Easy and Effective Professional Development

The Power of Peer Observation to Improve Teaching

Catherine Beck, Paul D'Elia, Michael W. Lamond

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317689768
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Given the current economic climate and budget constraints facing schools, funding for professional development is continually reduced. And yet administrators still need to find methods to implement new instructional initiatives, such as the Common Core State Standards. This important book provides leaders with a high quality professional development approach at a low cost—the Peer Observation Process. Outlined in manageable steps, this strategy will help leaders implement any new school initiative or instructional method, no matter the context.

This book will help you:

-Support staff with job-embedded learning that includes reflection and feedback

-Get your staff excited and engage them in ongoing collaboration

-Create teams and organize schedules

-Initiate and deliver tough conversations

-Address accountability and measure success

Based on an established and successful program, this book outlines an effective approach that is easy to implement and will help schools increase student achievement, strengthen school culture, and improve job satisfaction.

1
Sound Basis for Peer Observation

We are a small rural school in the Colorado mountains with urban problems.

There was a desperate attempt to define the problems in the high school; the opening quotation is an example of an explanation often heard in the halls and community coffee shop. “With urban problems”—What did that mean? Was it a discipline issue? How about lack of resources? Perhaps. Probably. The issues were most likely similar to ones experienced nationwide (“urban problems” was not wrong, but too specific albeit edgy and attention grabbing). The school was focused on almost everything but solid, consistent instruction.

Quality Instruction

After a string of four Principals in as many years, a state audit of instruction was mandated. Morale and the local newspaper headlines were low. The steady stream of “failing school” rhetoric and spreadsheets of low state scores had ushered in the Comprehensive Appraisal for District Improvement (CADI) team to provide an in-depth, comprehensive look inside the school’s classrooms. It was found and noted that the school had “pockets of good instruction.” The report revealed what many knew and struggled to address, not because of competency, but because of the limits of the current professional development structure.

The school had had its fair share of consultants, speakers, and trainers come through the library on staff professional development days. Our school was just one piece of the documented historical cost of professional development in the state ($26 million as noted by the Denver Post). There were dynamite lessons taking place, effective grading practices, and engaging projects with real-world application; but not all the time and not in every classroom. The “pockets of good instruction” had to be opened and revealed through collaboration and increased professionalism of teachers. The Peer Observation Process was the answer as it was born organically and developed formally.

The Peer Observation Process at its core addresses the issue of providing consistent, quality instruction in every class, for every student, every day. That is how it began and that is what it achieved. Today, it is seen as something much bigger. It can spread any mission or initiative in a consistent and quality-driven manner. The Peer Observation Process (POP) does this because it recognizes some very significant realities. One, teachers benefit from and strive for increased professionalism. They each bring an expertise to the table. POP fuels this through empowerment and collaboration. Teachers love to be recognized for what they know, but they also acknowledge they do not know everything and that their peers are a great place to look for a balance of strengths. Second, Principals struggle to be present in classrooms on a consistent basis. The desktop calendar, if you can see it, or the iCal chime becomes irrelevant when a parent phone call comes through or a discipline action needs attention (and don’t forget the printer cartridges need changing!). Many Principals strive to be instructional leaders, and many are (and are hired to be), but, unfortunately, the strategy of direct instructional coaching and feedback is a tough priority to fulfill for one person.

Culture

The Peer Observation Process sets up a culture of instructional coaching maintained not by one person, but by the entire faculty of experts—the teachers. Indeed, POP places “every teacher as a coach.” The process is a vehicle for spreading the commonalities any building leader would like to see in each classroom. The star performers of a faculty open up their toolboxes of what is working. All faculty members have the opportunity to share key insights on lessons and classroom experiences. You will quickly see not only improved instruction but also a culture that nurtures continued development with little to no cost. There is no shortage of talent in education, despite what many critics with a national voice will have you believe. I would imagine you are reading this because you are an educator and you are now pausing at the idea of talent in education. Yes, you have stars in your building and in your district (you are one of them!); but you feel the policies (the voices of a strategy) coming out of the conference rooms are just not getting the spotlight in the right area. The Peer Observation Process as part of a professional development plan is more than a policy, it’s a culture that finds, builds, and spreads talent. The policies (many of them very effective) need this culture, not the other way around.

“Change fatigue” is certainly not our language but is a great topic when it comes to talking about the importance of culture. Mission statements and shared values are effective tools to weather change. The Peer Observation Process culture offers continuous occurrences of staff members connecting their practices to the overall mission and objectives. Thoughtful and meaningful feedback defines and spreads shared values. Staff starts to feel less fatigued about what is changing and more energized about the possibilities of achievement. Leaders have an imbedded system to capture the strengths of top performers. The best part is the leader plays a supporting role in a process that is teacher—front-line staff—led. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are sending a wave of change across the nation’s schools and policies cannot be relied on to react quickly enough or represent the true experiences of teachers. Use of a peer-driven culture clears the clutter, establishes what is important, and focuses on effective implementation.

