Peer observation for development versus teaching observation for assessment

Developmental peer observation

The focus of peer observation of teaching within continued professional development is on giving individuals the opportunity to:

• Develop and enhance their own teaching practice by observing others and by being observed
• Contribute to others' development and the wider dissemination of good practice in the teaching and learning field, through formative review, constructive feedback, and reflective practice, rather than evaluative judgements about teaching quality.

Evaluative teaching observation

The focus of ProDAIT is on professional development, so we will only provide a brief overview on observation of teaching for assessment and evaluation:

• Observation of teaching is now a routine expectation for probationary staff;
• Observation of your teaching can supply you with a different and valuable professional perspective alongside students' feedback, thus providing a more rounded evaluation of your teaching abilities, and the quality of the learning experiences you give your students;
• Having your teaching observed by a senior colleague or mentor can help to familiarise you with the process, and thus reduce your anxiety levels during assessments by external observers;
• Observation of teaching (including developmental peer observation) is a very clear demonstration to students of staff concern for quality;
• Observation of teaching by a senior colleague or supervisor also provides a mechanism whereby, through summative assessment, departments can monitor the overall quality of their teaching, and individual members of staff can evidence their teaching practice and expertise for their teaching portfolios.
• Assessment of teaching quality should use a range of assessment tools, of which observation of teaching is just one. For more on the range of assessment tools that can be used to evaluate teaching quality, click here.