How Peer Coaching Helps Teachers
Implement GATE Strategies and the SCGM
Susan Winebrenner, M.S.
www.susanwinebrenner.com
ITAG Conference 2013
760.510.0066
Peer Coaching:
 Ensures long term implementation of strategies
learned from PD events
 Allows teachers to utilize each other’s expertise to
solve problems or challenges
 Can give teachers the confidence to volunteer for gifted
cluster classes
 Fits in perfectly with PLC agendas
What does the research show?
 If your school wants teachers to implement and continue to use
methods they have learned in professional development experiences,
create an on-going collegial peer coaching program at your building.
Peers helping peers learn about and implement new methods are
much more effective than speakers or full-time mentors.
 The peer partners can be at the same level of expertise and can still
help each other toward ongoing implementation. They can be at
different grade levels or on different teams, but the method is still
highly effective. This study has been ongoing for more than 25 years
and continues to demonstrate the same amazing results.
Showers and Joyce, ASCD 2002: Effects of Peer Coaching on
Student Achievement (slight variation in different study years)
TYPE OF PD
ONE WEEK
LATER
ONE MONTH
LATER
Lecture Only
10%
30%
8%
20%
3%
3%
65%
60%
5%
90+%
GUESS!!!
Lecture with
demonstrations
Lecture with
audience
participation
and practice
Lecture with
audience
practice and onsite collegial
peer coaching
90+ %
THREE
MONTHS
LATER
Carol Dweck’s Research
Mindset by Carol Dweck,
Random House, 2006.
Explains the differences between people who welcome challenges and those
who avoid them.
“How Not to Talk to Your Kids” by Po Bronson. Free at www.nymag.com.
Explains how adults’ words and actions influence how the degree to which
children learn to welcome challenging opportunities throughout their lives.
Summarizes Dweck’s work as well.
Easy success = underestimation of
one’s own abilities
 Easy success makes kids adopt lower standards and selfexpectations and try to guarantee that all appears effortless.
 When adults praise outcomes that were created by little or no effort,
verbally, with high grades, or awards, children continue to seek that
praise instead of taking risks by being willing to work hard.
 Giving kids the “smart” label may actually be contributing to their
underachievement; if not presently, then later in life. Teaching
them the value of hard work supports lifetime achievement
 All students should make at least one year’s academic growth for
every year they spend in school.
Leading a Book Study Group
 Volunteers only – teachers may come in and go out as




they please
Meet at least monthly – take turns providing food and
chocolate
Use the Book Study Leader’s Guide from Multimedia
package
Concentrate on one strategy with one subject area at a
time
Add other strategies only when teachers indicate they are
read- even then teachers can choose which to work on
Study Group Meeting Format
 SHARE feedback from members regarding their use of strategies
included in previous meetings. Encourage group members to solve
each other’s challenges.
 STUDY the new topic to be introduced at this meeting. Examine
available Extension Menus.
 WATCH any videos that document classroom demonstrations of the
target strategies
What’s next?
Collegial Peer Coaching should either
accompany or follow Book Study
Groups to ensure ongoing
implementation of learned strategies.
Format - continued
 DISCUSS the targeted strategy. Show group where
supporting material may be found.
 CONNECT the content from the meeting to
application to required standards. Allow time for
teachers to meet in grade level or subject specialty
groups during this meeting to coach each other to
implementation.
 From the Professional Development Multimedia Package that supports
“Teaching Gifted Kids in Today’s Classroom, 3rd edition, 2012,
freespirit.com. Used with permission
Stages of Collegial
Peer Coaching(CPC)
 Stage One:





Partners meet to decide what will be observed and
design the observation tool
Observation is confined to the effects of the lesson
ON STUDENTS
Visitor LEAVES completed observation tool in
demonstrating teacher’s classroom
Partners trade roles and do a second observation
There is no formal post observation discussion
Stages of Peer Coaching CPC
 Stage Two:
 Same as Stage One except a post observation
discussion may be scheduled at
the invitation of the teacher being observed.
 Purpose of meeting is to discuss the data
observed
 There are no judgments or advice asked for or
given
Stages of Peer Coaching-CPC
 Stage Three:

Same as Stage Two except the person being
observed may ask for one suggestion for
improvement the next time the same lesson or
technique is used
Compatibility of peer coaching
with other programs
 Complements RTI and gives teachers tools for the top
part of the RTI triangle.
 Gives structure and ownership to PLC groups
 Enhances efforts to create consistency between
teachers to deliver programs with “fidelity”
 Ends the typical isolation of teachers
Peer Coaching and Cluster Grouping –
A Perfect Duo
 The Schoolwide Cluster Grouping Model (SCGM)
A much needed paradigm shift in the delivery of gifted education services
in times of lean budgets and with the outcomes of improved services for
all categories of gifted students including:
Twice Exceptional
Primary age
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
Underachievers and Non-productive students
Students who go “under cover” to fit in
The Cluster Grouping Handbook. freespirit.com
SCGM Suggested classroom composition
30students Gifted
High
Average
in 3 classes
A
B
C
6
0
0
0
6
6
Average
Low
Average
Far
Below
Average
12
12
12
12
6
6
0
6
6
From The Cluster Grouping Handbook, freespirit.com. For classroom
placement variations, see the article on Cluster Grouping by Dina
Brulles and Susan Winebrenner in Gifted Child Today, Fall, 2011
What are some advantages of cluster grouping?
 Grouping all gifted children into cluster classes provides social,
emotional, and academic advantages to students.
 Teachers can focus instruction because they have a slightly
narrower range of achievement levels in their classes.
 Achievement rises at grade levels that use clustering.
 Schools provide full-time gifted services with little additional
costs.
 Parents keep their gifted children in their home schools.
What are potential challenges of cluster grouping?
 Parental pressure to place children who have not been
identified as gifted into the gifted cluster classroom
 Placing students when enrolling during the school year
 Challenging highly gifted students in more mixed-ability
classes.
 Monitoring that consistent compacting and differentiation is
taking place in gifted cluster classes.
The SCGM: Achievement Implications
 Narrowed range of abilities allows for more focused instruction
 Teachers learn strategies for advanced ability learners




