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6. Peer observation

6.1. Organising peer observations

When you are organising a peer observation, take the following steps:

  1. Choose your partner

    Wherever possible, choose your own partner. The outcome is likely to be more useful for both participants if you trust each other!

  2. Agree the format of the observations

    Agree on a focus for the observation in advance. As was suggested above, you can focus on an approach which you are finding difficult and where input from a colleague will be helpful.

  3. Share some background

    Tell your colleague in advance about the students in the class, the content of the lesson, and how it fits into the overall structure of the course. Perhaps suggest some specific students to observe

  4. The observation

    Your colleague will keep notes on the observation to refer to during feedback.

  5. Follow-up

    You should both meet soon after the observation. The focus should be on identifying the strengths of the teaching observed as well as the sharing of practical ideas as to how the teaching might be improved. Concentrate only on the areas agreed in advance and don’t get distracted by other things.

Example 4.8: Peer observation

Remember Monica from example 4.7?

Before Monica teaches her next social studies lesson with Grade 2, she asks her colleague, Thomas, if he will observe a pair-work activity she has set up.  She shares her action plan with him.

My action plan is as follows:

My focus is on how I manage the pairs and my time management skills.

  1. Plan my questions more carefully to promote thinking
  2. Give students a plan to work from on the board – eg number of people, ages, family relationships, animals – this will help all students keep to the task
  3. Mix the pairs up so that the students who lose interest or attention, or who find writing difficult are not together
  4. Give them clear time warnings for switching roles, and when to start writing the sentences. Let them finish the sentences for homework.
  5. Think about how to combine pair work with other approaches.

Before Thomas observes Monica’s activity, they agree that as he observes it, he will focus on how Monica organises a role-playing activity in pairs so that all the students are involved, and how she deals with her time management. She also asks him to comment on her questioning.

Activity 4.13: Organising peer observation

In pairs plan a peer observation based on the checklist above, where you both visit each other’s class.

  • First plan a classroom activity. Write down all the decisions you make.  For example, what activity will the learners do and what do you want them to learn from it? Why are you pairing learners in that way? How do you plan to involve all? What questions will you ask? How will you respond to learners?
  • Now imagine being observed. What would you like the observer to notice? What is the focus of the observation? Are there particular learners you would like the observer to focus on?

Remember, the purpose for the observation is to analyse learning and what the learners are doing.

Each decide on the focus of your observation and write down two or three objectives for your colleague to focus on when observing you. Then have a feedback session like in the next section and make notes in your Teachers' Notebook.

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