Martin1998 Developing Higher Education Teach Skill THR Peer Obs N Collab Refle
Martin1998 Developing Higher Education Teach Skill THR Peer Obs N Collab Refle
Martin1998 Developing Higher Education Teach Skill THR Peer Obs N Collab Refle
To cite this article: Graham A Martin & Jeremy M Double (1998) Developing Higher Education Teaching
Skills Through Peer Observation and Collaborative Reflection, Innovations in Education & Training
International, 35:2, 161-170, DOI: 10.1080/1355800980350210
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IETI 35, 2 161
SUMMARY
This paper considers an action-based approach to the development of teaching skills in higher
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education through peer observation and collaborative reflection. The central features of a three-phase
process model are described and explored and the preliminary results of a pilot scheme are reported.
From this investigation it is suggested that models of development that are firmly based in existing
practice can directly benefit the individual teacher, can enhance colleagiality and can have a signifi-
cant effect on changing departmental culture. It is acknowledged that insights into personal practice
are gained both from the act of observing as well as from being observed.
INTRODUCTION
Through the observation of teaching and joint reflec- Boice (1991) concludes that new teachers often equate
tion with colleagues, teaching skills can be refined and good teaching with good content and the statistical
developed in supportive collaboration. The person analysis of Gow and Kember (1993) resulting from
observed benefits from feedback which is focused and surveys of higher education teachers identifies 'know-
context specific while the observer refines an ability to ledge transmission' as one of two orientations to
define and identify attributes that promote a quality teaching. Gibbs (1995a, p 15) suggests that 'lecturers
experience for the students (Wankat and Oreovicz, are usually happier to accept that there are problems
1993, p 338). The strategy has the further advantage with courses rather than problems with themselves
of developing interpersonal skills and the ability to and are happier to work at the level of changing strategy
benefit from a collegiate approach to professional and method rather than changing themselves'.
practice. Additionally, it provides staff with the oppor-
tunity to 'acclimatize' themselves to observation by The framework suggested here is intended to help
external assessors such as members of Teaching higher education teachers to cope with the widening
Quality Assessment teams (Sharp, 1995; HEFCE, needs of the contemporary student and to facilitate 'a
1996). change of emphasis from that predominantly on sub-
ject knowledge or curriculum content to an equal
What university teachers know about teaching has emphasis on the process skills involved in supporting
often been learnt from an informal approach gained learning' (Bocock, 1994, p 120).
through their experience as students (McKeachie,
1997), through trial and error as teaching assistants
and from contact with colleagues (Dunkin, 1995).
CONTEXT
Often discussions with discipline peers are centred on
the content of teaching rather than pedagogical know- Interacting directly with classroom practice is a
ledge and structural procedures. These exchanges powerful way of focusing attention on the process of
have only a loose contextual focus and are often easily teaching (Beaty andMcGill, 1995; Pennington, 1994).
diverted to subject specific issues of mutual interest. The resulting analysis is based on specific incidents
162 IETI35.2
which have been shared, but from importantly different within a shared event which is already established
perspectives. The observer might have the responsi- (lecturers are employed to teach whether or not they
bility for highlighting the presence and significance of are trained!), the detailed exploration of individual or
certain behaviour while the observed is uniquely in a discipline specific values and beliefs need not be a
position to indicate how typical it is of their general pre-requisite. This action model should ensure that
practice. such fundamental considerations arise as a natural
consequence of the observation and can, therefore, be
The relationship between observed and observer can considered within the context of a shared experience.
be kept positive and productive by this strong emphasis
on the context-specific nature of subsequent reflec- This approach is in many ways consistent with the
tion. However, direct intervention in the practice of learning models suggested by Schon (1983) and Kolb
teaching will always rely on mutual respect and a (1984), and presents a situation where pedagogical
degree of tact. Millis (1992) found a distinct nervous- knowledge is sought out and becomes relevant
ness among teachers who were to be observed and because of its usefulness to discipline-specific action.
