Observation of teaching and learning (OTL) and peer review for professional learning:

M Compton Nov 2018 SEDA zeetings.com/uog
Observation of teaching and learning
(OTL) and peer review for professional
learning: double down or deviance?
Martin Compton
University of Greenwich

When you think of
observations of
teaching (as observer
and/or observee) what
words spring to
mind?...Responses

Structure of session
• Built around 2 studies (see handout for background/ definitions)
• Study 1 ‘Doubling down’ - exemplifying orthodoxy and QA/QE
tensions
• Key issue- What do key stakeholders want from observation? What’s
driving their desires?
• Study 2 ‘Deviance’- case studies in unorthodox approaches – is
deviance the answer to issues with the orthodoxy?

Should educational developer types be making evaluative judgments / assessing
quality of teaching in observations (on, say PGCert/ PGCAP programmes)?

Study 1- Observations on a PGCert HE
Perceptions of purpose
“I think the main reason is quality control…I don’t think it’s meant to pick holes in people’s
teaching but it is the practical side of the course…You have to have some kind of measurement of
how that person is in practice.” (Helena)
“It's about seeing how people conduct themselves in the classroom... I think that there probably are
some very tacit bases on which you allow people to proceed as professional educators.” (Idris)
“They need to observe somebody teaching and see how learning actually takes place…you can’t
teach somebody swimming within four walls; they should be jumping into water at some point.”
(Leo)
Nb. Their words, my emphasis throughout

Perceptions of purpose cont’d.
“[It’s a] practical way of challenging and you tend to spot the problems that we are
facing where we have no answers, you can't find it in books, you've got to do it
practically before you will be pointed on how to go about it when you are confronted
with such situations.” (Francis)
“In these [more than 5] years talking to hundreds of students…, I never was formally
or informally observed. The TPA was an opportunity to make sure that I was doing
some things right and then if I was doing something wrong in the way I delivered, I will
get that feedback and I will be able to correct it.” (Delia)

Individualised ontologies
“I don't think it's all explicitly clear what is being observed…I think there's lots of different ideas about what
teaching involves. There's very little by way of science of teaching. I think it's a case of I don't know what I'm looking
for, but I'll know it when I see it. I think it's more that kind of a thing, a sense, a professional judgement, a
discretionary thing.” (Idris)
“Their conclusion is completely up to the person grading it whether somebody does well in what they perceive as the
main areas. If two people were viewing your lessons one could fail you and one could pass you because there's like
literally no guidance in the form itself on what you're being assessed on.” (Bea)
“I felt sometimes…it could have been an assessment of my knowledge rather than my teaching.”(Karina).

Is there really any hope of mitigating against subjectivity?
Yes No

Overall I believe that in
relation to the
observations carried out
by the EDU…
Strongly
Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Undecided
or not
applicable
1. I have implemented
ideas that have
improved my
teaching
26 12 1 0 2
relation to the observations
carried out by my
mentor/s…
Strongly
Agree
Disagree
Undecided
or not
applicable
1. I have implemented
ideas that have
improved my
teaching
18 21 1 0 1
Impact
“I think they're a really useful tool. Definitely. I've
benefitted from them a lot across the year. Probably
the most instructive part of the PGCE [sic].” (Eric)
“[Positive changes for teacher and students] only
happened as a consequence of a suggestion and
then a discussion and thinking. If it hadn’t been for
that, it would still be the same as it was before.”
(Corinne)

Self-efficacy and Mindset
“I think the good things that came out of it was recognition. I've been teaching for
a few years and you think you're doing okay, but you never really know. When
you're just on a course, you don't get specific feedback from students or from the
course leader because nobody's ever seen you. You just carry on doing your own
thing, thinking, "Well this works, I think." What you get positively out of it[ the TPAs]
is some really good positive reinforcement about what you do do well. Some of
it, which may be a surprise, you hadn't thought about. Then you get some really
good strategies and ideas for helping you to develop further.” (Juliette)

Wasted opportunity
“I mostly found the observations made on my teaching superficial - small
suggestions - a line or two more to set out the task, a line or two more or less on a
Powerpoint slide - not really getting to the heart of it. I think they are under
utilised and there are not enough observations to get a rounded picture of what
is going on- in some cases I felt as if the observer was box ticking, and as long as I
did enough to be acceptable that they would not be totally honest about what my
teaching was like.” (anon, survey response)

relation to the
observations carried out
by EDU team…
Strongly
Agree
Disagree
Undecided
or not
applicable
1. I felt nervous during
the observation
9 17 9 4 2
Impediments & anxiety
“I feel that the expectation of being assessed/observed
hampered my willingness to experiment with teaching and
maybe this could be a requirement of the session. It is easier
to 'play it safe'.” (anon survey response)
“I think the idea of scrutiny always puts people ill at ease
because you're never quite sure what they're going to say or
see. Even in the case of my mentor, I don't think I ever
allowed myself to let my defenses down.” (Idris).

Relationship to mentor
“kind of lax” (Bea) “too polite” (Helena) “too cosy” (Idris)
“If we want to see theory into practice… If the mentor, obviously doesn't work in the
education field, they're not necessarily going to know that that material exists.” (Eric)
“If that person's making the assumption that I'm not bothered about it… but because
inevitably your mentor is somebody more senior to you, it's very difficult then to turn
round and go, ‘No, actually I want you to do it properly.’ Partly because he thinks he's
doing me a favour as well, and that's not how I see it.“ (Helena).

Over negative; over positive; mismatched
I went home and beat myself up a bit. (Anne)
There was barely criticism into things I was doing wrong…Oh this is great, this is
great. And I’m thinking ‘what’s the point?’ (Corinne)
“praise doesn't take you anywhere” (Helena)
It was kind of like: ‘why didn’t you tell me this to my face?’ (Corinne)
[See also top p.2 of handout- issues with the orthodoxy]

Study 2: Deviance
• Milieu (i.e. where the
observation is located)
• Mediator (i.e. who observes)
• Motive (i.e. why observe?)
• Mechanism (i.e. how the
observation process is
conducted)

Study 2
• Refer to pages 2 and 3 of handout- discuss at tables
• Can such examples be seen as complimentary to orthodox observation practices
or as a possible template for wider implementation?
• Whatever shape it takes, should Observation of teaching be a part of qualitative
evidence of teaching effectiveness? If so, how could that work?

What is at the forefront of your mind as we draw this session to a close?

Observation of teaching and learning (OTL) and peer review for professional learning:

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