We recently did peer observations at our school and I think it was a positive experience for all involved.  One of the things which I loved most about it was the feedback afterwards as it was wonderful to sit and chat about teaching to a colleague with a bit of structure to it.  We often talk about teaching to colleagues, but as this was a feedback session, we were both more focussed and had a notebook ready.  A blank page on which I started with feedback on the class quickly became filled with ideas about other classes, tips on how the observer does something, an idea for a new game…and it became very much a sharing of mutual problems and solutions.

Observations can often be seen as a scary encounter with a superior sitting at the back of the class writing noted on how well you teach, but a peer observation feels much more balanced and “user-friendly”.