The exploration of web-based teachers’ professional development based on peer coaching

Qiao Ailing and Jiao Baocong
Capital Normal University
Beijing, China

The utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance teaching is being emphasized in the basic education reform in China. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a blended learning model used in a web-based teachers’ professional development course based on peer coaching. Peer coaching involves professionals at the same level observing each other’s practice. Seventy-three teachers from nine schools participated in the project; and a questionnaire survey and interviews with about one-third of the respondents, randomly selected, were used to evaluate the outcomes. The results showed that peer coaching can improve teachers’ teaching and analytical skills, and that they can improve their performance faster and more easily through a web-based mode. Peer coaching has had a deep influence on teachers’ professional development in recent years, and it is hoped that the findings of this study will encourage more teachers to use it to make their teaching and learning more effective.