The effective implementation we experienced at our high school in the mountains was seen through a series of snapshots. The obvious was seen through snapshots of quantitative measurement, positive scores, and upward movement of longitudinal student growth. The other view, perhaps less obvious but more powerful for future growth, was that of a typical Friday morning staff collaboration meeting. If you were able to see an actual visual representation of the evolution, through film or photography, of these morning collaboration sessions from before POP began to the start of its third year, you would witness the successful tale. Teachers were rarely late, they brought baked goods for everyone to share, and they seriously and studiously discussed student achievement and educational philosophy until the very last second before having to open their classroom for first period-waiting students. Morale was good. Headlines were good. Achievement was good.

Adapt to Change

At this moment discussion and planning was about forward progression. Yes, an initiative to reduce “pockets of good instruction” and spread great instructional practices is ongoing and requires time to build the comfort needed for deep, meaningful feedback. However, the process starts to build on top of itself. One strength of the Peer Observation Process is its ability to flex and react to current needs and objectives. Schools will find that the process can aid in implementing anything from making better use of technology for instruction to a massive curriculum overhaul.

New findings and knowledge enter the education sphere at lightning pace. A district or building leadership team cannot get policies written fast enough. Certainly, the Principals cannot do it all alone. The Peer Observation Process can diffuse knowledge faster than lunch lines fill on “Thanksgiving Dinner for Lunch” day. The Peer Observation Process will be instrumental for rolling out the effective use of the Common Core State Standards.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has stated in its Common Core literature “the CCSS will radically change curricula, state assessments, school culture, and professional development.” During a NASSP presentation about the CCSS, they highlighted key targets such as “the collective mindset of the staff is central to the ability to get things done” and “growth performance is the result of work, effort, and deliberate practice.” The Peer Observation Process has those three elements at its core. Teachers embrace the work and effort it takes to retool a lesson after receiving feedback. An environment that respects deliberate practice energizes them. Because the observations are informative and supportive, rather than evaluative, practice is the common understanding. After all, aren’t doctors “practicing medicine”? Teachers need a professional boost and can honorably practice their craft within a Peer Observation Process. In fact, many teachers gladly participated because it allowed an open forum in which to hone lessons that would eventually be evaluated by a supervisor.

NASSP has also noted that a key ingredient for CCSS implementation will be customization. Agreed, learning will be student driven, less confined to years, grades, and time, about accountability, and about higher order thinking. NASSP exclaims “customization demands collaboration!” The Peer Observation Process shares their list of what this means: “less hierarchical, less bureaucratic, less resistant, and more open to innovation.” In fact, the process staff engages in during the observation and feedback sessions are precisely aligned with what the CCSS are asking students to do. A culture of higher order thinking based on collaboration and critical thinking can be developed in all corners of a school.

More “How”

The POP culture is going to give you high-caliber instructional practices. The Common Core State Standards have taken care of the “what” leaving the “how” as the important implementation step. As Vicki Halsey (2011) discusses in Brilliance by Design, we must make a shift that looks like this: “teachers dedicating 70 percent of their preparation to how (learning design) and 30 percent to what (content) they will teach.” Halsey highlights that traditional preparation breakdowns look the opposite. The POP accomplishes an effort to increase the amount of time teachers are engaged in conversations about “how” they are getting the important information across. The collaboration among teacher groups will spread the most effective instructional practices throughout the building as observations take place and feedback is provided. This process creates a culture that supports only the best work being done and effectively decreases the amount of poor instructional practices. The whole thing is democratized and done from the bottom up. Supervisors end up observing a class for evaluation and seeing the teachers’ best work that perhaps has been incubated over time through targeted feedback and mentoring.

There are concerns out there about the CCSS, such as “they are killing innovation” or are “too static in a dynamic world” (Washington Post Blog, The Answer Sheet, “8 Problems with the Common Core Standards”). The POP culture recognizes that the CCSS is not a curriculum, but standards that need a creative and collaborative environment to make them work as effective and relevant tools. Teachers use each other as resources to bring the standards alive and adapt them to local learning needs. Much of what is seen in a Peer Observation group is exactly what is expected in a CCSS influenced classroom. A common culture among teachers and students appears. The CCSS ask students to “persevere through problem solving.” Teachers are doing the same as they respond to classroom needs with the help of peer feedback and suggestions. They do not rely on a policy to solve the issue (or restrain them from doing so); they collaborate with a possibility-driven mentality.

The POP also addresses change through moderation. As noted in Karen Golden-Biddle’s (2012) MIT Sloan Management Review article, “How to Change an Organization without Blowing It Up”, the most effective change is a balance between immediate large-scale change and small pilot programs. Within a Peer Observation group, moderate levels of change are introduced at a digestible rate. Instructional leaders can introduce practices by modeling and allow others to work on elements over time. Individuals have control over the rate of change as they lead the observation cycle with targeted areas of focus drawn from reflection and analysis.

