On the scale of most anxiety-producing moments in teaching, few things top the dreaded peer observation. True, there are plenty of other sources of teaching angst, but none of them quite match the intense butterflies that develop in the stomach of a teacher about to be observed in the classroom by a peer.
Especially for junior faculty members, walking to that fateful classroom can feel like a date with doom. I barely slept the night before being observed for the first time, racking my brain for ways to prevent myself from floundering on a student question, hatching escape plans from the prison-house of silence, and rehearsing ways to impress the observer without over-talking.
Teaching observations are performances in a much more literal and direct sense than a normal day in the classroom. That's why it is important to be prepared. The very presence of an observer is apt to stack the odds against you. In psychology and sociology, that is called the "observer effect"—a phenomenon in which the presence of an observer changes the dynamic of the event. Students are likely to be more self-conscious and hesitant, and teachers are prone to nervous lecturing and inexplicable memory lapses.
One of my colleagues at the English department told me that her first teaching observation had gone badly because her students were cowed into silence by the presence of a senior professor in their midst, as if the students were being judged rather than the teacher. Failure to create a relaxed teaching atmosphere can indeed be held against an instructor. I recently read in an observation report that "students' answers, however, were often terse."
Of course, that only amounts to an implied criticism. Indeed, you probably shouldn't expect more candor from a peer-observation report than from a restaurant review. In both cases, the reader may have to correct for a significant degree of well-meant inflation. If I read that the food in a given eatery is rated "good," that tells me I should probably avoid the place. The same, I feel, often applies to teaching reports. Only a glowing and entirely enthusiastic report is beyond the suspicion of being merely a gesture of good will rather than a candid reflection of true pedagogic talents. At the same time, I suspect that our performance during the observation class is often skewed and fails to reflect our best qualities as teachers.
Although I don't think that you can fake your way toward an enthusiastic evaluation, you can limit the chances of receiving a lukewarm one. The following strategies, arranged roughly chronologically, have served me well over the years. They may well help defuse your anxieties about peer observation and lead to the best report you are capable of obtaining.
Be assertive in scheduling the teaching observation. You know best when, in what class, and under what circumstances you shine as a teacher. If you have a say at all in the scheduling of your observation (and you should have a say in most cases, unless the date is dictated by the chair), arrange with the observer a time that plays into your hands.
Choose the strongest of your courses and propose a date on which you will discuss a text or subject about which you are particularly knowledgeable. Don't demand a certain date and class—that may have the opposite effect you intend. Indicate a number of options, while subtly nudging the observer toward the class that suits you best.
Know thy observer. Try to get some information about how the faculty member has handled classroom observations in the past. In my own recent case, the same colleague who evaluated me had observed one of my courses a few years ago, and I reread the report before scheduling the observation time. The last report had been positive, over all, but the observer did mention an area for improvement: I should encourage my students to speak a little more and involve a broader swath of the student population in the conversation. Obviously, then, this next evaluation was not the time to be showing off my lecturing skills.
Even if you are not in the lucky position of having the same observer twice, talk to someone who has been evaluated by that faculty member so you know what to expect. Then plan your class session accordingly.
Enforce punctuality. The day before your observation, tell students that they must attend class and arrive on time. Don't scare them by magnifying the importance of the observation: That strategy can backfire badly. Just calmly and cheerfully tell them that you'll have a visitor that day and that you want to begin class exactly on time as a courtesy to your colleague.
Plan a structured activity. Don't try winging it. I recommend giving students a specific assignment prior to the observation date that will help raise the quality of student participation during the observation session.
For my latest classroom evaluation, I held a question-and-answer session, something I do only four times a semester. Here is how it works: A few class periods ahead of time, I distribute forms to half of the class, asking students to write down two questions about the text we're discussing. At the next class session, students bring two copies of the form—one copy goes to a student in the other half of class, and one copy goes to me. That way I can familiarize myself with the questions and prepare my own answers and follow-up questions.
