Peer Coaching for Educators

1. Email faced@bcm.edu with a request for an observation. In this email, inform us about the date, time, and location of your teaching event, as well as your educational setting. If you prefer a particular coach, indicate his/her name as well. Please note that we need at least 1 month for classroom settings and 2 months for clinical settings to plan the observation, so please contact us early!

2. We will connect you with a coach.

3. Further planning (meeting times and places) are arranged directly with your coach: You will meet at least 3 times with your coach: for the pre-meeting, for the actual observation of your teaching activity and for the post-meeting:

Pre-meeting: This meeting can be scheduled any day before the observation, but not on the day itself. Prior to the pre-meeting you should fill out the Pre-Meeting Form and the Self-Assessment rubric. In this meeting you will get to know your coach and discuss what specifically you like the coach to observe.

Observation: During the observation, the coach will note his/her comments on our Teaching and Observation rubric.

Post-meeting: This meeting must be within 7 days of the observation. In the post-meeting you and your coach will go through your notes, discuss your experience, exchange feedback, and receive recommendations.

4. You will keep the pre-meeting form and both rubrics, yet the coach will make copies and email them to the Office of Faculty Development (for administrative purposes only). The office will not share those documents with any third party.

5. The Office of Faculty Development will email you a formal letter documenting your participation in our Peer Coaching for Educators program.

The Peer Coaching for Educators process involves the following steps:

1. Identify an Educational Activity for Observation: Note the date, time, and location, determine who your audience is, and what course directors, organizers, and learners expect from you. Optional: Select a Coach, if you would like to work with a particular member of our team.

2. Email us: Email your inquiry to faced@bcm.edu and provide detailed information about your educational activity (exact date, time, location, title of activity, type of leaners). Should you prefer a specific coach, indicate his/her name in your email to us (you may CC this coach, but the primary email should go to our office).

3. We will find a Coach for you: We will match you with an appropriate coach based on your location and educational setting. If you suggested a coach, we will do our best to recruit this person, yet it will depend on his/her availability.

4. Fill out the Pre-Meeting Form: We will email you a Pre-Meeting from. Please fill in your information as requested, including the exact time and location of your educational activity, and bring it with you to your pre-meeting with your coach. This should help both you and the coach to assess the purpose of your request based on your individual situation. This form is confidential and will not be shown to a third party.

5. Fill out the Self-Assessment Rubric: We will email you a Self-Assessment rubric for you to fill out before the observation. This rubric will make you aware of different educational skills that may be observed and will oriented you in what you can expect from the coach. This form is confidential and will not be shown to a third party.

6. Schedule a Pre-meeting with your Coach: You will meet with your coach for about 30 min to get to know each other, and to discuss the purpose and scope of the educational activity. You will also talk about your goals and expectations, and define specific areas that you want to be observed in (e.g. do I speak with an accent, how often do I use filler words, do I engage the learners, is my material adequate, do I look professional, am I “pimping”, how does the learner react, ...?). This pre-meeting can be scheduled any day before the actual observation, but not on the same day, as your preparation and reflection is part of the reviewing process.

7. Observation by the Coach: The coach will discreetly observe you during your activity without interfering with your teaching or the learners’ response. The coach may look at any material you provide to the learners. The observation may include timing (e.g. how long a specific activity lasts) and counting (e.g. how many filler words, how many presentation slides). The coach will write his/her notes on our Teaching and Observation rubric (which is similar to the self-assessment rubric). This form is confidential and will not be shown to a third party.

8. Schedule a Post-meeting with your Coach: After the observation you will meet with the coach for about 1 hour. This should be done within one week, but not later than that. Your coach will go with you over the teaching and observation rubric and ask for your own impressions, and then contribute his/her observations as feedback to the discussion. If necessary, he/she will point out concerns and give advice how to improve. It is essential that you take notes during this meeting. You may keep the pre-meeting form and both rubrics, yet your coach will make copies of them for administrative purposes.

9. Letter of Documentation: Once your post-meeting is completed, the coach will email copies of your pre-meeting form and rubrics to the Office of Faculty Development. The office will then email you a brief, formal letter as proof of completion of the peer coaching process. This letter will not contain any confidential information.

10. Complete a Survey: Feedback from faculty members using the Peer Coaching for Educators program is an essential part of the quality improvement process. You will be asked to complete a brief, anonymous survey on the quality and utility of the coaching. The completed survey will be sent to the Office of Faculty Development for documentation and evaluation. We may contact you at later times with a follow-up survey to ask for any changes you have implemented in your academic teaching based on the feedback you received during your peer coaching session.

11. About our Coaches and Service: Please note, that different coaches may have different approaches and styles based on their own experiences and personalities. Also, be aware that we do not provide “rules” of how to be "the best" instructor, but there are plenty of suggestions and helpful tips that we can present to you depending on your individual situation.

Notes:

• You may disengage from the coaching process at any time without explanation.
• The discussions, observations, feedback, and any products of the coaching are confidential and will not be shared with a third party. It is your decision to include the letter in your educational portfolio or forward it to others.

Large Group Teaching

A didactic teaching style that tends to involve the sharing of information in a teacher-centered, one-way flow mode of communication. Examples: lectures, grand rounds, seminars, journal clubs, presentations at meetings (local, national, international), conferences, etc.

Small Group Teaching

Involves small numbers of learners and tends to emphasize student-centered instructional methods characterized by frequent verbal exchanges with and amongst students. Examples: workshops, problem based learning (PPL), clinical team work, classroom assessments, etc.

One-on-One Teaching

Occurs in a variety of settings including bedside teaching, clinical precepting, research mentoring.

Upon special request, we can provide feedback on Course Leadership (curriculum design, course evaluation, teacher evaluation, syllabus development) and Communication of Educational Scholarly Work (review of educational materials). These settings are coached by scholarly experts who are not necessarily members of our regular team. The process for reviewing these kinds of settings varies from the regular process, and scheduling will depend on the coaches’ availability. If you are interested, please inquire far in advance, so that we have ample time to match you with an appropriate coach.