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Gibbs (1995b) has noted how academics show a To some educationalists this may not seem to be an
marked reluctance to the peer review of their teaching ideal model but it is one that is pragmatic, being
even though this is fully accepted for research. based on ongoing practice, and as such may have an
enhanced chance of success. Approaches that are
Observation of practice is a necessary feature of initial based on initial courses of teaching methods have
professional development in many fields eg, health their place and in some circumstances eg, for those
professions, social services, etc, and is an essential new to teaching and those who wish to take a detailed
component of the development of school teachers look at their practice, may indeed be preferable.
(Jones, 1993; Martin, 1996). However, although such However, they generally fail to make contact with,
approaches to the development of professional prac- let alone have an impact upon, those academics
tice are similar they are fundamentally different from whose classroom practice has evolved as coping
those discussed here, which have the characteristics of strategies and who have priorities elsewhere.
what Wilkerson (1988) differentiates as 'collaborative
observation'. A peer-reflection approach assumes The aims of a peer observation experience can be
that each party may make an equal contribution and expressed as follows:
that the process does not lead to a judgmental report.
Working with a partner should enable a free exchange • To extend and enhance an understanding of
of views based on the shared understanding of a teach- personal approaches to curriculum delivery.
ing intention made real through the actual experience. • To develop and refine curriculum planning skills in
Through analysing and discussing the performance collaboration with a colleague.
of others it is possible to attain otherwise largely • To enhance and extend teaching techniques
inaccessible levels of self awareness. and styles of presentation through collaborative
practice.
Solomonides and Swannell (1996) describe an approach • To engage in and refine interpersonal skills through
to peer-observation in the Engineering Department of the exchange of insights relating to the review of a
Nottingham Trent University where a small group of specific teaching performance.
experienced tutors act in pairs to observe colleagues. • To identify areas of subject understanding and
Their aim is to provide 'feedback to individual teaching activity which have particular merit or are
lecturers on style, content and appropriateness of their in need of further development.
teaching' (p 107). While the approach has many • To develop personal skills of evaluation and self-
advantages, not least the identification of significant appraisal.
trends within the department, it could be argued that
colleagues are missing the very real self-learning Further, this collaborative approach can develop a
which comes from the act of observing others. range of personal and professional competencies.
These might include:
For a collaborative approach to be successful there
needs to be a clearly defined process and agreed • A growing ability to plan teaching/learning activi-
behavioural norms. The process will be usefully ties which cater for the needs of an increasingly
informed by pedagogical knowledge and prior experi- diverse student body within the requirements of a
ence, but as the intention is to expose significant issues particular discipline provision.
Developing Higher Education Teaching Skills Through Peer Observation and Collaborative Reflection 163
A developing confidence to effectively employ a moderate these interactions through a staged process
range of teaching strategies appropriate to the learn- of pre-observation meeting, the observation itself and
ing needs of this broad group. a subsequent feedback session.
An ability to deliver teaching programmes which
are at a level of challenge and pace appropriate to
The pre-observation meeting
individual students, have regard for their develop-
ing understanding, and result in student work of The purpose of this meeting is to enable the observed
high quality. person to brief the observer on the specific nature of
An increasing capacity to enhance the learning the event to be shared. The observer must be clear
experience of students and effectively exploit the about the teaching programme so far, the learning
resources of the institution eg, Information and intentions for that particular session and the teaching
Communication Technology, and resource-based strategies to be adopted. There is a viewpoint that
learning. it might be better for the observer to 'go in cold' and
A growing awareness of the importance of so experience the session in the way that the students
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personal reflection and peer review. do. However, this would only be modelling the
A greater ability to collaborate actively in a shared student experience in the very first session as in all
approach to curriculum delivery and renewal. subsequent sessions the student would be bringing
prior knowledge and experience which was denied
the observer.