Then, during the actual teaching observation, we spend the entire time going over the student-generated questions. After hearing a student's answer, the person who submitted the question has a chance to respond. To the observer, it looks like a spontaneous exchange, but having seen the questions beforehand, I am in the position of mediating the discussion effectively. Both the questions and the answers are likely to be of a high caliber since students could ponder them at home. Armed with such a sure-fire approach, I don't have to face embarrassed silence and am not tempted into nervous over-talking.
Of course, you have to vary your teaching methods from one observation to the next, but each time, I recommend using an activity that gives you control over the proceedings while at the same time demonstrating a student-centered approach. That helps ensure that that magic word, "rapport," will be used approvingly to describe your relationship with students.
Be wary of doing group work. I have observed the teaching of a good number of junior faculty members, and those who started to do group work during the observation were flirting with doom. As soon as students break into groups, the cellphones come out, thumbs start twirling, baseball rather than the assigned text is the subject of the day. Unless you are an undisputed star in organizing efficient group work, it can be a clumsy way of showing off your pedagogic skills.
Prepare, prepare, prepare. I put at least 10 hours of prep time into my recent observation class, and I ended up becoming a small authority on the novel I was teaching. That enabled me to supply textual evidence whenever the discussion seemed to require it, and to throw in well-timed bits of background information. Don't try to use up all your ammunition at once, either. Remember that you are teaching a student-centered class, so shine only in bright, intermittent bursts.
Make the observer welcome. Don't just greet and introduce the guest, integrate the visiting faculty member into your class. Prior to the beginning of class, I arranged the seats in a circle. When my observer arrived, she first drifted toward a neutral seat in the background, but I invited her directly into the circle. Not only did she feel more involved, but I could make eye contact with her, thus gauging her response to the class.
Seek a post-observation conversation. You may have a pretty accurate sense of how the session went, but it is best to touch base with your observer afterward. Some aspect may be clarified instantly instead of finding its way into the report as a slight uncertainty or speculative doubt.
In my case, I received a nice compliment ("that class was a real treat"), plus a probing comment about the high quality of the questions. In other words, my observer wondered: Was this whole thing set up? It was important for me to dispel any doubt about the authenticity of the students' questions. I explained that I had worked with students on how to formulate sophisticated questions and that we had practiced that skill. And I took the opportunity to point out that no SparkNotes treatment (or any other such cheat sheet) existed for the literary text we had discussed, thus giving all the credit to my students and, indirectly, to myself, for formulating good questions.
Teaching observations fulfill an important institutional function. But nerves, the observer effect, and pedagogic blunders can conspire to conjure up the wrong impression of your teaching skills. It takes some strategic thinking and the right kind of preparation to ensure success.
The most important message here: You are in control of setting the rules of the game—an advantage that you must never forget.
Comments
1. kboatman - December 10, 2009 at 07:09 am
"To the observer, it looks like a spontaneous exchange, but having seen the questions beforehand, I am in the position of mediating the discussion effectively." Hmmm. This doesn't sound ethical to me.
2. cbobbitt - December 10, 2009 at 08:38 am
Another tenet is to help the observer prepare (possibly a subpoint of "know thy observer"). If the class has electronic support, give the observer the link(s) and relevant passwords ahead of time and provide hints for navigation to the most relevant content. A pre-observation conversation also helps a conscientious colleague prepare. Provide copies of any handouts to the observer ahead of time. Cross-reference any relevant parts of the course syllabus, particularly the germane objectives that class activities will introduce, practice, demonstrate, or reinforce. Find out if the observer wishes to take an active part in class activities such as group discussions, field work, laboratory projects, feedback to presenters, role playing, or panels. Discuss creation of or access to media records of class, such as audio recordings, photographs, or video clips.
Meaningful, cooperative observations can enrich educational communities at the partnership, departmental, divisional, college, and university levels, particularly in environments where team teaching or co-teaching is routine.
