Professional Development Articles

Peer Coaching Mentoring Obeservation

Most of what you learn comes from your peers, either directly or indirectly. Three ways you as an art teacher can learn from your peers are:

• peer coaching
• mentoring
• observation

Each of these methods of learning allows you to use one of the best resources at your disposal: your colleagues.

Peer Coaching

There are many ways to develop professionally using peers as instructors or models. In peer coaching, two or more teachers agree to learn from each other through observation and feedback. Peer coaching can be a powerful tool in art education when two or more art teachers are open to improving instruction and growing professionally. Peer coaching is based on the theory that:

• teachers welcome suggestions for improvement from peers
• teachers seek to continuously improve
• teachers can identify each other’s strengths and areas for growth
• teachers can identify goals for areas of growth and work toward those goals

When peer coaching, teachers often work in pairs to observe and identify areas they would like to improve. Teachers will visit each other’s classrooms during the day and take turns making notes of what they observe. They will describe what the other teacher is doing, what the students are doing, and what the overall nature of the learning experience is like. Later, the teachers will meet again and share observations as well as ask for suggestions and feedback.

Much of the success of peer coaching depends on trust, respect, and a willingness to grow and change. It also works best when educators come to the team, each bringing some skills. It is an incredible way of improving instruction for both teachers involved.

Mentoring

A mentor is an experienced educator working with novice educators. New teachers have so much to learn at once that it is often overwhelming. New teachers usually receive staff development for only a day or two before they are thrown into the regular routine of teaching. Mentor teachers help new teachers get through this regular routine.

Every teacher new to a subject, to a school or district, or to education needs a mentor. Mentors can help new teachers:

• develop their first lessons
• set up classroom procedures
• order supplies

These are just a few of things a mentor teacher does. One of the most important jobs of a mentor is listening to the concerns of a new teacher and providing advice when necessary.

Hopefully, a mentor will become a friend and colleague to the new teacher.

Observation

Observation is a powerful learning tool for staff development. Every teacher needs to be able to take one or more days a year to observe his or her colleagues. You can learn so much from each other as art instructors, such as:

• providing direct instruction
• modeling
• checking for understanding
• monitoring
• classroom organizational skills
• classroom management strategies

Teachers who have the opportunity in their first year of teaching to observe two or three master teachers often say that it is the most powerful staff development they receive all year.

Shared Learning

Staff development can be an ongoing relationship with other art teachers. For new teachers, it starts with a mentor. Then, as one grows, it can become a peer coaching relationship. Finally, no matter what stage of professional growth a teacher is at, he or she can always learn new methods from observing in other classrooms. Your colleagues are your best source of staff development.