Peer coaching in a school in Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how peer coaching was introduced in one school in Egypt and to identify barriers and opportunities for successful implementation. Design/methodology/approach The methodology included semi-structured interviews with eight teachers, participant observation of their classes and meetings, and three focus group meetings with teachers and school administrators. Findings Ladyshewsky’s (2017) five key aspects of peer coaching are considered in the findings: establishing peer partners, building trust between the partners, identifying specific areas to target for learning, training on non-evaluative questions and feedback, and supporting each other as new ideas are attempted. Each aspect of these is reviewed in light of the implementation process in the school. Practical implications The study provides practical suggestions for teachers and school administrators that include considerations for implementation. Numerous connections are made to research on peer coaching that is relevant to the implementation of peer coaching in schools in Egypt and other countries in the Global South. Originality/value The study provides an examination of the implementation of peer coaching in a school in Egypt. Thus, it contributes to the limited literature on peer coaching in the Global South. The discussion and conclusion sections consider further questions and research opportunities for effective practices in peer coaching in international contexts.

Impact of reciprocal peer observation on teacher collaboration perceptions

“…First, RPO's positive impact on collaborative school culture can be explained because RPO enables the creation of collaborative professional relationships in practice, that is, progressing from a collaborative discourse to a collaborative action, and thus promoting schools in which educators work together and learn from one another, sharing goals and values about teaching to meet the school educational challenges (Corcelles‐Seuba et al., 2022; O'Leary & Savage, 2020). Using the validated TCPQ instrument and a pre/post research design, our research contributes to reinforcing previous results obtained from qualitative studies that reported an increase in teachers' collegiality after RPO intervention (Arnau et al., 2004; Hamilton, 2013; Motallebzadeh et al., 2017; Rosselló & de la Iglesia, 2021; Sider, 2019; Slater & Simmons, 2001). Therefore, RPO can potentially serve as a mechanism to establish more supportive and trusting collaborative relationships between peers and promote professional learning communities' development (Darling‐Hammond et al., 2017; Hargreaves & O'Connor, 2018).…”

“…Teachers were asked to voluntarily participate in the RPO process as part of their training and professional development programme. It was essential to ensure voluntary participation and data confidentiality to promote a secure environment for peer learning (Hammersley‐Fletcher & Orsmond, 2005; O'Leary & Savage, 2020; Sider, 2019). Participants were asked to choose a pair from their school for the RPO process following the symmetry criteria in experience and status.…”

“…Rosselló and de la Iglesia (2021) concluded that providing and receiving feedback improved cohesion among teachers. Other studies with a small sample found that RPO reduced teacher isolation (Slater & Simmons, 2001), increased teachers' mutual responsibility and collaboration (Motallebzadeh et al., 2017) and fostered trusting relationships and collegiality (Arnau et al., 2004; Hamilton, 2013; Sider, 2019). However, it is worth noting that all the above studies were qualitative in nature and did not explore the potential of RPO as a mechanism for enhancing teachers' collaboration in terms of their perceptions of a collaborative school culture, their sense of collective agency and their attitudes towards collaboration.…”

Teacher trainees' understandings of mentoring within a Middle Eastern BEd program

“…Although this is recognized as an important aspect of mentoring, it is reported that in many contexts the mentor will dominate such interactions, with both the mentor and trainee accepting this as appropriate (Hudson, 2014). One way to counteract this, as Sider (2019 Wyre) discusses in the context of Egypt, is to use peer–tutors where the relationship is more easily perceived as non-hierarchical.…”