Audience: Peer Observers, Deans, Vice Presidents for Instruction

Fall 2011

•Peer Observer Training

Background Protocol created by District Administration and Seattle AFT

See: 2007-10 Agreement (Article 6.7)

Based on Peer Observation for Teaching Assessment created by faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/Faculty/docs/peerob.pdf

Purpose of POP Protocol:

Develop mutual understanding of the observation process

Guide conversations between the teacher and observer

Practice objective observation and open discussion of teaching and learning

Provide opportunity for both teacher and observer to learn from the experience

Protect privacy of information between teacher and observer

Peer observation is not evaluation!

Brief outline of processPhase 0: Peer observer and Teacher

exchange information

Phase 1: Teacher identifies goals for observation

Phase 2: Dialog about goals

Phase 3: Observation

Phase 4: Dialog about what happened during the observation

Phase O – Initiating ObservationsObservations are usually initiated by a

dean – other observations should be approved by dean

Observer contacts assigned teacher and negotiates time

Observer gives POP document to teacherObserver asks teacher to fill out Phase 1

documentEstablish a spirit of confidentiality and trust

- this is important!

What is objective observation?Practice observationDescribe what actually happens in this video clip

– 1. What do you see?2. What to you hear?

– PRACTICE VIDEO –

Debrief with participants reporting out what they saw

Make sure observations are objective statements (not inferences or interpretations

Phase 1 – Establishing GoalsTeacher completes Phase 1 form (page 5).

This document communicates to the observer:

Goals of the class as a wholeLearning Objectives for the sessionTeaching strategies for the learning

objectivesWhat the teacher wants to have observed

Phase 2 -First Dialog Teacher & observer come to agreement

about how the observation will take placeObserver listens to teacher’s goals for the

session and what is to be observedProtocol document (p. 6) provides

suggestions about what could be observed but you are not limited to this list

Phase 3 – ObservationPOP Protocol includes several options for

observationPage 7 provides prompts to describe the

session and what kind of interactions happen between teacher and students

Page 8 focuses on the nature of questions asked by teacher and students

Teacher may elect to focus on one or the other type of observation – OR –

Teacher and observer may agree to use a different method altogether

What is observable?Physical Reality – objective report of what

actually happensSocially constructed meaning – can be

developed by consensus between teacher and observer in final meeting

Personal reality – avoid subjective opinion and interpretation

Practice ObservingWrite down what you see using the

observation sheet (p. 7) using either of the two methods

PRACTICE VIDEO – part 2

Debrief

Phase 4 - DialogWhat actually happened during the observation?Observer shares notes (not interpreting, not

evaluating)Teacher is invited to reflect on what the

observations meanTeacher derives meaning from evidence through

dialogConversation is confidential between observer &

teacherBoth observer and teacher sign page 9 Observer hands all notes to teacher

Follow upThe page 9 signature sheet goes to the

deanThe observer keeps a copy of the page 9

signaturesObserver gives all notes to the teacherOnly the teacher may communicate

contents from the observation to others

2nd Hour – Welcome Experienced POsIntroductionsLarge group dialog:What has worked well for you?What challenges have you experienced?Other things to consider?

What are Peer Observer Leads?They are your resource for questions &

concerns, they:Provide trainingField questions from observers & deansCommunicate with deans about the process

of Matching observers with teachersRecruiting Peer Observers for the following

yearPaying stipends to observers