This study analyzed how Peer-coaching affects perceptions of elementary school teachers on the verbal interaction and changes of actual science classes. For this purpose, six teachers were selected as research targets to take part in peer-coaching, an...
This study analyzed how Peer-coaching affects perceptions of elementary school teachers on the verbal interaction and changes of actual science classes. For this purpose, six teachers were selected as research targets to take part in peer-coaching, and three of them agreed that their classes were filmed and used for peer-coaching. For analyzing changes of their perceptions first, the peer-coaching was conducted for ten weeks, after selecting a theme which was associated with verbal interaction. Prior to the peer-coaching, classes of teachers were observed, and a semi-structured interview with them was carried out to survey which perceptions they had. Then, the peer coaching was performed, by discussing the selected theme with co-teachers, writing down class design plans and self-teaching analysis tables, and observing actual classes, in order to promote changes of perceptions. After the peer-coaching, teachers were asked to write reviews about the peer-coaching and had a semi-structured interview to see how their perceptions changed, and the actual classes were filmed to see how they changed. Afterwards, one expert in verbal interaction and three teachers who improved their perceptions during the peer-coaching, established the final analysis framework together through a conference about verbal interaction framework, and the changes of the actual classes were tracked, applying it to them. By analyzing the changes of teachers' perceptions and classes after the peer-coaching, the following results came out. First, after the peer-coaching, elementary school teachers were able to explain the IRE pattern with a question-answer structure, student-based questions and teacher-based questions and responses about students' answers. They perceived that not only did teachers' questions or responses promote students' scientific thinking, but helped to form mutual cooperative relationships with students. This implies that their perceptions and abilities about language used in class were improved, after the peer-coaching. Second, teachers tried to use student-based questions like referential questions a lot in actual classes after the peer-coaching, and used strategies such as the back-channel reaction. Why these changes appeared, was teachers tried to improve their class methods, and got opportunities for self-reflection. In conclusion, these research findings demonstrate that voluntary self-teaching observation and self-reflection of teachers are needed for changing their perceptions about verbal interaction and classes.