Research

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT EFFECTIVE STAFF EFFECTIVE STAFF EFFECTIVE STAFF EFFECTIVE STAFF DEVELOPMENT and COACHING DEVELOPMENT and COACHING DEVELOPMENT and COACHING DEVELOPMENT and COACHING

1. High quality individual and organizational development are ESSENTIAL to LEARNING ORGANISATION AND SCHOOL CULTURE

2. Improved performance requires structural/systems change (Demming) - 85-90% of obstactles reside in organization structures (not individual performance)

3. Staff Development is NOT the answer to all performance problems (MOTIVATION/COMMITMENT)

4. Schools need SUPPORTIVE infrastructure (RESOURCES AND CRITICAL FRIENDS)

5. We must IMPROVE CONSISTENTLY (put aside a project mentality) so that students and teachers learn- the question is WHAT they learn and HOW.

6. We can’t give away what we don’t have. - teachers without self worth - teachers without high order thinking - teachers without their own power - teachers without life-long learning

7. MINDSET changes and PARADIGM SHIFTS need to occur. ‘Progress is impssible without change and those who can’t change their minds can’t change anything’- George Bernard Shaw ‘ No problem can be solved using the same mindset that created it.’

8. It’s essential to be able to INTEGRATE Authentic and Standardised Assessment, Core and Interated Curriculum, inclusion and Individual Needs, National/State and School Based Operational Requirements and DIRECTIONS

9. Inservice sessions must include opportunities for teachers to practice their coaching skills.

10. There is great variation of skill and success from pair to pair. The following factors affect the success of the peer coaching pair: Teachers’ ability to abstract and ‘draw out’ learning Ability to take risks Each partner’s ability to work as a team player as a non-judgemental fashion Individual and collective level of commitment regarding both pedagogy and the coaching process Level of reciprocity Pairs across year levels and learning areas work very well.

11. It is very important that peer coaching is facilitated initially by a Mentor Coach who then serves as a ;coach of Coaches’.

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12. There is a delicate balance between flexibility and fidelity to any coaching model.

13. The pre-conference component of the peer coaching process is consistently monitored.

14. Teacher attrition can have a negative impact on coaching.

15. There tends to be a developmental sequence in the focus of peer coaching sessions.

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