Manapova G.K.
Kazakh
state women’s teacher training university, Kazakhstan
Professional development through peer observation
Professional development is important because education is an ever
growing, ever changing field. This means that teachers must be lifelong
learners in order to teach each new group of students. Professional development
not only allows teachers to learn new teaching styles, techniques, and tips,
but also interact with educators from other areas in order to improve their own
teaching. Professional development for teachers can take many forms and one of
them is peer observation.
Peer observations are when people are
observed by someone at the same level, usually meaning a fellow teacher rather
than a senior member of staff such as a Director of Studies. Peer observation also represents a means of learning
and sharing good practices with other lecturers. This
scholarly exercise may have particular significance for foreign language
teachers, considering the recent demands for language educators to advance
their pedagogical strategies as an answer to the latest studies concerning
second language acquisition. Peer observation
mainly aims at facilitating the professional development of teachers. This
particular development refers to the possible undertaking of educators of a
series of courses to gain personal growth as part of the development process.
Peer observation is one of the vital undertakings with the potential to
facilitate enrichment of the educators’ pedagogical skills
Both the observer and the observed can benefit from peer observation. It
offers the observer the chance to gain insight into different teaching methods
and their efficacy whilst also providing the opportunity to determine how
students respond and engage with different teaching methods. For the observed
lecturer the observation offers the chance to receive feedback from those in
the same field in order to improve confidence and develop teaching skills.
Classroom observation can take different
forms. The two most common are summative observation, in which another teacher
or an administrator observes the class. This observation is an evaluation,
which rates the teacher who is being
observed.
It can be done for administrative or supervisory reports for the purpose of job
retention, promotion, salary increases, etc. And formative observation the purpose of which is to help teachers
become better and more knowledgeable professionals. With peer observation,
teachers observe each other’s classes, give each other feedback, and share
ideas. Formative observation can benefit both the observed teacher and the
teacher doing the observation. In order
to do so, it must be carefully organized. First, preparing for pre-observation meeting: the observer
meets with the teacher before the class to learn about the lesson’s focus and
objectives. The teacher should define a focus area, perhaps related to
something she/he would like to improve upon or a problem that s/he is trying to
solve. Make sure you are both in agreement about how the observation will be
conducted (duration, seating, etc.) and when the post-observation meeting will occur.
Then, observing
in the classroom: the observed teacher should inform students about the observation
before the lesson. The observer should arrive a few minutes early and be as
discreet as possible: sit in the back of the room; focus solely on the
observation and observe the entire lesson (or agreed upon segment); be
open-minded and make detailed descriptive records in preparation for the
post-observation meeting.
And finally, the post-observation debriefing: this is the most important part of the
observation process. Reflection before this meeting and the discussion about
what happened in the classroom is when real learning for both the teacher and
the observer occurs. Teachers should treat each other with respect and offer
opinions in a kind and constructive way. Participants should set action
plans/goals based on what they learn. Both teachers should walk away feeling
like they have learned something new and will be better teachers because of it.
For peer
observation to work well teachers must be trained in the observation
procedure and in how to give productive useful feedback to each other, in order
to be successful, peer observation also requires that administrators see the
need for peer observation, support the
training process and create a system that allows teachers time for observing
each other. Given these conditions peer observation can allow teachers to see
each other’s teaching styles and reflect in their own practices, bring about
positive changes in classroom learning for students, and, when done with care
and professionalism, it can strengthen
relationships among teachers in schools.
So, there are advantages and disadvantages
of peer observation:
+
Learn from each other in a low threat environment.
+
Provides alternative perspectives to balance instructors limited view.
+
Modelling important lessons such as teamwork and
learning through observation.
+
Gain insight on different learning techniques and how effective they are.
- Good
teachers are not necessarily good appraisers.
- Observed
teacher may subconsciously over prepare to impress observer.
- Teachers
need to be trained on how to be an observer.
- Feedback
may influence observed sense of self efficacy.
Peer observation is a powerful tool for disseminating good practice
throughout an experienced staff. It is also an important way of helping less
experienced teachers both to improve their teaching skills and to absorb the
shared values of the institution.
To conclude, the process of peer observation
is a valuable method of developing reflective practice that both observer and
observed can benefit from. However I also believe that the observer and
observed should not know one another well and should be at a similar level in
terms of authority and prestige in order to be as honest and objective as
possible and maximize the benefits that both sides can obtain from peer
observation.
References:
1. Bailey,
K. M., Curtis, A., Nunan, D., & Fan, D. (2001).
Pursuing professional development: The self as source. Boston, MA: Heinle.
2. Cosh, J. (1999). Peer observation: A reflective model. ELT
journal, 53(1), 22-27.http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/elt/53.1.22