they can use for all students, not just the gifted students
On-going assessment of students’ strengths and needs ensures
continual progress
Gifted students are more likely to receive advanced instruction and
extended learning opportunities
Not all student are working on the same material at the same time
Higher expectations for all students!
 BONUS: Parents of gifted children allow their children to
continue to attend their home school.
Case Study
Glendale, AZ
2000 - 2006
Gifted Identification
Contact Dr Dina Brulles - dbrulles@gmail.com
Glendale, AZ
600
500
400
White
300
Hispanic
200
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Numbers of gifted population depicted by ethnic representation of
White and Hispanic gifted student populations between 2000-2006
onELL in NG Cluster
86
7
8
SCGM Research Results Glendale AZ 2009
Student
Type
Number
(n)
Pre-Test
Scores
Post-Test
Scores
% of
Change
Gifted Cluster
554
63
85
34.9%
NG in Gifted
Cluster
535
56
76
35.7%
NG in NC
2627
40
57
42.5%
ELL Gifted
Cluster
250
63
84
33.3%
ELL NG in GC
249
55
73
32.7%
ELL NG in
NC
1504
39
57
46.2%
Non
Ell in GC
304
63
85
34.9%
NonELL
in NG
286
57
78
36.8%
1123
40
57
42.5%
Cluster
Non ELL
Non Gifted
in Non
SCGM Research Results (2)
Student
Type
Number
(n)
Pretest
Scores
Posttest
Scores
% Of
Change
Grade
Level
Grade 2
72
70.15
92.29
31.56
Grade 3
143
64.04
87.76
37.04
Grade 4
102
59.48
83.63
40.60
Grade 5
75
65.52
84.03
28.25
Grade 6
60
63.50
83.07
30.82
Grade 7
35
61.46
79.34
29.09
Grade 8
67
57.25
77.33
35.07
SCGM Totals (3)
Student
Type
Number
African
American
32
Hispanic
Pre-test
Post-test
% of
Change
64.06
86.06
34.34
300
61.98
84.02
35.56
Caucasian
173
63.94
85.15
33.17
Asian
40
69.30
87.48
26.23
Native
American
9
56,78
86.56
52.45
ELL
250
63.02
84.38
33.89
Non-ELL
304
63.26
85.12
34.56
Female
270
63.79
84.99
33.23
Male
284
62.55
84.59
35.24
Administrators’ Perspective
Is there evidence of:
 Yearly academic growth?
 Pre-testing?
 Flexible grouping?
 Compacting curriculum?
 Differentiated learning?
 Student directed learning?
 Small & large group instruction?
Using Data and the Administrator Observation Form
ADMINISTRATOR OBSERVATION FORM
Topics for PLC or Book Study Meetings
 Characteristics of gifted learners
 Nomination & ID procedures
 Compacting and Differentiation strategies
 Flexible grouping strategies
 Creating tiered assignments
 Curriculum compacting and Differentiation
 Independent Study
 Cluster Grouping benefits and challenges
 Communication with Parents
 Add your own
Achievement implications of The SCGM:
 Narrowed range of abilities allows for more focused
instruction
 On-going assessment of students’ strengths and need
ensures continual progress
 Teachers learn strategies for advanced ability learners they
can use for all students, not just the gifted students
 Gifted ELL students are more likely to receive advanced
instruction and extended learning opportunities
 Higher expectations for all students
What are potential challenges of cluster grouping?
 Parental pressure to place children who have not been
identified as gifted into the gifted cluster classroom
 Placing students when enrolling during the school year
 Challenging highly gifted students in more mixed-ability
classes.
 Monitoring that consistent compacting and differentiation is
taking place in gifted cluster classes.
In summary…
 For student and teacher accountability, fidelity to
adopted program goals and expected outcomes is
essential.
 This includes training for teachers on how to
consistently compact and differentiate the adopted
curriculum for both learners who struggle and learners
who are advanced.
 These outcomes are much more likely to occur when
Collegial Peer Coaching is included in PD programs
Stages of Peer Coaching
 Stage One:





Partners meet to decide what will be observed and
design the observation tool
Observation is confined to the effects of the lesson
ON STUDENTS
Visitor LEAVES completed observation tool in
demonstrating teacher’s classroom
Partners trade roles and do a second observation
There is no formal post observation discussion
Stages of Peer Coaching
 Stage Two:
 Same as Stage One except a post observation
discussion may be scheduled at
the invitation of the teacher being observed.
 Purpose of meeting is to discuss the data
observed
 There are no judgments or advice asked for or
given
Stages of Peer Coaching
 Stage Three:

Same as Stage Two except the person being
observed may ask for one suggestion for
improvement the next time the same lesson or
technique is used