Who should do peer observation of teaching?

The key to a successful observation pairing is normally mutual trust and respect. The choice of peers is significant:

• It is believed that the most honest and open exchange of ideas will take place when both participants are in much the same position;
• Experience shows that observation by a peer from the same school or department is often the most useful;
• Some alternatives are observation by a manager, by a mentor, by a colleague from another school or department with particular expertise in a given teaching method or by an educational specialist, although these options are more appropriate when the focus is mainly on evaluation;
• For smaller schools or departments, observation by a peer from a different school or department but with a related subject may prove appropriate and useful.