Pam Robbins book (full title: Peer Coaching: To Enrich Professional Practice, School Culture, and Student Learning) is a guide to creating a culture of teachers supporting teachers in a structure collaborative way. The book takes an holistic approach and talks about how to create this culture from zero, but the real gold is in the three chapters that unpack the pre-observation meeting, observation and post-observation meeting. I’ll unpack what I found useful from these chapters in this blogpost.
Creating the Effective Pre-Conference
“Successful conferencing requires both relationship skills, including the ability to build trust, and technical expertise, such as knowing how to develop and post appropriate questions and how to listen effectively” (77).
Judith Warrren Little suggests six principles for effective conferencing:
- Technical: common language (shared understanding), focus (narrow the frame) and hard evidence (objective data)
- Social: interaction (two way), predictability (actions that are consistent with expectations), and reciprocity (build trust)
There is no recipe for a coaching conference, instead this chart is useful for tracking how to respond.
Robbins also emphasises communication skills such as:
- wait time – providing time for both partners to think and reflect
- paraphrasing – checking for mutual understanding and
- clarifying – checking that messages are received as intended
- pressing for specificity – invite elaboration and more precise information and details
- avoid negative embedded in messages – avoid judgements
- reframing – shift the point of view and consider from different perspectives
The key point is that it is not just questioning skills, it is the manner in which the questions are asked that is vital for a successful conference.
Ensuring a Skillful Observation
“The primary purpose of the observation process is to provide data for discussion during the post-conference” (92).
The focus of the observation can be supported by the following graphic which emphasises the interconnected nature of classroom practice.
In terms of data collection, student work and student voice is useful. Furthermore, using digital devices to record evidence, visual and sound for reflection in the post conference.
Inviting Reflection Through the Post-Conference
“The post conference provides an opportunity for the inviting teacher and the coach to share their reflections on the lesson that was observed, to examine the data collected, and to analyse the results” (104).
The advice in this chapter goes hand in hand with Robyn Jackson and Michael Bungay Stanier.
Growth-oriented feedback that is “timely, specific, nonjudgmental, non-evaluative, directed toward behaviour that can be changed, reciprocal, and meaningful” (104). Robbins is clear in this chapter and the rest of the book that effective one-on-one coaching is dependent on creating a culture that supports teachers supporting teachers.
Robbins, Pam (2015) Peer Coaching to Enrich Professional Practice, School Culture, and Student Learning. ASCD.
Cargill's Classroom 