This document outlines the process of peer observation for teacher professional development. It begins by defining professional development as the continual growth of teachers' knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Peer observation is identified as an alternative for professional development that builds collegiality and provides formative feedback. The benefits, conditions, and three-step process of peer observation are described. This includes selecting colleagues, pre-observation meetings, classroom observations, and post-observation feedback. Guidelines for factual, non-judgmental feedback focused on teacher actions are provided. The document concludes by modeling a simulated peer observation experience and role play.

1. Peer Observation
By Ivan Aguilar

2. Objectives
• To identify the concept of professional
development
• To describe the process of peer
observation
• To identify best ways to give feedback
• To experience peer observation
• To make plans for peer observation

3. Our current state
1. What do you do to avoid you teaching to
get “rusty”?
2. Besides this course, what were some
other opportunities you had to learn more
about Language teaching recently?
3. What are your plans for professional
development within the next five years?

4. Professional development
• 'Teacher development' is a term used in the literature to describe a
process of continual intellectual, experiential, and attitudinal growth
of teachers.
• "continued growth both before and throughout a career"
Knowledge
Skills Attitude

5. Professional development:
reasons
1. Acquisition of new knowledge and updating current
knowledge
2. New ways of teaching and learning
3. New technology
4. Avoiding routinization through variety and creativity
5. Changes in the context and setting
6. Promotion and income
7. Burnout prevention

6. Professional
development:challenges
• Time
• Energy
• Motivation
• Support
• Interference with teaching

7. Professional development:
alternatives
• Supervision
• Journal
• Workshops
• Support groups
• Self monitoring
• Team teaching
• Action research
• Peer observation

8. Peer observation
• “Peer observation refers to a teacher or
other observer closely watching and
monitoring a language lesson or part of a
lesson inorder to gain an understanding of
some aspect of teashing, learning, or
classroom interaction”
» Richards and Farrel

9. Benefits of peer observation
• Builds collegiality among teachers
• Formative evaluation
• Negotiated feedback
• Focused feedback

10. Conditions for peer observation
• Mutual trust and
reciprocity
• A three steps process
• Institutional Support
• Agreed areas of
observation
– Time management
– Students’ performance
– Teacher’s action zone
– Use of the textbook
– Pair and group work
• Agreed means of data
collection
– Narratives
– Notes
– Checklists

11. The process of peer observation
• Select a colleague to work with
• Pre-observation
• Observation
• Post-observation

12. The process of peer
observation: video
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p
layer_embedded&v=r-abWqXlkFY

13. Giving feedback
In giving feedback we have to consider three
concepts
• Facts
• Inferences
• Suggestions
• Opinions

14. Giving feedback: rules of thumb
• Judge the actions, not the individual.
• Be specific and data driven
• Do not speak for others
• Do not exagerate or give generalities
• Avoid rethorical questions

15. Giving feedback: wording
Positive feedback
• What I liked about your
class was…
• Something I find useful is
the way you…
• I observed that…, and
this was positive
because…
Alternatives
• Once I tried…and the
results were…
• It seemed to me that…did
you see the same.
• I observed that…, and
this affected students
learning in the way they…

16. Peer observation: a simulated
expereince
• Watch the video and collect as much info
as possible
• Avoid judgement!!

17. Peer observation: a simulated
expereince
• Watch the video
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p
layer_embedded&v=ebo4COwDahA

18. Peer observation: a simulated
expereince
• Compare your notes and “steal” when
necessary
• Avoid judgment!!

19. Peer observation: a simulated
expereince
• Think about the effectiveness of the class.
What would you suggest?
• What data would you use to support your
suggestions?

20. Peer observation: a role play
A: Imagine you were the teacher in the video. Listen to your
colleagues feedback. Be aware of your own intellectual and
emotional reactions
B:Give feedback to your colleagues based on your notes.
Be aware of the facts, inferences, suggestions, and
opinions you are communicating. Be cautious with your
wording.
Switch roles when finished!

21. Giving feedback: wording
Positive feedback
• What I liked about your
class was…
• Something I find useful is
the way you…
• I observed that…, and
this was positive
because…
Alternatives
• Once I tried…and the
results were…
• It seemed to me that…did
you see the same.
• I observed that…, and
this affected students
learning in the way they…

22. Plan your actions!
In brief write some lines of how you could go
through the peer observation process.
Note.- you could also invite a teacher from a diferent area since the
idea is to get feedback on your teaching.

23. Special thanks to Mary Scholl
Mary Scholl is the
director of the
SIT-TESOL in
Costa Rica.
Learn more at
www.espiralmana
.org
“I have faith
in all of you”