THE PROCESS OF PEER OBSERVATION
An important part of the preparation is to agree how
AND COLLABORATIVE REFLECTION
the teaching will be recorded and when this record will
It is important to remember that teaching takes place be made available to the teacher. In most cases the
within a particular milieu which is jointly created by time efficient form of recording will be note taking but
the teacher and the students. With less than satis- the occasional use of video is to be recommended.
factory situations McKeachie (1997) has observed a There are various ways in which notes might be
'collusive fit between teachers who feel that it is sim- taken (see Brown et al. (1993) for copious examples
ply their job to present the content of their discipline and also HEFCE, 1996) but as the prime purpose is
and students beliefs that their job is to memorize what to compile evidence rather than offer judgements, a
the teacher says and repeat it back on tests' (p 72). If focused narrative approach might be preferable. This
observations are to be useful those involved must seek can involve writing a brief description of the activity
to understand the two-way nature of this interaction. at fixed intervals or writing full descriptions of signifi-
It is necessary to be fully aware of the group even cant points eg, the opening or a complex explanation,
when observing a teacher-dominated session. accompanied by jottings at other relevant points. The
importance of the notes is that they should capture the
If the peer-observation and collaborative reflection essence of the process and form an accurate basis for
process is to have any real meaning it too must be subsequent reflection.
conducted in such a way that proper regard is taken
of the relationships of the colleagues involved. It may be agreed that any notes become the property
The model defined in Figure 1 can help to define and of the teacher immediately after the session so that
Pre-observation Feedback
Observation
meeting Meeting
they might have time to think about the observations Beware the 'expert' in us all: It is a well known
before the feedback meeting. Alternatively, if the pur- psychological phenomena that when a person is
pose of the observation is to promote self-evaluation observed performing a familiar task, the observer can
and reflection it may be more beneficial for the teacher be inclined to take on the role of an expert irrespective
to write their own brief notes for later comparison. of their actual level of competence (eg, consider the
Any concerns on ownership, confidentiality or the behaviour of a soccer crowd towards the referee!).
expressing of opinion should be thoroughly explored Clearly this is to be guarded against in a collaborative
at this stage. situation if both observer and observed are to develop
from access to useful self-knowledge and benefit
Prior consideration of the practical issues to do with professionally from the experience. As Gibbs (1995b,
the layout of the teaching room and the best place for p 154) has suggested:
the observer to sit can help to minimize the disruption
of the event. It is also a good idea to discuss how Peer review is most useful as a formative process:
the presence of the observer will be explained to the recognising strengths and suggesting possible areas for
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students in such a way that it does not adversely affect attention or alternative approaches, rather than simply
their behaviour. judging.
Figure 2 A process model for peer observation and collaborative reflection on teaching
166 IETI35.2
Although the majority of the lecturers were experienced As the scheme took shape it was necessary for the
teachers they were somewhat nervous about being Teaching Liaison Officer to provide further guidance
observed in class. The pilot scheme was structured to on the application of the process as well as ongoing
try to minimize this anxiety as the greatest benefit support and encouragement. The latter often took the
would be obtained if colleagues enthusiastically and form of coffee break progress reports and discussions.
confidently subscribed to the peer observation Although the department made a collective decision
process. that all staff should be involved in the pilot scheme,
only about two-thirds were actually observed. Older
In view of the above the pilot scheme had the and more experienced staff tended to be wary of the
following key features: observation process (Harkin and Davis, 1996) while
• It had to be flexible and responsive to varying younger colleagues were more matter-of-fact or just
perceptions of teaching quality and collaborative resigned to the experience. Typical reasons for getting
reflection. involved were:
• It had to be capable of modification in the light of
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subsequent occasions, and indeed this had already Two comments expressed strong reservations about
been the experience of the few members of staff who the scheme:
had prior experience of peer-observation.
• It is a helpful procedure but mustn't be allowed to
Some lecturers observed that even well prepared mushroom;
observations affected the conduct of the session: • A real problem with difficult colleagues.
• Heisenberg was right! Observation influences what Clearly the first opinion displays a particular scale
is going on between lecturer and class. of priorities not altogether unusual in a university.
