Tips for making peer observation of teaching work

• Be committed: As with all continued professional development, you will get out of the process what you put in;
• It is important to subscribe to both the ethos and the practical issues of peer observation of teaching, such as ensuring you create the time and space necessary for it to be effective;
• Avoid judgmental approaches and negative comments; focus instead on finding ways to develop both your own and your colleague's teaching practice;
• It may prove useful to change your peer observation partnership on a yearly basis - this will allow you to experience a range of different ideas and approaches over time;
• Agree your observation criteria, or focus, and framework in advance;
• Organise a pre-observation meeting, so you can brief each other, before the observation;
• Set aside time for a post-observation de-brief meeting, where you can discuss the observation and participate in a joint reflection process;