Date Approved

5-31-2003

Embargo Period

5-10-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Educational Leadership

Department

Educational Services and Leadership

College

College of Education

Advisor

Capasso, Ronald

Subject(s)

Teachers--Training of

Disciplines

Educational Leadership

Abstract

Professional development is an important part of teaching, and there are a multitude of opportunities for teachers to attend workshops and seminars on a host of topics. The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of peer coaching as a valuable professional development activity for teachers. A group of twelve volunteer participants visited their partners' classrooms and provided feedback on aspects of teaching pre-determined by the teachers themselves. Participants received guidelines for deciding on a focus area during a pre-conference, recording data, and providing feedback at a post-conference. Each participant provided feedback concerning each visit and responded to a final summative reflection about the process in general. The post survey revealed that most participants feel that peer coaching is a valuable tool for refining teaching skills, especially because it connects directly with what happens in the classroom. Most participants believe that visits by peer coaches differ from administrative observations, in that they are non-threatening and are less subjective.

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