Peer coaching and mentoring to improve teaching and learning

The 2004-07 action research project at
Newham Sixth Form College (known as
‘NewVIc’) in Plaistow, east London, explored
the ways in which mutual planning,
observation and reflective dialogue can
enable practitioners to innovate and to
develop new creative routines and strategies
to increase the success of teaching and
learning.
‘Action research’ is a general term used to
describe practice-based inquiry, usually of a
very practical nature. It seeks to investigate
practice in order to change, improve or
better understand. It is often reflective in
nature and asks ‘what works?’, ‘why does it
work?’ and ‘how do we know it works?’
A research-team of five practitionerresearchers
was set up in order to support a
wider group of
colleagues on a
voluntary basis in
experimenting
with new ideas.
Practitioners and
the internal
research team worked together with the aim
of enabling dialogue across faculty
boundaries. The practitioners were drawn
from various specialisms, but the focus was
on generic, transferable skills and
knowledge. A key principle of the support
on offer was the transferable nature of good
practice. Practitioner-researchers worked
with 51 participants in year one, and 45
participants in year two.
The project was awarded a ‘highly
commended’ Beacon Award at the AoC
Conference in 2007.