Simon, Myah R

COLLEGIAL COACHING
Houston Christian University

REVIEW
Technology Integration
 Myah Simon

LTDE 5330

Collegial Coaching Reflections

As a certified professional teacher , I have experienced several different methods of

coaching to enhance my skills and become a more developed educator . My favorite style of

coaching would be collegial coaching. It feels more comfortable for me to work with a

colleague to grow in my profession rather than a different style of coaching that usually

involves an administrator whom is trying to develop you from a hierarchical point. What is

collegial coaching? “Collegial Coaching is a professional development method where colleagues

are paired together to help one another grow and improve with feedback and support. The

method is aimed at increasing collegiality, improving instructional delivery and ultimately

having significant positive impacts on student learning and achievement.” (Axelsen, E). This

type of coaching releases the system of hierarchy and focuses on school colleagues supporting

one another for professional growth.

Collegial Coaching and Technology

During the pandemic all teachers were forced to a new way of delivering a lesson.

Everything was soley based on the use of technology. As everything transitioned we also had to

transition our lessons and style of teaching. “Technology integration is the approach that

companies use to choose and refine the technologies employed in a new product, process, or

service” (Edutopia). Now that we are three years post pandemic many teachers have mastered

using proper and effective technology tools in the classroom while others are still wanting a
little more guidance to use it to its best benefit. Collegial Coaching is an effective way to allow

teachers to help one another in this area.

What Makes Collegial Coaching Different

Collegial Coaching is set up with the predetermined goal of enhancing and supporting

professional growth. It is different in that the coach and coachee partnerships are generated

from a variety of different job titles and district positions. The level of expertise between the

partnership does not create a hierarchical relationship. For example, a higher leveled title

doesn’t make one be the coach over the other. Most schools that adopt this model have a

higher professional growth rate in their employees , no matter the level or years of experience.

Collegial coaching can take many forms such as, peer observation , co-planning and co-

teaching.

Collegial Coaching Study

I conducted a study over two high school teachers at Evan E. Worthing High School.

Participant one is Ms. Desiray Johnson , she is an English Language Learner Teacher for grades

ninth and tenth. She has been a teacher for six years and in this position for two years. She feels

comfortable with using technology in education but has had challenges with integrating the

most purposeful technology in her latest position. Most of her students have a different

primary language other than English (98% being Spanish) and is learning English. The teacher

and students goal is to not only increase on the English language proficiency scale (beginner ,

intermediate ,advanced , and advanced high) but to also pass the state level English STAAR
exam , the Telpas exam and ultimately become bilingual and speak the nations predominant

language. The students are required to be able to speak, read , and write in English to

transition to the next level. Ms. Desiray Johnson wanted to incorporate technology more into

her lessons and found it difficult to find fun engaging ways for a student who’s dominant

language isn’t English. I was the coach and she was the coachee. I began my journey as a first

time collegial coach by stopping by her classroom to observe the culture , the student to

student interaction, the student to teacher interaction , the level of engagement , the full

lesson from beginning to end and the technology used. My purpose is to see what areas I could

provide positive input to enhance the lesson and what technology I could use for emerging

English language students. I took notes and came up with a few ideas . The second time that I

visited her classroom I introduce Vocroo to her. It’s a technology tool that her students could

use to work on their speaking in English and post to discussion boards. She loved the idea! We

practiced using it and the final time that I went to visit we implemented it . The students were

a little nervous at first to speak and hear themselves but after a few practice rounds they were

comfortable and successful at using that particular tool!!

The second teacher that I had the pleasure of working with was Ms. Nicole Tucker . She

is a high school Algebra 1 teacher serving ninth grade students. She has been a teacher for 5

years and in this current position for the last two of those years. The teacher and student goal

is to pass the state Algebra 1 STAAR exam. Ms. Tucker wanted to come up with more creative

and productive ways to include technology into the classroom for daily assignments, whether it

is for exam review, daily assignments, or quizzes. She wants to use something that will also be

beneficial in improving student STAAR exam scores while keeping the students engaged. She
stated that she often looses the students halfway through her lessons. I went through the same

process with her as I did with Ms. Desiray Johnson. After observing her classroom and how

everything goes I thought it would be cool if she used Quizzizz and Kahoot. Her class had a very

competitive culture that made the students want to do better to win. Kahoot is a game they

could play for reviews that is competitive and fun in nature. Once I introduced it to her and we

practiced using the digital tool she incorporated it into her next lesson. I went back to the class

to observe how it went and the student engagement level excelled.

Findings and Results

After completing the process there are a few things that I would like to improve on the

next time I am a coach. I would want to see a lesson plan before observing the classroom to be

more cautious of what is happening when I do come and to know for the next day how I could

incorporate new things and if the lesson taking place is according to plan. I also plan to hold a

post conference with the coachee to see how they feel things went and to discuss the changes

that we made and how we can make them even more effective. I think I would also would like

the coaches to fill out a form prior to our experience on what they expect what they want help

with and any other comments. I did find that this experience allows both parties to benefit and

grow professionally.

Conclusion

In conclusion , there are many different benefits of Collegial Coaching that makes it an

ideal method for professional growth. This model is extremely effective because it benefits both
partners in the relationship. Generally both the coach and the coachee feel comfortable enough

to truly be themselves and give positive feedback while exchanging information to help one

another grow. It is also beneficial in that teachers receive training on how to be a coach to one

another, how to have meaningful dialogue .

References

1. Axelsen , Erin (2022) Collegial Coaching For Mutual Benefit. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/article/collegial-coaching-for-mutual-benefit

2. Edutopia. (n.d.). Technology Integration. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from

https://www.edutopia.org/topic/technology-integration

3. Anderson, M., & Shannon, A. (2017). The power of peer coaching. Educational

Leadership, 74(2), 54-59.

4. Arslan, Fadime, and Gulden Illin. Effects of Peer Coaching on the Classroom

Management Skills of Teachers.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321051709_Effects_of_peer_coaching_for_t

he_classroom_management_skills_of_teachers.