E-Peer Coaching: A Model to Support Rural Special Education Field Placements

Abstract

Providing adequate supervision for pre-service teachers enrolled in special education field placements is a challenge. Rural placements often exacerbate this challenge due to the large geographical areas in which these placements are located. The purpose of this article is to describe one approach to early field supervision in rural settings that may provide solutions to this dilemma. E-peer coaching utilizes video-facilitated peer coaching to provide novice pre-service teachers (NPTs) with accurate feedback that is both frequent and timely. This study investigated the use of a Google App that allowed NPTs to record instructional sessions and provide feedback to one another under the supervision of a course instructor. Recommendations for implementation are discussed.