1. Peer Observation of Teaching
2. Collaborative Peer Teaching Activities

In inviting a colleague to observe any aspect of your teaching it is suggested that the following issues are considered.

• Select a colleague whose input you value and with whom you feel comfortable.
• Agree that the observation and discussion are to remain confidential.
• Meet with your colleague beforehand to clarify the purpose and process of the observation. In most cases it is not the intention to have your colleague assess or evaluate your teaching against their own practice or criteria but instead to provide you with additional data for your own reflection and evaluation. Avoiding personal 'judgement' will encourage provision of objective feedback data and promote critical reflection. Experience with peer observation of teaching suggests that an agreed understanding as to the role of the observer is essential.
• You may choose to ask your colleague to observe only particular features of the class, for example strategies to promote student interaction. In many cases it is useful to explain to your colleague what your intended student learning outcomes are for the class and to use these goals as the basis for your discussion.
• Observation may be supported by using a prepared observation schedule or checklist. Audio or video recordings of the session are also useful in supporting subsequent reflection. Be aware that the process of observation and recording may well affect the behaviour of your students and yourself.
• David Kember has developed checklists for lectures and for seminars and tutorials that you could ask a colleague to use in observing your teaching, and giving you feedback. Alternatively, you could use the checklists for self-reflection. Lecturers: Do you spend too much time lecturing?
  For more on the use of these checklists, see:
  Kember, D., & McNaught, C. (2007). Enhancing university teaching: Lessons from research into award-winning teachers. London: Routledge.
• The feedback and discussion subsequent to the observation are often best initiated by giving your own observations and reflections on the class, before inviting the observer to contribute additional data and then jointly exploring any issues that arise. Ideally the discussion may lead to a consideration of possible strategies to further improve teaching and learning. You may find it useful to document the issues raised during the discussion together with actions or initiatives that are proposed to address such issues. Evidence of such reflection and subsequent action to improve teaching can usefully support claims of quality teaching.
• It may be useful to arrange a follow up classroom visit or meeting at a later date to consider the impact of any teaching initiatives that arise from the discussion. Staff often report that establishing a reciprocal peer observation agreement facilitates discussion.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of peer observation of teaching please contact Jennifer Ungaro in the ITL on 9351 3725. If colleagues in your school/department or faculty are not available to help observe your teaching, ITL staff may be available to assist in peer observation of teaching.

An alternative to engaging in peer observation of teaching is to ask a colleague to participate in the

• collaborative planning of a class
• collaborative teaching of a class
• collaborative review of unit of study documentation
  (ie. unit of study outline, assessment tasks and criteria etc.)

Such collaboration and reflection on teaching activities can provide you with additional insights or a different perspective on your teaching practice.

Inviting a colleague to participate in the joint planning of a class or similar teaching activity can provide useful feedback on this aspect of your teaching practice. It is also an opportunity to share ideas and teaching strategies and can be a rewarding learning experience for both people.

Inviting a colleague to engage as a critical partner in planning a class can encourage you to reflect on and consider-:

• Your reasons for teaching the way you do.
• The effectiveness of the teaching strategies you select.
• Possible alternative teaching strategies and approaches.

In the joint preparation of a class it may be useful to consider at least the following issues-:

• What are the intended learning outcomes for the class and how do these relate to the aims and objectives of the unit of study as a whole?
• What teaching and learning activities have been selected to achieve these outcomes?
• How will the teaching and learning tasks or activities selected achieve these learning outcomes?
• How will the student learning be monitored?

The role of the critical partner is to prompt a consideration of these and similar issues, to support their colleague's reflection and contribute to the development of alternative teaching strategies.

• Such feedback and reflection may be usefully documented in the form of a learning outline with accompanying rationale and a list of potential alternative teaching strategies or ideas to follow up at a later date. Evidence of such reflection and subsequent action to improve teaching can usefully support claims of quality teaching.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of such a collaborative planning of a class or teaching activity please contact Simon Barrie in the ITL on 9351 5814

University teachers often comment on the usefulness of co-teaching experiences in investigating and reflecting on their own teaching. Given current staffing levels, most academics do not have the luxury of routinely co-teaching classes even when there are several staff involved in teaching a unit of study. Negotiating with colleagues to co-teach a class however can usually be arranged. As a strategy for supporting reflection on teaching, some staff report this to be a less confronting yet equally useful variant of peer observation of teaching.

In inviting a colleague to collaborate in the teaching of a class it is useful to consider the following:

• Select a co-teacher from the same unit of study team or department or somebody with an interest / expertise in the topic of the class.
• Select a class that provides interesting scope for co-teaching activities.
• Agree that the observation and discussion will remain confidential and clarify the purposes of the co-teaching exercise.
• Meet with your colleague beforehand to discuss the topic of the class and to prepare for the teaching. Such collaborative planning of teaching is a worthwhile source of feedback on teaching in its own right - see collaborative planning of a class or teaching activity. Clarify your individual roles and responsibilities within the session and share your ideas about how you might teach the session.
• During the co-teaching session try to note how you and your colleague approach and handle different teaching tasks. What different strategies are employed and how do students respond? Consider the possible implications of different teaching strategies and techniques for student learning.
• After the session meet to review the class and share your observations and insights on each other's teaching. Often such a discussion is best initiated by a reflection on your own teaching before seeking additional observation and input from your co-teacher. Note aspects of your teaching that you could modify to further facilitate student learning, and jointly generate possible strategies to address these issues.
• Both staff members may find it useful to document the issues raised during the discussion and any possible actions or initiatives that are proposed to address relevant teaching and learning issues. Evidence of such reflection and subsequent action to improve teaching can usefully support claims of quality teaching.

Staff at the ITL are available to assist staff in engaging in such a collaborative teaching activity either by facilitating or participating in discussion or in considering possible strategies to further improve teaching and learning. If you would like to discuss any aspect of such a collaborative teaching of a class activity please contact Simon Barrie in the ITL on 9351 5814.

Collaborative critical review of unit of study documentation can also provide useful feedback to staff on aspects of their teaching practice. There are many different examples of documentation which can provide a useful basis for collaborative review. Some examples include:

• Unit of study Outlines
• Unit of study aims, objectives or learning outcomes.
• Assessment tasks and assessment criteria, (eg exam papers, essay questions)
• Lecture handouts and overheads
• Tutorial questions
• Tutors' / Demonstrators' teaching guides
• Student laboratory and practical manuals.
• Sets of prepared readings etc.

Review questions might encompass the following issues:

• What is the intended purpose of the documented aspect of teaching that is to be reviewed? How does it contribute to student learning?
• Against what criteria would you decide how well it achieves the intended purpose?
• Based on these criteria, what are its shortcomings and strengths with respect to promoting student learning?
• How could this aspect of teaching be improved?

Feedback from this process of collaborative review and discussion can be usefully documented under the questions noted above. Action statements and possible improvements arising from the process of collaborative review can also be documented. Evidence of such reflection and subsequent action to improve teaching can usefully support claims of quality teaching.

Staff at the ITL are happy to assist academic colleagues in engaging in such a collaborative review either as partners in the review, or in jointly identifying issues for discussion or possible strategies to address issues raised in the review. If you would like to discuss any aspect of such a collaborative critical review of unit of study documentation please contact Simon Barrie in the ITL on 9351 5814.