PEER OBSERVATION

OF TEACHING

By ANNE OLSEN

Outline

• Why should we evaluate our teaching?

• What is teaching evaluation?

• What is the purpose of evaluating our teaching?

• Various lenses through which we can evaluation our teaching

• How to get the most out of peer evaluations

• Reflective practice

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p480x480/931250_10151633814201085_1642249177_n.jpg

Think back

of a lecturer

that

influenced

you.

Write down

1 phrase to

describe

them.

We tend to

teach the

way we

were taught Is there anything you could

tell that lecturer that may

improve their practice?

Why evaluate our teaching?

NMMU Teaching and Learning Policy:

“Encourage and enable staff and students to take co-responsibility for the quality of the learning experience provided.”

NMMU Teaching and Learning Policy D/1098/09 p 2

Food for thought

• What is our profession?

• Why do we teach?

• How do we know we are teaching

well?

• Is our students’ success our success?

• How can we take

responsibility for the

quality of our teaching?

What is teaching evaluation?

http://media.reporternews.com/media/img/photos/2011/04/12/TMSHandelsman0411.JPG

Why evaluate our teaching?

A prerequisite to improving teaching is having an

effective way to evaluate it (Brent & Felder: 2004).

Why evaluate our teaching?

Evaluating our teaching does not mean we are bad

teachers, in fact, it means quite the opposite, as it refines

teaching skills and reflective teachers are more open to

innovation (Hammersley-Fletcher & Orsmond: 2005)

Why evaluate our teaching?

Evaluating our teaching and courses assists us in reaching our full

potential in the classroom which, promotes a culture of teaching and

learning excellence and the quality of the learning experience provided at

NMMU.

http://jeffersonchae.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/lesson-plans/lesson-plan-cartoon/

And the purpose?

To create and sustain a responsive learning environment conducive to excellence in teaching and learning and fostering holistic student success

NMMU Vision 2020 Strategic Plan p31

It’s a process

Evaluating one’s teaching encourage academics to engage in a process which has become known as reflective practice, which entails using one’s experience as an opportunity to consider both one’s teaching philosophy and practice

Hammersley-Fletcher, L & Orsmond, P. (2005

A successful evaluation:

• Valid

• Reliable

• Indicates directions and actions for improvement

Which teaching practices are more effective than others in a specific context?

• Responsibility for each individual academic

1 minute paper

Write down one thing that you would like to

know about your teaching practice.

Where would you get answer from?

Brookfield’s 4 lenseshttp://edtechsally.blogspot.com/2011/05/message-in-online-bottle.html

Some Sources of

Data for Evaluating

Teaching and

Courses:

• Self-Reflection

• Students

• Literature

• Colleagues

Self-evaluation

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Student feedback

• Student feedback questionnaire

• Small Group Instructional Diagnosis

(SGID)

• 1 minute papers

Literature

http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/files/sotl-spotlight.png

Colleagues: Teaching observation

How is a peer observation different to a

teaching observation?

z

Community of Practice

Activity

Consider the benefits of academics

observing each other’s teaching.

Note down what you consider the 3 most

important benefits are.

Feedback?

Some ideas

• Critical friend

• Maintain and improve quality

• Disseminate best practice

• Support continuing professional development

• Reflective practice

• Scholarship of teaching and learning

• Insight into:

– Content

– Student dynamic

Dr. Chris Wakeman

Peer observation of teaching by Centre for Professional Development, Staffordshire University

Peer / teaching observation

Sullivan et al. BMC Medical Education 2012 12:26 doi:10.1186/1472-6920-12-26

Download authors' original image

It is good practice for peer evaluation to be a

planned and structured process, involving these

separate stages:

Pre-Observation meeting

• Area that needs to be addressed based on– Self evaluation

– Student feedback

– Teaching observation

– Trying something new

• Establish a rapport & dialogue

• Identify aims of observation

• Method of observation– Checklist

– Open ended

• Date and time

What criteria

would you use

to decide who

to invite into

your lecture?

Observation

• Arrive in good time

• Decide where to sit

• Ensure that students are informed

• Observer records what happens in class

– Discussed during pre-observation meeting

• Observation tool

• Observer (don’t join in)

• Balance positive and negative

observations

What would

you like

someone to

observe in

your

classroom?

Post-Observation meeting

• After a period of analysis and reflection for

both observer and observee.

• Provide feedback

– Verbal

– Written

• Ask observee how they felt

about the session

• Balance positive and negative feedback

• Share experiences and practices

How does the

observer

benefit from

the

experience?

Reflection

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Scenario 1:

YouTube

Uploaded on 9 Feb 2012

Harvard Physics Professor Eric Mazur demonstrates "Peer Instruction" and "Just-In-Time" teaching techniques.

Scenario 2:

YouTube

Published on 8 Mar 2013

This is an (exaggerated) example of a classic "chalk & talk" style lecture. Boring monotone professor lecturing at (not necessarily to) a class full of unengaged students.

Produced by Andrew Bell, School of Fine Arts and Design | South Bend, IN

z

Reflective Practice

• a prerequisite to improving teaching is having an effective way to evaluate it

• a valid evaluation of teaching is based on a portfolio containing assessment data from multiple sources

– ratings from students

– peers

– administrators

– self-ratings

Brent, R & Felder, M. (2004)

reflect on every aspect of

teaching, including course

design, classroom

instruction, assessment of

learning, advising and

mentoring

Suggested process at NMMU

Questions?

http://theorganisedhousewife.com.au/craft/teac

her-appreciation-gifts-teacher-quote-in-frame/

Thank you

CTLM

Teaching Development

Anne-Mart Olsen

• Brent, R & Felder, M. (2004) A Protocol for Peer Review of Teaching.

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual

Conference & Exposition. Available online:

http://www.lmu.edu/Assets/Centers+$!2b+Institutes/Center+for+Teaching+Excel

lence/Brent+Felder+Protocol.pdf

• Hammersley-Fletcher, L & Orsmond, P. (2005), “Reflecting on reflective

practices within peer observation. In. Studies in Higher Education Vol 3, No. 2,

April 2005 pp. 213-224

• Dr. Chris Wakeman Peer observation of teaching by Centre for Professional

Development, Staffordshire University

References