Foundation and Growth

The evolution of the Peer Observation Process really grew as it took hold in another school with some similarities and enough differences to test the integrity of the process. The Peer Observation Process “moved down the hill” into an elementary school in the adjacent county and carried the professional development plan with it. The new staff was assured that they too would see results and that discomfort, at first, was to be expected. The process was now being mapped out formally and the luxury of retrospect contributed to the strengthening. The initial stages require a culture shift and that low comfort and trust levels are normal. Getting to the real hearty feedback sessions takes time. Here is a reflection from Kendra Carpenter, a teacher at the elementary school:

When I first learned about Peer Observation I felt nervous. Having my peers in my classroom observing me was an intimidating thought. As we began the rotations I worried about my inevitable turn. What would people think? What would they say? As I observed my colleagues I realized how much I enjoyed having the opportunity to see what they were doing. As a student teacher, I did not appreciate the time we were given to observe in classrooms. With Peer Observation, not only was I learning from my colleagues, but it also afforded me the opportunity to reflect on my own practice. I was not judging them, but learning to respect what they did. Plus, I gained new ideas that I could integrate in to my own classroom and could offer some suggestions based on my own expertise.

Two years later, I have grown to appreciate this process. I look forward to it. We have elevated the level of our teaching through Peer Observation. We have grown closer as professionals through Peer Observation. I now feel that I have a safe place to share my doubts about my teaching without penalty. I know that my team will come in and give me honest, yet kind, feedback. Through our dialogue, I have brought parts of my teaching from my subconscious to a conscious level. I am aware of why I do what I do daily. I am able to hold a higher level professional conversation because I have taken the time to reflect on the research and my beliefs as a teacher. Even if it is not my turn to be observed I have a group of people in my building that I can turn to for help. They have been in my classroom and know my students so their feedback is helpful and meaningful. Now, I always have them with me as I teach. We are not individual classrooms functioning on our own, but rather a group of professionals supporting each other towards a common goal: success for all of our students.

Theoretical Framework

The stories and personal excitement over success are compelling and real. So, too, are the facts and theoretical framework. The theoretical framework for Peer Observation can be found in Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of human development and the zone of proximal development. At the heart of Vygotsky’s theory lies the framework that human cognition and learning is social and cultural rather than an individual phenomenon (Vygotsky, 1978):

The teacher’s zone of proximal development is thought of as a learning space between his or her present level of teaching knowledge consisting of content (theoretical) and pedagogical knowledge and his skills and his next (potential) level of knowledge to be attained with the support of others.

(Eun, 2010, p. 2)

This implies that cognitive development, or acquiring higher mental functions, is possible only through the social interaction between a novice and a more capable person that ultimately leads to internalization by the individual (Eun, 2008). As discussed earlier, Principals can and do act as instructional leaders. However, solely looking to the Principal is not realistic and ineffective. The Peer Observation Process mobilizes the building leaders and star performers to support and coach new and struggling teachers. An environment of trust is established when even the star performer opens him/herself to feedback on a lesson. The novice finds a place to contribute meaningful insight by way of a stimulating and motivating workplace.

Vygotsky’s theory is based on the notion of a more capable person supporting the development of a less competent person by mediating the less competent person’s interactions with the environment. “By providing the symbolic mediators (i.e., knowledge and skills) and supporting their use, the less competent person becomes able to use them on his or her own” (Eun, 2010, p. 3). Thus, the interchange of ideas involving instructional strategies among the teachers involved in the Peer Observation Process may empower the less competent teacher and allows for multiple opportunities to practice and receive feedback within the context of the team.

Vygotsky emphasized the importance of goal-directed interactions needed to lead to the internalization and development for new ideas. Guskey (2000) described one type of professional development using observation techniques. This occurs when teachers observe each other and then convene to give feedback (Guskey, 2000). Guskey suggests that both the observed and the observer benefit greatly from this type of professional development. The observed teachers receive constructive feedback and the observer can learn from closely monitoring and evaluating the instruction in the context of his or her own instruction (Guskey, 2000). The process of observing another’s teaching may provide valuable insights into aspects of one’s own teaching practices (Guskey, 2000). Vygotsky’s (1978) theory indicates that interactions between the expert and the novice benefit both participants.

Developing Comfort and Trust

Getting a Peer Observation Process off the ground and integrated into an existing professional development framework is relatively easy and requires almost no expense. At onset you can expect “J-Curve” development starting with forming groups and building trust and comfort and then quickly rising to instructional improvement. We will talk more in-depth about set-up and logistics further along in the book, but the sound basis for this process includes addressing some barriers. As Kendra tells us above, she felt “nervous” and initially a little “intimidated.” This is natural and expe...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Meet the Authors
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1 Sound Basis for Peer Observation
• 2 What Does the Research Say?
• 3 Setting Up the Program
• 4 Success
• 5 Keys to Communication
• 6 So What About the Common Core?
• 7 Four Years Into the Process
• 8 Personal Stories of POP’s Influence
• References
• Appendices