Many teachers (including myself…) have had negative experiences of being observed in the past. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that peer observation is, nevertheless, a useful and valuable collaborative professional development process.
Peer observation involves teachers watching each other. It may involve an experienced teacher observing a less experienced teacher, two experienced teachers watching each other or educators with similar teaching experience levels observing one another to collectively reflect on their teaching practice. Peer observation may be used by an institution as part of its quality assurance procedures. The institution provides a framework for the observation and ensures that the observation takes place as agreed. Observation reports form part of the ongoing evaluation of the teacher’s performance and may influence promotion decisions.
There are clear advantages of this type of peer observation. An experienced teacher may be able to offer both practical help to a fellow teacher, at the same time demonstrating good practice for the fellow teacher to observe and incorporate into his or her own teaching. However, there are major problems with this model, taking into account the fact that the observers may unfairly influence the institution against the teacher, which can lead to deterioration in peer relationships.
Both people involved in the peer observation should watch each other. Both parties should agree on a focus for the observation in advance. In a peer observation, the observer can focus on a specific area of their teaching (e.g., student engagement, use of technology, questioning techniques or classroom management styles) which the teacher being observed is finding particularly challenging and then help by providing feedback. Care needs to be taken to focus only on areas agreed in advance. The observer should be informed in advance by the observed teacher about the students in the class, the content of the lesson and how the lesson fits into the overall structure of the course. Typically, the observer plays no active role in the lesson itself. The observer will take objective notes on the observation to refer to during feedback.
Giving helpful and constructive feedback to a friend or colleague is quite different from the kind of feedback you might receive in an ‘official’ observation. Before a colleague observes your class, you should make a list of five to six areas that you would like your colleague to observe, for example: I’d like you to watch my use of the whiteboard and let me know if it is clear and well-organised, I’d like you to observe my instructions and give me some ideas as to how I can improve them, I’d like you to watch my pair and group work and tell me if everybody is involved.
After the observation, the pair meets to discuss what went well and share insights. The two teachers reflect on the observation, and discuss it together. The post-observation conversation should focus on strengths as well as constructive, practical suggestions for improvements. This conversation is kept confidential, and the discussion is free from judgements or unfocused criticisms.
Aspects easier to observe in the EFL classroom: the teacher’s good relationship with the learners, the teacher’s use of English during the lesson, the good planning of the lesson, clear and appropriate instructions, the students’ involvement in the lesson, the students’ praise by the teacher, the students’ pair/work group.
More difficult (and sometimes impossible to observe) aspects: the students’ reluctance to engage in an activity, the teacher’s managing of a sudden change in a lesson or an unexpected event, the taking into account of the learners’ background by the teacher, the appropriate demands on the learners, the freedom of the teacher to deviate from the syllabus or textbook, the building of the lesson on learners’ previous learning and, probably, most of all, the fact that the lesson represents the teacher’s usual practice.
Both parties have to make sure that their post-observation discussion and any notes on the observations will remain confidential.
Peer observation allows teachers to step out of their usual routines and learn from each other in a non-threatening environment. The atmosphere of trust between the participants will allow them to share ideas and suggestions openly and constructively.
Peer observation is a powerful tool for disseminating good practice and also an important way of helping less experienced teachers to improve their teaching skills. For more experienced teachers, it provides opportunities to reflect on their teaching in a calm and private environment. Even if you are a teacher with a lot of experience, you can still learn from observing your peers.
There are many benefits to being observed while teaching, including sharing of good practice and critical reflections, but also learning about a range of different approaches to learning and teaching. Peer observation provides a non-threatening environment for teachers to step out of their usual routines, observe different classroom management styles, and critically reflect on student behaviour and learning and also on their teaching practices.
Bibliography
institute-academic-development.ed.ac.uk/learning-teaching/staff/teaching-feedback/peer-observation-of-teaching/aims
online.wrexham.ac.uk/blogs/the-importance-of-peer-observation-in-education/