught me

how they have been successfully teaching their classes with the resources they had. By pooling

together out collective knowledge, we were able to design new strategies that we could not have

made on our own. We were able to support and encourage one another as we continue learning

and improving in our respective fields. This is an experience that should be encouraged in more

schools and I challenge readers to create their own peer coaching experience.
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Resources

Colucci, A. (2014). THE POWER OF PEER COACHING. Educational Horizons, 92(3), 6-8.

Retrieved May 3, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42927227

Jewett, P., & MacPhee, D. (2012). ADDING COLLABORATIVE PEER COACHING TO OUR

TEACHING IDENTITIES. The Reading Teacher, 66(2), 105-110. Retrieved May 2,

2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23322718

Parker, P., Hall, D., & Kram, K. (2008). Peer Coaching: A Relational Process for Accelerating

Career Learning. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 7(4), 487-503.

Retrieved May 3, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27759152

Scales, P. (2016). The crucial coaching relationship. The Phi Delta Kappan, 97(8), 19-23.

Retrieved May 3, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24893329

Skinner, M., & Welch, F. (1996). Peer Coaching for Better Teaching. College Teaching, 44(4),

153-156. Retrieved May 2, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27558800