• Russell* was very discreet but I was not able to While all academics would want to provide their
overlook the fact that he was there. This made me students with a quality learning experience, for some
slightly nervous but I found this to be an advantage, this has to be done within a strict time scale in order
similar to my experience of major research meet- that research and other duties can be pursued at a high
ings, and the lecture was the better for it. level. The second comment points to the real difficulty
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• Gareth was unobtrusive in the class but I was of collaborating with colleagues who see teaching
conscious of his presence; this did not alter my as a very personal act and are therefore somewhat
style in any way. unwilling to engage in shared analysis and critical
• It was clear that my presence [as an observer] review. The three-phase model described earlier (Fig
made him nervous . . . 2) and, in particular, the suggested approach to feedback
(* All names are fictitious) meetings, should offer some structure and support.
However, some colleagues will need particular re-
The presence of an observer was reported to some- assurance, the opportunity for additional training
times make the students a little quieter than usual and which involves giving and receiving critical evalua-
less inclined to interact with the teacher, an interest- tions, and the pairing with a sensitive partner. Despite
ing observation given the frequency with which some real difficulties the general feeling of the
Teaching Quality Assessors seem to report passivity Department was succinctly expressed by one member
in students. One colleague offered the explanation of staff as - 'better to have it than not'.
that, 'students do not want to participate in discussions
in front of a stranger, they do not want to show their
weaknesses'. This interruption of the normal teaching
process may be expected to diminish as staff and CONCLUSIONS
students become used to a series of observations.
Issues to be addressed
When asked to review the whole process, staff were
This innovation represented a significant shift in
generally positive in their views, offering comments
the culture of this particular department and was
like:
designed to go along with rather than against 'the
• helpful. Confirmed my own evaluation of my culture and values to achieve new goals' and to build
teaching; on 'skills and processes people can already use'
• useful feedback from Mark; (Gibbs, 1995a, p 17). Although there have been few
• as Ian has been very positive and helpful in his negative comments from those who took part, some
comments the end result is confidence building; participants went along with peer observation as a
• I think all staff would benefit by this, and peer sort of obligation, rather than from enthusiasm for
observation should be carried out on a regular the prospect of re-examining their teaching. One staff
basis. member made the not unrepresentative comment that
the initiative places extra demands on an already
Other evaluations referred to the benefits to the heavy and increasing workload (Martin, 1997). Not
observer. Being given the chance to share a surprisingly those who were more committed got
colleague's teaching process was clearly appreciated more out of the process and held the most positive
by many colleagues: views about their experience.
• I found it useful to watch somebody else teach; it The scheme as implemented was experimental
gave me ideas for my own teaching. and temporary. The positive feedback from the staff
• I learned something about presentation of a who took part outweighed the evident difficulties
particular topic in mass transfer. and a permanent scheme has now been adopted by the
168 IETI35,2
peer observation scheme stated by Blackwell and of Teachers in Post-compulsory Education, The Journal
McLean (1996). Although their paper was published of Further and Higher Education, 20, 1, 25-34.
after our pilot scheme had been implemented, they HEFCE (1996) Assessors' Handbook, Bristol, HEFCE.
too advocate the key features as; a process which Jones, G (1993) Ways of Observing: Comment. In Brown,
takes place 'between colleagues in an established S, Jones, G and Rawnsley, S (eds), Observing Teaching,
SCED Paper 79, Birmingham, SEDA.
academic unit', clear and agreed intentions which
Keig, L and Waggoner, M D (1994) Collaborative Peer
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an approach which is 'structured and organised and Teaching, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report no. 2,
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Kolb, D A (1984) Experiential Learning, New Jersey,
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We believe our strategy went some small way towards Technology Education, 1, 1, 78-81.
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Perceptions of Professional Role Amongst University
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Lecturers, Innovations in Education and Training
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Academic Development, 2, 1, 67-74.
Millis, B J (1992) Conducting Effective Peer Classroom
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Excellence in Higher Education, 2nd edn, Sheffield, BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES:
CVCP/USDU. Dr. Jeremy M Double is Admissions Tutor and the
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Academic, Autumn 15-17. Chemical Engineering at the University of Bradford.
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Education, 1, 2, 147-57. Graham A Martin is Senior Tutor and Course Leader
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and their Relationship to Students Learning, British Teaching and Learning at Edge Hill University
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Harkin, J and Davis, P (1996) The Communication Styles Adviser for the University of Bradford.
170 IETI 35,2