Rebecca Sharp
Director of Faculty, Humanities and Social Sciences
Joint project: "Evaluation of peer observation practices"
Cecile Horncastle
Curriculum Manager Business Studies
Background
· Peer observation was introduced in 1995 as part of the college’s own quality assurance system, with the aim of improving teaching and disseminating good practice
· The action research project has sought to establish whether the college’s peer observation process adds meaningfully to teachers’ professional development
· The research also aimed to highlight improvements that would bring the process in line with established good practice elsewhere (e.g. as published in ‘Learning & Teaching’)
Key actions
· Teachers at the college were surveyed to gather feedback on their experience of the peer observation process, in observee and/or observer roles. Improvement suggestions were made as part of the survey process
· Information was gathered on current good practice established in schools and within the university sector
· Recommendations were developed on how to improve the current peer observation process at FSFC
Preliminary findings
· Teachers value the peer observation process but have highlighted flaws in the way it is currently managed within the college
· Improvements could justifiably be made in areas such as:
Who should initiate a peer observation
How teachers should be paired for an observation
How the process should be followed and adhered to (governance)
The structure of the observation feedback form
· The peer observation process needs to be standardised and should arguably be implemented for all teachers
For more information on this project please contact:
chorncastle@farnboroughsfc.ac.uk
or:
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