On Peer to Peer Observation:
To me, this is what is missing in high school
education. We work in almost complete
isolation from our peers. We may talk
about our instruction but we rarely share it first-hand. There are very few other professions where such
isolation exists. Even teaching at other
grade levels is vastly different – a third grade teacher is accustomed to a
regular flow of other adults in the classroom; parents, team teachers, aids and
administrators frequently pop in and later share thoughts and ideas based on
observation.
As a transition, peer observation is inherently
uncomfortable. Where such autonomy has
existed, observation is an invasion. We
will feel self-conscious with a colleague in the room during the moments when
classes are not engaged and lively.
Students may be distracted by another teacher parking in the back of the
room.
Later though, what was a distraction for its novelty will
become normal for its frequency. Our
self-consciousness will fade as our trust in colleagues increases. The conversations between teachers will
evolve from superficial greetings to substantive dialogue based on first-hand
experience and the sharing of our instructional practices.
External control, standardization, API scores, etc. are all
a call by the public we serve, for improved instruction. If we want to maintain local control of our
education system we have to pursue the obstacles to learning with creative,
progressive instruction. The best
resources for problem solving in high school instruction are high school
teachers.
Steve Abbott
Mt. Shasta High School
Very well said, Sir! The blessings of diversity are many.
ReplyDeleteI read one of Steve's recommendation letters for a student once ... beautiful expression of very important concepts.
How's he do it? ;-)
Nice post Steve. Once that comfort zone is reached; it is so nice to have a colleague present to share in your good work if only for a brief while. I also feel it is beneficial for the students to see colleagues interacting in a professional setting.
ReplyDeleteYes. I agree. An environment that encourages mutual support and inquiry, which sincerely applied will, no doubt, augment what we do every day. Many times our classroom can be viewed as a sanctuary where only a certain teacher and students can interact. Opening the door to others who are there to observe and help is a welcome addition. We can all benefit from a fellow coach, whose goal it is to learn and lend assistance that comes from expertise and experience. We need to pursue this in a deliberate and efficacious fashion, refusing to capitulate to the tyranny of the urgent.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is just this tyranny of the urgent to which I capitulate daily, it seems! Next week, I will refuse. Thanks for the encouragement.
DeleteI too agree that this concept has great potential to help teachers improve practice. However, listening to teachers throughout the District, this new process needs to be implemented in baby steps and have on-going professional development and teacher input (both of which SUHSTA and the District supports). This concept is a total shift in thinking from anything that teachers in our District have ever experienced. Time and experience will create a peer to peer observation process that works for the teachers in our District.
ReplyDeleteSteve's point is important and urgent. Without peer observation and, in general, transparency in the classroom, the only indicator of teacher success is standardized test scores, which we all know are very poor and totally inadequate indicators of either teacher or student success.
ReplyDelete