Peer observation, feedback and support strategies

Peer observation of teaching is growing in importance in tertiary teaching both for the purposes of evaluation and development of classroom practice. In a well designed peer observation and feedback scheme there is value for both the observed and the observer. Participants in such schemes often comment on the value of observing someone else teach and then discussing different approaches to facilitating student learning. For the observed, gaining feedback in a constructive manner can build confidence particularly for staff new to teaching (Black & McLean, 1996). In the context of peer observation, as with most other situations, the giving and receiving of feedback require high levels of communication skills (Eastcott & Farmer, 1992).

What is important about peer observation and feedback on classroom activities is that the overall intention is developmental and that there should, over time be an improvement in the student learning experience. There are at least three potential purposes of a peer observation scheme, namely:

• Individual professional development

• Performance management

• Evidence of quality assurance

A scheme will work to best advantage if it is seen as developmental, constructive and collegial. There are many examples of peer observation of teaching and much anecdotal evidence of feelings of anxiety and nervousness about the process particularly where there is a sense that the scheme is being used primarily as a means of performance appraisal. Crutchley et al. (2005) have written an excellent review of the potential problems associated with many peer observation schemes. For example, they indicate that the system is easy to subvert, reviewer reports can be simply complimentary with little evidence of significant or constructively critical professional dialogue.

The intention here is not to detail a series of peer observation schemes but rather to highlight that peer observation and feedback may be seen as a parallel to peer assessment carried out by students.

There are now many reports in the literature on the implementation of peer assessment strategies. The work of Boud (1995) and of Falchikov (2005) in particular, provide an extensive analysis of the current literature. The underlying pedagogical principles of involving students in assessment include the goals of developing more autonomous learners, promoting critical thinking and supporting students in making objective judgements about the value of their own and other's work. Should these principles not apply to teaching and shouldn't the concept of peer observation of teaching be a modelling process for reflection and constructive critique?

Many academic staff have 'experimented' with peer and self-assessment strategies. The literature on this issue is sprinkled with many highly successful examples of the processes and anecdotal evidence can provide plenty of examples of peer and self-assessment strategies that did not achieve their intended goals. However, in many of these cases it is reasonable to ask how the strategy was conceptualized, how students were inducted into or prepared for the process, how was the scheme evaluated in relation to the intended outcomes?

These are teaching and learning process issues. Any scheme of involving students in the assessment process through peer assessment must be well worked out. Are we concerned primarily with ranking and grading (summative assessment) or are we interested in enhancing learning (formative processes)? Are we imposing criteria upon the students or are we involving the students in setting the criteria? There are strong parallels here with the concept of peer observation of teaching. Are we imposing/enforcing upon staff a requirement to engage in peer observation of teaching for the purposes of performance management/quality assurance (summative processes) or are we encouraging a developmental approach for the purposes of enhancement of learning (formative processes)?

Are we imposing upon staff a set of 'rules' by which they must teach, looking primarily at content, quality of visual aids etc. or are we concerned with student engagement in the learning process as the primary focus of observation?

In a peer observation scheme widely used at the University of Strathclyde and developed primarily by Soden (Soden & Stefani, 2001), the observed and the observer essentially engage in a contract. This contract is not imposed but rather it is developed in partnership between the participants engaging in the process. This means that the 'observation' is context specific. The observed will discuss with observer the key aspects of classroom practice on which he or she would like feedback. These points are documented, the observation occurs and a time is set for engagement in constructive dialogue and feedback. This scheme was a key aspect of an accredited professional development program for academic staff and the participants were expected to write a reflective report on three different episodes of peer observation. The partnerships were switched around such that each person was both an observer and an observed.

The important point is that participants had ownership of the process. The 'contract' has similarities to a peer assessment process whereby students are involved in the setting of the assessment criteria for any given assessment task. There are several examples of peer assessment strategies being more successful (reliable) if students are involved in the setting of the criteria (e.g. Stefani et al., 1997; McDowell & Sambell, 1999; Falchikov & Goldfinch, 2000). It seems not unreasonable to suggest that peer observation schemes will be more successful in achieving the goal of enhancing reflection on classroom practice if staff have a sense of ownership, if the scheme is developmental , and the 'criteria' for observation are context specific and determined by the participants.

Peer observation of actual classroom practice is not the only possible medium for peer input. If there was more engagement in developing and maintaining a teaching portfolio, the portfolio itself could become a powerful means of sharing experience. In many universities there is much more emphasis on providing mentoring support for new staff. While the role of mentor is subject to context and there are a variety of ways in which mentoring occurs, a collegial approach to sharing and discussing ideas on curriculum development and design, assessment strategies, evaluation strategies etc. could be through the sharing of information contained within a portfolio. The University of Auckland e-Teaching Portfolio prototype lends itself to this purpose and has a parallel with the Electronic Learning Portfolio which has been developed by Stanford University (http://sll. stanford.edu/consulting/tools/efolio/). The purpose of which has been stated to be for: individual students to capture, organize, integrate and re-use the results of their formal and informal learning experiences over time, as well as allowing students to take advantage of this accumulated information to plan and assess the progress of their learning career with peers, faculty advisors and future employers. Once again one could slightly alter the wording of this to state the purpose of an e-Teaching Portfolio, with the primary emphasis being on reflection and feedback.

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

قسم الشؤون الدينية يُطلق دورة فقهية دينية لملاكات مستشفى الكفيل

شعبة فاطمة بنت أسد للدراسات القرآنية تعلن نتائج مسابقة (ميثاق الرسول)

شعبة الخطابة الحسينية النسوية تنظّم مسابقة فرقية لطالبات برنامج ثمار العطاء

قسم العلاقات ينظم ورشة عن فن الإقناع والتواصل الفعّال للطلبة المنسقين

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

تغيير بسيط في نمط التفكير قد يحدث فرقا كبيرا لصحة الدماغ ؟

لماذا ينعشنا المشروب الساخن في الطقس الحار؟

علماء يكتشفون فئة دم فريدة من نوعها في العالم !

لماذا ينصح الأطباء بزيت الزيتون يوميا؟

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

حساس الإطارات.. ما هو وعلامات تلفه وكيفية صيانته؟

ما معنى أودي Quattro؟ سر الأداء والتميز الهندسي ؟!

فصل الشاحن أم الهاتف أولا؟.. عادات بسيطة تطيل عمر البطارية

تعود للقرن الرابع قبل الميلاد.. اكتشاف بقايا "إيمت" المصرية

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Results and discussion

Methodology

Teacher identity

Sustainable assessment

Framework of the study Standards for excellence

Peer- and Self-Assessment - Drawing the Parallels Between Student and Staff Practice Summary

Peer- and Self-Assessment - Drawing the Parallels Between Student and Staff Practice Summary

The Teaching Portfolio as a tool to support reflection

Encouraging reflection on teaching and learning

Peer- and Self-Assessment - Drawing the Parallels Between Student and Staff Practice

Preliminary conclusions

Complexity of the framework