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TWO TYPES OF PEER COACHING: THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE There are two general ways to participate in peer coaching, specific and non-specific. For specific participation, the teacher wants help with certain, pre-determined issues. If they are uncertain about where they most need help, such participants may want to first get videotaped and view the tape critically to help them identify their problem areas. Even teachers who can't get videotaped should try to think about what they would like to improve about their teaching. The peer coaches should pay particular attention to these issues while observing their partner's classes. In non-specific participation, the teacher wants an outsider to come and (1) help determine areas for improvement and/or (2) comment on the teacher's general approach. This form of participation may be ideally suited to experienced teachers who merely want general comments or for those who seeking help in a more general sense. In some ways, non-specific participation is like the "teaching consultants" discussed earlier.

Peer coaching is an innovation that helps teachers improve their teaching. It is intended to be a mutually reciprocal process where two peers attend each other's classes and help each other enhance and enrich their methods of instruction. Because it is not based in formal evaluations, program participants have reported making more long-lasting changes than those based on more evaluative approaches. Peer coaching is a program that can be implemented in a variety of educational settings from elementary to collegiate levels.