It’s good to talk: professional development through dialogic co-coaching in the primary school classroom in England

Abstract

The article reports a two-year qualitative investigation of peer co-coaching triads introduced into primary school classrooms In England to develop teachers’ skills in the pedagogies of dialogic teaching. Post-project interviews with teacher and senior leader Data analysis of post-project interviews with teachers and senior leaders revealed that teachers reported using dialogic teaching approaches more frequently and valued opportunities to systematically re-analyse received practices. However, participants felt that video co-coaching exposed professional vulnerabilities about customary interactional practices in classrooms and that senior leadership ‘drive’ for this intervention was key to its success. School leaders should seek ways of facilitating co-coaching in support of fostering cultures of confidence in experimenting with the craft skills of dialogic teaching.