3. Communicate with families.

They stay in written or verbal contact with their students’ families

to support student progress.
4. Contribute to the school. They support functions of the school.
5. Grow as professionals. They take courses and workshops, and consult with others.
6. Show professionalism. They act as advocates for students and families.

Peer Coaching: A Professional Development Model

The teacher as a reflective practitioner has become one of the most consistent themes of
teacher development. For Dewey (1933) and Schön (1987), reflective thinking is not just post-active in
nature, but proactive and interactive as well. When reflection is done, teachers can appreciate that the
nature of their work engages them in a recursivecycle of reflective thinking that involves planning, acting
and reflecting (Lasley II, Matczynski, & Rowley, 2002).

Likewise, Lasley II et al. advocate peer coaching, a professional development model

representative of the observation and assessment category of professional development. Virtually, this
is a relationship between two or more teachers committed to providing technical and psychological help
for the improvement of instruction and the development of student learning. Presented below are the
three phases of the cycle of reflective practice for peer coaching.

1. Planning. Planning the focus of the observation, selecting the observation methodology,
negotiating the role of the participants
2. Acting. Observing the teaching and learning episodes and making the record of evidence
3. Reflecting. Interpreting the observation record, making meaning, planning for new action, and
identifying the foci

When teachers engage in peer coaching, they gain confidence in what they are doing and
become more open to suggestions and critiques. Furthermore, they engage in reflective thinking, which
is an indicator of professional behavior of teachers.

Domains of Knowledge of Professional Teachers

A survey of the experiences of practicing teachers reveals, among others, that there are several
domains of knowledge on which they could anchor the learning activities they usually provide in the
classroom. In this connection, Schuman (1987) managed to organize the important domains of
knowledge of teachers into seven categories.

1. Content knowledge or knowledge of the particular subjects to be taught, such as Mathematics,

English, and History