Peer observation of teaching: a decoupled process
Peer observation of teaching: a decoupled process
This article details the findings of research into the academic teaching staff experience of peer observation of their teaching practice. Peer observation is commonly used as a tool to enhance a teacher’s continuing professional development. Research participants acknowledged its ability to help develop their teaching practice, but they also reported that it could operate superficially as a tick box exercise, that its outcomes were frequently decoupled from formal staff development processes, and that its purpose and usefulness therefore seemed unclear. This article argues that the presence of decoupling reinforces the need to account for structural factors that can interact with peer observation of teaching to ensure it is a meaningful exercise for all teaching staff. It concludes that the published academic literature is perhaps guilty of overplaying the role of personal choice and individual tutor characteristics when addressing the complex issue that is staff disengagement with peer observation of teaching
continuing professional development, higher education, peer observation, staff appraisal, teacher evaluation, teaching practice
189-201
Chamberlain, J.M.
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D'Artrey, Meriel
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Rowe, Deborah-Anne
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November 2011
Chamberlain, J.M.
6ded5c54-3e2d-4c20-b885-ada38e5bae18
D'Artrey, Meriel
c00d369a-0184-4383-9471-d2fabc1b78e6
Rowe, Deborah-Anne
d5885c82-4d15-4329-8055-abdc4876962d
Chamberlain, J.M., D'Artrey, Meriel and Rowe, Deborah-Anne
(2011)
Peer observation of teaching: a decoupled process.
Active Learning in Higher Education, 12 (3), .
(doi:10.1177/1469787411415083).
Abstract
This article details the findings of research into the academic teaching staff experience of peer observation of their teaching practice. Peer observation is commonly used as a tool to enhance a teacher’s continuing professional development. Research participants acknowledged its ability to help develop their teaching practice, but they also reported that it could operate superficially as a tick box exercise, that its outcomes were frequently decoupled from formal staff development processes, and that its purpose and usefulness therefore seemed unclear. This article argues that the presence of decoupling reinforces the need to account for structural factors that can interact with peer observation of teaching to ensure it is a meaningful exercise for all teaching staff. It concludes that the published academic literature is perhaps guilty of overplaying the role of personal choice and individual tutor characteristics when addressing the complex issue that is staff disengagement with peer observation of teaching
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POT-Chamb-Accepted.doc
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Accepted/In Press date: 29 January 2011
Published date: November 2011
Keywords:
continuing professional development, higher education, peer observation, staff appraisal, teacher evaluation, teaching practice
Organisations:
Social Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 385888
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/385888
ISSN: 1469-7874
PURE UUID: ee0f638b-9eb6-40c0-9f51-9e061e6bf67c
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Date deposited: 26 Jan 2016 09:35
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 22:24
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Contributors
Author:
J.M. Chamberlain
Author:
Meriel D'Artrey
Author:
Deborah-Anne Rowe
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