Observing Instruction
Watching other people teach can be incredibly informative. Besides the obvious goal of improving/rejuvenating instruction, peer observations can also enhance observation skills, promote effective feedback, and create a culture of trust and revision. Right now, our peer observation model is helpful, but onerous. It requires a pre-meeting, an observation and a post-meeting, all with forms to fill out.* This model has benefits, including, most importantly, lessening the anxiety of giving constructive feedback to colleagues.
My thoughts here are based off of the two articles I just finished reading. First is "The 360 Feedback Model for Library Instructors" by Daisy Benson and Daniel DeSanto, where the observation is only one data point of the feedback model. In their study, the observations and feedback are done in a condensed amount of time. I also skimmed through "Peer Review of Teaching: Best Practices for a Non-Programmatic Approach" by Jaena Alabi and William H. Weare Jr., which addresses the two different goals of observation: "fostering improvement," or formative, and "making personnel decisions," or summative. Their article focuses on formative observations, and details best practices: Trust, respect, and confidentiality; finding an appropriate peer; communicating expectations; selecting a focus; making time for the process; and being prepared to receive criticism.
Based on this quick research, it seems in theory our current, multi-step model meets best practices, aside from #5 in Alabi and Weare's list, "Make Time." Part of my excuse is that our formative observation model is too formal, too process-y. As I was talking to a friend and fellow librarian at another institution, Sarah, I thought out loud about how I could potentially mandate "making time" for observation, but that perhaps modelling those behaviors would be more effective. I've reflected on who the observation is for -- the observer? the observee? On a large scale, I think, both/our whole department benefits from an open teaching practice, but how do we get there?
One way to jump start the process might be to have us focus on two goals:
Sarah, my friend I mentioned earlier, also brought up the point about online instruction, which we are doing more and more. How do we observe each other in those spaces? Is it feedback before the session on the learning objects we're using? Should we be getting feedback outside of our information literacy community of practice - say from our e-learning faculty, or our office of disability and access services? Our center for teaching and learning, when that's back to fully staffed?
*We adapted our forms from S. Kraat and S. J. Macaluso, “Developing Formative Peer Assessment of Instruction in Libraries,” SUNY New Palz, 2003; University of Minnesota, “Classroom Observation Form: Open Ended (Form A),” 2007.
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| What are you observing up there in your tower? Photo by Miguel A Ramirez on Unsplash |
Based on this quick research, it seems in theory our current, multi-step model meets best practices, aside from #5 in Alabi and Weare's list, "Make Time." Part of my excuse is that our formative observation model is too formal, too process-y. As I was talking to a friend and fellow librarian at another institution, Sarah, I thought out loud about how I could potentially mandate "making time" for observation, but that perhaps modelling those behaviors would be more effective. I've reflected on who the observation is for -- the observer? the observee? On a large scale, I think, both/our whole department benefits from an open teaching practice, but how do we get there?
One way to jump start the process might be to have us focus on two goals:
- Pick one thing you'd like feedback on, and ask a colleague to observe you (teaching style, class discussion, presentation, etc.)
- Pick something you'd like to see others do (specific topic, activity, etc.) and observe a colleague doing this
- organization of session
- preparedness and timing
- engagement
- instruction methods
- content
- feedback to students
Sarah, my friend I mentioned earlier, also brought up the point about online instruction, which we are doing more and more. How do we observe each other in those spaces? Is it feedback before the session on the learning objects we're using? Should we be getting feedback outside of our information literacy community of practice - say from our e-learning faculty, or our office of disability and access services? Our center for teaching and learning, when that's back to fully staffed?
*We adapted our forms from S. Kraat and S. J. Macaluso, “Developing Formative Peer Assessment of Instruction in Libraries,” SUNY New Palz, 2003; University of Minnesota, “Classroom Observation Form: Open Ended (Form A),” 2007.
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