6 Creating a peer-to-peer observation culture

When you observe others, how useful is it towards developing your own understanding of coaching? Similarly, if you are only occasionally observing a particular coach are you then seeing their normal behaviour or are you witnessing a special performance put on for your benefit? Both these questions raise issues about the value of the observational process and how it could be improved to become a better learning experience for everyone.

Figure 7 The power of your peers can be vital in making more sense of what you already know

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A drawing of a girl and a boy, facing each other and their profiles in solid black. A yellow string which is scrambled in the brain of the boy feeds through to the girl where it is neatly coiled.

Figure 7 The power of your peers can be vital in making more sense of what you already know

In the next activity you’ll learn about the potential value of peer-to-peer learning, especially when it is implemented sensitively and developed gradually as the trust between peers grows.

Activity 6 Peer-to-peer observation

Timing: Allow about 20 minutes

Watch the following video from the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. Ask yourself, do the topics raised in this video have implications for the practice of observing and providing feedback to coaches?

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 5

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Transcript: Video 5

[MUSIC PLAYING]

GEOFFREY NEWTON

Schools for many years have had the silo effect, where a teacher goes to a class and teaches a class, and any practises or any innovations or anything that happens within that classroom kind of stays there. So an observation programme broadens the ability for other teachers to see what practises are in various subjects and different teachers, different modes of delivery.

JASON SHARLAND

We looked at this huge pool of talent that we've got in the school and why are we never looking at what we do? Why are we never observing our peers? Why aren't we capitalising on the strengths that we've got? And so we decided that we should look into peer observation. So we launched our peer-to-peer programme.

STEPHANIE MUNDAY-LAKE

People volunteered to be involved, and then they would approach people to kind of come and visit you in your classroom.

JASON SHARLAND

When we launched our peer-to-peer programme, we were really conscious of the fact that teachers had not had other teachers in their rooms for most of their careers, except when they were being formally evaluated. So we were really conscious that we wanted to go slowly, slowly, slowly.

We wanted to build the culture so that our observations wouldn't be threatening, that the process of reflection would be something that people were really on board with. So we definitely kept the brakes on in terms of-- initially we just said no feedback, no feedback at all. This is about your reflection. And some people sort of want to jump in. It's like, no, please, at the start. We're going to take this slowly. Let's just get used to the thing of having other people coming into our classrooms.

GEOFFREY NEWTON

I think in terms of the effects of peer-to-peer or classroom observation programme, the first thing I'd say is that it's made teaching and learning more collegial. So we have a very flat structure at the school, and we have a strong culture of support. And one of the things that I think has come out of that is that teachers have taken on board the observations or have been observed as a teacher as a professional responsibility, rather than somebody checking up on them. And that, I think, has been, from the beginning, a very clear message that we've tried to give everyone.

CRAIG MERRITT

Our next step for observation at the school is just expanding it to make sure that we do have all staff involved. And at the moment, it's been on a voluntary basis. And we've taken over 80% of the staff of being involved in that.

GEOFFREY NEWTON

Teachers make the biggest difference in the student's learning. That's pretty obvious. And if we can improve every single teacher by observation, which is a main thing, and by research, which is a secondary thing, and by further study, which is the third thing, then I think we'll have a very powerful teaching programme, I suppose, teaching and learning programme and a very powerful group of teachers.

End transcript: Video 5

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Discussion

This school slowly created the peer-to-peer observation scheme, initially without feedback, to ensure that it was not perceived as a threat. Applying this to coaches could be useful if it were explained that watching other coaches, without feedback, is an important opportunity for everyone to learn. Extending this to a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas, good practice, problem solving and extending knowledge through a peer feedback process could be exciting. This would work best between coaches who work together regularly, and those who know each other well – could they be encouraged to become each other’s coach developer. If so, this might be a form of critical friendship that was identified as one of the roles featured in the Coach Developer Family (Session 1, Figure 3).

Anecdotal evidence from the practice of some of the biggest companies in the world (e.g. Adobe, Deloitte and Accenture) indicates how they are moving away from formal annual appraisal processes in favour of more regular, informal developmental conversations between staff. This is increasingly being known as Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL).

Sports coaching can perhaps learn from this and recognise and encourage more peer-to-peer learning conversations between individuals.