Help me to help us: peer coaching como ferramenta para a formação continuada do professor de inglês como língua estrangeira

This paper investigates the contributions that the implementation of a peer coaching program, as a tool for continuing education, has on the process of professional development in the pedagogical practice of English teachers. Coaching practices for collaborative formation are gaining importance in educational contexts. However, peer coaching as a subcategory of coaching is still a not very well-known concept; the equal status of the teacher colleagues, its non-evaluative character and the fact that participants are in control of the process distinguish this formation procedure from other more traditional forms of coaching. The paper reviews topics such as the initial training of language teachers in Brazil (PIMENTA, 2005; PAIVA, 2005), the reflexive teacher (SCHÖN, 1983; ALARCÃO, 2004) and the continuing education of language teachers (CELANI, 2009; STURM, 2011). The authors that support the section on coaching are Gornall and Burn (2013) and Clutterbuck (2010), followed by Showers and Joyce (1996) and Robbins (1991) for the section on peer coaching. This is an interpretive study in the modality of action research, characterized as a qualitative study (CHIZZOTTI, 2006; DENZIN e LINCOLN, 2006). Research records were collected by means of an initial questionnaire, recorded semi-structured interviews, field notes and a discoursed diary. By adopting an interpretive approach, I sought to answer the research questions, pointing out possibilities of how a peer coaching program can be used in a reflexive perspective of teaching English. The results of the research indicate that the collaborative activities promote the generation and transfer of knowledge between participants, thereby supporting the professional growth of both. At the same time I summarize the opinions of the participating teachers in relation to this alternative formation procedure. I also indicate possible future studies on peer coaching that explore new ways of this concept for a continuous formation of teachers in service.