Is this for me?

Whether your teaching practice is at an early or advanced stage, peer observation has potential benefits. For example, those who are new to teaching may benefit from helpful advice from more experienced colleagues early in their careers, while those with more experience may have the opportunity to renew and refine their teaching strategies. Upon request, the SEA department can join the teams formed to bring a complementary point of view to these exchanges.

According to the feedback from the UNIGE, the more affinities people have between them and already know each other, or have already exchanged about teaching, the more fruitful the exchange can be. But the exchange between people who do not teach the same subject can also be very rich. In both cases, the observer can be very close to what the students are actually experiencing and feeling in the course.

What are the benefits?

There are several reasons for engaging in peer observation.

Here are some of them from the literature consulted (see the "Learn more" tab; in particular Daele & Sylvestre, 2015; Race et al., 2009) and testimonies from teachers who have practiced peer observation at UNIGE:

• To answer questions I have about my teaching
• To reassure myself if I am new to higher education teaching
• To receive personalized feedback on my teaching style
• To get feedback from one or more outsiders on an innovation, a new activity
• To become aware of my teaching habits
• To identify ways to improve my teaching
• To share good practices and effective strategies with one or more colleagues
• To discover new ways of teaching and learning at the university
• To develop my network, and to have people to talk to about my concerns on teaching
• To have the opportunity to observe a group learning
• To develop a reflective posture about teaching and learning
• To enhance my teaching skills.

Studies show that teachers who engage in peer-to-peer observation find it to be a useful activity for their professional development (Gosling, 2014). Several benefits are related to the reciprocal aspect of the process, that is, being in the posture of both the observer and being observed (Race et al., 2009). The two postures are complementary and each allows for the development of specific skills.

What are the topics that can be discussed?

There are no restrictions, on the contrary everything is possible! As an example, the observation can focus on the following dimensions:

• oral expression (verbal and non-verbal language)
• the organization of the content of the presentation or the course
• the activities proposed to the group
• time management
• the attitude of the teacher during the course
• management of interactions with students
• course materials
• the use of a particular technology, etc.

On the other hand, collaboration can also extend beyond observation, to dimensions of teaching that are less easily observed in a single session (Gosling, 2014). For example:

• planning of a course
• pedagogical coherence (alignment between objectives - teaching - evaluation)
• student supervision (lab, master's work, etc.)
• group work
• stress management
• evaluation of knowledge and skills
• feedback given to students
• prevention and management of plagiarism and incivilities, etc.

In this case, in addition to observation, other methods may be used, such as reading the course documents (syllabus, exams, instructions for assignments, etc.), questioning, explaining one's teaching choices, recounting an experience, etc.

In any case, it is important that each person being observed clearly expresses their expectations regarding the dimensions to be addressed (Daele & Sylvestre, 2015). The initial session is the best opportunity to clarify these dimensions and to agree on the specific elements (indicators) on which we will base our assessment of each dimension (see the "Preparing for the observation" step, in the "How to proceed" section).

What approach should you follow?

In the context of the Teaching Laboratory, we suggest a 3-phase approach:

• the preparation phase
• the observation phase
• the return and follow-up phase

The steps and advice suggested below are based on the literature consulted (see the "Resources" tab; in particular Daele & Sylvestre, 2015) and on feedback from teachers at UNIGE.

I. The preparation phase

Choosing a partner (or partners)

The following questions may guide the choice of a partner or partners (Daele & Sylvestre, 2015; Lambert, Huneault, & Daele, 2016):

• Do I prefer to collaborate with one person or with several?
• Do I prefer to collaborate with someone who teaches the same discipline as me or another discipline?
• Would I prefer to collaborate with someone who has roughly the same level of experience as I do or someone more expert/novice?
• Would I prefer to work with someone who teaches the same type(s) of course(s) (large lecture halls, small groups, required courses, workshops, etc.) or someone with different experience?

All combinations are possible and each will offer different opportunities for feedback. In this sense, it can be interesting to multiply the observation experiences between peers, by choosing partners with different and complementary characteristics.

Even if the most common way is to form pairs, it is quite possible to form trinomials, or even teams, in which each person observes the teaching of one or more people and vice versa.

The different peer observation formulas

It is possible to request the support of a pedagogical advisor from the SEA department at any time in the process.

You have the possibility to choose your peers and the formula of your choice. If you wish, you can also contact us and provide us with some information (your profile and your preferences) so that we can propose a tandem with another person. You can also contact these ambassadors.

Preparing for the observation

Good preparation is essential for the process to run smoothly, which is why it is important that the peers meet at least once before the start of the observation.

During this initial meeting, it is useful for the person being observed to

• express the reasons for requesting a peer observation
• specify his/her teaching context (see contextualization sheet in the "Tools" section)
• identify the dimensions that he/she would like the other person to observe in particular (see the "What to observe" section).

Then, the partners:

• adapt or construct the tools that will be used for the observation (see examples of grids in the "Tools" section)
• agree in advance on the modalities of the observation (what time will the observer arrive, where will he/she be, will the group be informed of his/her presence, etc.)
• schedule the feedback session (preferably a few days after the observation)

An educational consultant can participate in this meeting or help you prepare for it.

II. The observation phase

Observing a lesson and being observed

The person observing usually arrives a little ahead of time and takes up a position agreed upon during the preparation session. Standing at the back of the room or behind the group usually allows for a global view and makes the observer forget about the group. Unless it has been arranged in the preparation session, the observer does not intervene during the lesson.

For the person being observed, it is a matter of giving the lesson naturally. For the person observing, it is a matter of taking notes using the tool that has been agreed beforehand (see examples in the "Tools" section).

It is also possible to film the observed sequence, in order to keep an objective recording of the course. In addition to allowing several perspectives to be crossed, the recording allows the teacher to come back to his or her practices later on and see how they have evolved.

The SEA department, as well as the audio-visual centers, can provide you with all the necessary equipment. A pedagogical advisor may also observe the session in order to participate in the feedback phase.

III. The feedback and follow-up phase

Preparing the feedback session

As soon as possible after the observation, while the memories are still fresh, it is recommended to write down one's impressions (for the person being observed) and to consolidate one's notes (for the person observing). This is an opportunity to take one by one the dimensions on which feedback is desired and to identify what was positive and what needs improvement. The person being observed can use the self-evaluation form (see "Tools"). It is also useful to write down the questions that you would like to ask the other person during the feedback session, before you forget them.

Giving and receiving feedback

We recommend that you plan the feedback session in the days following the observation, so that you can step back from the experience without forgetting the important details.

In order to give and receive constructive feedback, it is useful to follow certain principles, which are presented in the Giving and Receiving Feedback sheet (available for download in the "Tools" section).

A pedagogical advisor can participate in the feedback phase and help you to plan the next steps.