We have peer observations coming up as part of our school’s on-going professional development programme and in our most recent meeting we discussed the process.  Huge thanks to all my colleagues for such fabulous input!

How do you decide who or what to observe?

What’s your reason for wanting to observe?  What do you see as the desired outcome of the observation? You might want to observe:

• Someone with the same level so you can compare and contrast, compare their progress against your own, get ideas for activities
• Someone with a different level or age group which you haven’t taught before to gain a wider range of experience
• Someone with a different teaching style
• Someone with more experience in a certain area
• Someone who is more recently qualified
• Someone with a strength in a certain area

What do you need to do before the observation?

Once you know who you’re observing, it’s important to get together and establish your objectives for the observation.  Here are some questions to consider:

• What is the observer specifically focussing on?
• Is there anything which the teacher being observed would like specific comments on afterwards?
• What role is the observer going to take during the observation?
• Is there anything which it is useful to know about the class before the observation?

The joy of peer observation is that it is a two-way process, an opportunity for both teachers to forge connections and improve their teaching.  However, whilst the teacher being observed may not have a specific focus, it’s important before the observation to ascertain boundaries, so that the observer knows what kind of feedback the teacher would like.  The observer’s role should be that of a constructively interested friend and any feedback on the lesson should provide suggestions and support rather than criticism.

Whilst considering boundaries, the role of the observer during the lesson should also be carefully considered before the lesson: on the one hand a great deal can be learnt by becoming actively involved in the lesson, either as a “student” or assistant but peer observation should not be confused with peer teaching and it’s important as well to take time during the lesson “out of the lesson” so that you can adequately reflect on what’s happening at the time.

So, what should you do during the lesson?

Consider your focus for the observation, do you think a specific observation task would be useful?

You can find examples of observation tasks on the Internet:

Demand High ELT provide three in-depth observation tasks (and a fourth for self-observation)

This article from the TESOL-France Journal also provides a variety of tasks focussing on classroom interactions and instructions amongst other things

EF also provide a range of tasks, including post-observation reflection

Scrivener’s Learning Teaching (Macmillan, 2005) also has a number of classroom observation tasks in the appendix.  There is a pdf copy of the appendix here

And what about after the lesson?

• Praise and thank the teacher
• Reflect and perhaps work on an action plan
• Share with colleagues

It’s essential to find a good chunk of time after the lesson: not so soon after that you haven’t had a chance to reflect, but soon enough that the lesson is fresh in your head.  As I mentioned before, the process of peer observation is an opportunity to forge connections and it’s a wonderful chance to sit down with someone who you perhaps only see in passing, in between lessons when you’re dashing to pick up copies or drop off a register; take this chance to go out for a coffee or a beer (or a gin-tonic) and chat about more than just the lesson.

This was my (brief) post on a previous peer observation experience, but looking back now I can remember how enjoyable the post-observation chat was as although it started as a focussed discussion on the lesson, it quickly expanded and developed, providing me with ideas for all sorts of classes, levels and ages.

But what’s the point?

Why go through this process?  It’s time-consuming for all involved and means a significant investment of both time and money on the pàrt of the employers…is it worth it?

To quote my boss, “This is about as professionally developmental as professional development gets.”

• it provides reassurance and a refreshing outlook on our teaching
• it encourages reflection and challenges the teacher
• it’s an opportunity to share good practice
• we learn through and from others
• it promotes good staff dynamics and helps build relationships
• it’s (hopefully) less stressful than a more formal observation
• it’s inspiring
• it reinforces our own methods and ideas
• it’s a two-way process, everybody benefits from both observing and being observed