1. How Peer Coaching Helps Teachers Implement GATE Strategies and the SCGM
Susan Winebrenner, M.S.
ITAG Conference 2013

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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
THREE MONTHS LATER
Lecture Only
10% 8% 3%
Lecture with demonstrations
30%
20%
Lecture with audience participation and practice
65%
60% 5%
Lecture with audience practice and on-site collegial peer coaching
90+ %
90+%
GUESS!!!

5. 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
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.

6. Easy success = underestimation of one’s own abilities
Easy success makes kids adopt lower standards and self-expectations 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.
James

7. 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

8. 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

9. What’s next?
Collegial Peer Coaching should either accompany or follow Book Study Groups to ensure ongoing implementation of learned strategies.

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. SCGM Suggested classroom composition
30students
in 3 classes
Gifted
High Average
Average
Low Average
Far Below Average A 6 12 B C
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

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.
*This requires first creating a gifted student data base. 19

20. Gifted Identification
Case Study
Glendale, AZ
Gifted Identification
Contact Dr Dina Brulles -

21. Academic Effects of Clustering and Non-Clustering Gifted Students in Mathematics

22. Glendale, AZ
Numbers of gifted population depicted by ethnic representation of
White and Hispanic gifted student populations between

23. 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 84
33.3%
ELL NG in GC
249 55 73
32.7%
ELL NG in NC
1504 39
46.2%
Non Ell in GC
304
NonELL in NG Cluster
286 78
36.8%
Non ELL Non Gifted in Non Cluster
1123
NonELL in NG Cluster
286 57 78

24. 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

25. SCGM Totals (3) Student Type Number Pre-test Post-test % of Change
African American 32
64.06
86.06
34.34
Hispanic
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

26. 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

27. ADMINISTRATOR OBSERVATION FORM
These topics can become the subjects of PD meetings

28. 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

30. 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

31. 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.

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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