Peer coaching, a mentoring process for individuals of equal status, is a highly effective, but underused professional development tool. This book provides the first rigorously researched and road tested three-part model for fostering peer coaching relationships at work.

This guide trains teachers to help each other refine their classroom strategies and tailor them to 21st Century needs. Insights include how peer coaching involves much more than just one teacher offering another advice, how a coaching relationship is first built on trust, and then on the willingness to take risks, and why peer coaching should focus on adapting teaching methods to the technological future of education.

Peer Coaching in Higher Education describes a simple, five-step method for the improvement of teaching in colleges and universities. Professors and instructors in small groups, as departmental faculty, or as inter- and intra-departmental partners can increase faculty collegiality and improve their teaching techniques for increases in student learning. Gottesman explains the theory and practice of peer coaching, specifically describing its application among the faculty and students of five universities. She provides directions for a faculty conducting its own peer coaching seminar, including necessary hand-outs and examples. Actual peer coaching exchanges give faculty ideas about the extended applications of this process.

'Collaborative Peer Coaching' introduces the 2+2 performance appraisal method, which has been successful in reducing teachers' levels of anxiety & self-doubt, increasing job satisfaction, increasing meaningful contact between teachers & allowing for appraisals in a less threatening context.

Supervision is increasingly required for a coach’s and a mentor's professional development, and engaging in reflective practice with peers can be a valuable way of meeting these needs. Peer supervision brings unique challenges though, including the possibility of collusion or stagnating at a shared developmental level. This book is written by practicing professional supervisors who engage in peer supervision themselves and train communities of coaches and mentors. It guides practitioners to develop and integrate their range of individual and group reflective practice activities alongside professional supervision. It draws upon essential theory and methodology, explores challenges and ethical dilemmas faced within peer supervision, and provides concrete guidance, useful techniques and helpful templates. This practical guide will be vital reading for individual coaching and mentoring practitioners and peer learning groups including within communities, universities and/or training programs. It will also support professional supervisors and organizations developing coaching cultures.

You don't need to be intimidated by the idea of being somebody's coach. Yes, many people make coaching their profession: executive coaches, business coaches, parent coaches, life coaches, athletic coaches, trainers, counselors, consultants, therapists, and others. For sure, they've had plenty of education and training to prepare them for these careers. But the idea that people can coach each other while they're trying to be more effective is not revolutionary. For example, experienced school teachers have always done this to help others who are new to the profession. And moms have been getting together to share their know-how with each other for, well, forever. Today, we call this helping activity "peer coaching." Coaching someone who is working to improve a skill is more like being a friend or a mentor. You do it because you care about someone else's success. Very likely the person who needs your help is someone you know well, such as a friend or a coworker. The purpose of this book is to give you a few ideas to make your coaching interactions more effective.

This book will help you and your staff to develop a framework for continuing professional development within your school or college.