Peer Coaching in a Research-Based Teachers’ Professional Learning Method for Lifelong Learning: A Perspective

Authors

  • Sally Baricaua Gutierez Department of Science Education, College of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4791-7516
  • Heui-Baik Kim Seoul National University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v64i2.56327

Keywords:

professional development, in-service training, professional learning, collaboration

Abstract

Teacher professional development (PD) has been claimed to be the foundation for transforming school culture. Any PD activity with a human infrastructure that is composed of teachers, researchers, and policy makers who together form a professional learning community (PLC) situated in a local school must incorporate the team’s appreciation of collective efficacy and sense of community in the learning environment. A PLC must exemplify the concept of ongoing collaborative experiential learning through experimentation and reflection on emerging practices. It is expected, therefore, that with everyone's active involvement in the support structure, teachers' PD will be positively impacted and reflected in approaches to professional development.
Fundamental to the adult learning environment is the process of collaborative inquiry where participants critically reflect on their own experiences. The process of collaborative inquiry encapsulates the notion that as teachers are regarded as lifelong learners, they need to gather insights from their experiences with the support of their colleagues to ensure that their learning process contributes to the enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. Collaborative inquiry captures the idea of co-learning PD where professional knowledge and skills are acquired and sustained in an authentic teaching environment that aims to foster sustainable changes in teaching practices. Grounded in the principles of adult learning, this article presents a methodological perspective on how educational institutions can form a professional learning community within the school context where problems from past experiences are critically examined and serve as a foundation to professionally reflect, think, and act.

Il a été affirmé que le développement professionnel des enseignants est la base de la transformation de la culture scolaire. Toute activité liée au développement professionnel ayant une infrastructure humaine composée d’enseignants, de chercheurs et de décideurs qui forment une communauté d’apprentissage professionnelle (CAP) dans une école locale doit incorporer l’appréciation de l’équipe pour l’efficacité collective et le sentiment de communauté dans le milieu d’apprentissage. Une CAP doit illustrer, par l’expérimentation et la réflexion sur les pratiques émergentes, le concept de l’apprentissage expérientiel collaboratif et continu. On s’attend alors que l’implication active de tout le monde dans la structure de soutien aura un impact positif sur le développement professionnel des enseignants et sur les approches à ce cheminement.
Le processus d’enquête collaborative où les participants se livrent à une réflexion critique sur leurs propres expériences constitue un élément fondamental du milieu de l’éducation des adultes. L’enquête en collaboration résume la notion qu’en tant qu’apprenants à vie, les enseignants se doivent de recueillir des connaissances de leurs expériences avec l’appui de leurs collègues et pour s’assurer que leur cheminement contribue à l’amélioration de la qualité de l’enseignement et des résultats d’apprentissage. L’enquête collaborative englobe l’idée du co-apprentissage dans le contexte du développement professionnel au cours duquel des connaissances et des habiletés professionnelles sont acquises et maintenues dans un milieu pédagogique authentique qui vise la promotion de changements durables dans la pratique enseignante. Fondée sur les principes de la formation des adultes, cet article présente une perspective méthodologique sur la formation, par les établissements d’enseignement, d’une communauté d’apprentissage professionnelle dans un milieu scolaire où les expériences du passé font l’objet d’un examen critique et servent de base à des réflexions et des actions professionnelles.

Mots clés : développement professionnel, formation en cours d’emploi, perfectionnement professionnel, collaboration

Author Biographies

Sally Baricaua Gutierez, Department of Science Education, College of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development

Sally B. Gutierez is currently doing her Ph.D. in Biology Education at Seoul National University, South Korea. She is also associated with the University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development as a Science Education Associate. Currently, her research interests include argumentation in science education, teachers’ scaffolding practices, peer coaching, professional development and lesson study.

Heui-Baik Kim, Seoul National University

Dr. Heui-Baik Kim is a currently the Dean of the College of Education at Seoul National University and a Professor at the Department of Science Education. She currently leads a pool of graduate students in biology education at the Biology Teaching and Learning Research Group at the Department of Science Education. Graduate students' researches in her research group are focused on argumentation, systems thinking, responsive teaching, and teachers’ scaffolding in science education.

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Published

2018-06-22

How to Cite

Gutierez, S. B., & Kim, H.-B. (2018). Peer Coaching in a Research-Based Teachers’ Professional Learning Method for Lifelong Learning: A Perspective. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 64(2), 214–221. https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v64i2.56327

Issue

Section

ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES