27 Nov 2012
In week 4 of term 4, a group of our teachers and students represented our school at the Sydney Region DER Conference 2012, held at the St George Boating Club. The first presentation outlined the processes involved in setting up a peer coaching program at Canterbury Boys High School through the new model of Professional Learning: Peer Coaching.
This new coaching model builds the capacity of the teachers to use and integrate technology more effectively in their classroom to enhance the learning experiences of students. The presentation also saw the professional learning journey of two coaches Louise Hassey and Nahida Simpson from diverse backgrounds and level of technology experience and the collegial relationship developed with their peer coaches.
The presentation also described how the personalised learning journey enabled the particular professional learning needs of two teachers to be met in an efficient, highly productive, positive and economic manner. The teachers also highlighted how the learning, motivation and engagement of students in the classroom improved via the use of ICT tools such as the internet, student laptops and the smartboard.
The second presentation of the day was the student showcase from a group of our year 7 and 9 boys who shared their experiences of what the peer coaching model has meant to them and how they were able to be better engaged in their classrooms with the use of computers and smart boards. They thought that the use of Technology in the classroom was fun and at a level where all students felt connected.
Now, back at school, the peer coaching model continues under the guidance of the two coaches Kathy Danilatos and Vinay Maharaj. They believe it's a win win situation for all stakeholders as it is a highly effective and economical method of staff development; teachers get coaching from their peers and receive ongoing support and last but not least, the Gen Y kids who appreciate and engage better when some form of technology is integrated in their lessons.
Vinay Maharaj
TAS