3. lizgibbons - December 10, 2009 at 08:43 am
This article, and cbobbitt's suggestions, will not only enable better observations, but also enable better pedagogy overall. Kboatman's fear is probably unfounded: Schweizer is not suggesting being devious; the professor being observed may very well inform the observer of this interesting and apparently effective teaching strategy.
4. dqualters - December 10, 2009 at 08:56 am
While the above tips will help those being observed, the article misses a key point. OBSERVERS need to be trained AND a formative leading to summative review process needs to be put in place. Research tells us that it takes 10 years to be an expert (willingham, 2008)in a field in which you HAVE knowledge, yet we insist that new faculty be experts in less than 5 years around an area that most have no formal knowledge or training. I have worked with many universities to establish a fair and just peer review system that has opened the eyes of senior faculty, led to marvelous discussions about teaching/learning, and created an atmosphere of seeking evidence of learning not evidence that the observee teachers like the observer. Some of the schools have even run pilot tests and validated instruments. There is a great deal of literature and expertise out there on how to establish peer observation but until we address the observer side of the issue observees are at the mercy of whoever walks through their classroom door and that's what makes peer observations "dreaded".
5. davi2665 - December 10, 2009 at 11:07 am
Peer review of class presentations does not have to be a dreaded experience. As course director of a medical course, I was present at every lecture or group presentation in the course, and had discussions with the professor, especially junior faculty, after every session. I also invited the faculty to sit in on my presentations and provide the same feedback and evaluations of what I did. In our weekly course meetings, we would collectively discuss what was working well, and what needed modified approaches or added help. In this fashion, whenever an outside observer showed up to evaluate an instructors teaching, it was so routine that the dreaded stress response never occurred.
6. 11147726 - December 10, 2009 at 11:57 am
If you are "floundering on a student question" are you behaving like an ocean dwelling flat-fish, swimming on the bottom with two eyes on one side of your head? That would indeed impress your peer.
7. blackbart - December 10, 2009 at 01:14 pm
How many Chronicle readers are laughing at this article simply because there's no mechanism for peer observation at their institutions? Of course, instructors can take the initiative and voluntarily ask peers to visit their classes, and perhaps they should do so. But I've taught at three different universities in ten years and have yet to be observed or work at a place where peer observation is part of the review process. Just sayin'.
@11147726: The figurative meaning of the verb "to flounder" is pretty well-established, so I'm not sure what you're criticizing. (I suppose one could argue that "flounder" can't take a prepositional phrase, but is that worth nitpicking here?) On the other hand, I'd encourage you to study up on hyphenation of compound adjectives: I think you're aiming for "ocean-dwelling flat fish," not "ocean dwelling flat-fish." Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
8. 11147726 - December 10, 2009 at 01:40 pm
I've got a hypehn for you black-bart. Right there.
9. blackthistle - December 10, 2009 at 01:55 pm
I find nearly all of these "reviews" can readily be based upon opinion and circumstantial/twisted evidence. My students report highly of me, but if you have a reviewer who is "out to get you" they can write ANYTHING down. I had one chair who was a bigot (yes, totally, made comments about my and another student's ethnicity), and decided to "dislike" me for some reason. She came into my course late, interrupted me and the students and manufactured a scathing observation. Not only did she fabricate what I was teaching but stated that students "left the class" (one student, not students, had an appointment). I was teaching an English Comp course in a N.E. state college (would love to use names here, but don't want to get sued, this female chair was a viscious monster) with modern American film as a subject. She insisted I was teaching an Irish History/Lit course (yeah, the film Minority Report is an Irish History film on her planet). Despite assistance from the union, and other professors, in deconstructing her utter fabrications I was dismissed (I am an adjunct). I left a complaint distinctly expressing my and a student's experience with her bigoted and aggressive behaviors. We really need to reconfigure this "review" process to prevent these kinds of pathological criminals from hurting other colleagues. The reviews should be video-taped for evidence review (this is only common-sense). Otherwise, the professor being analyzed has NO EVIDENCE to fight back with. Interesting that institutions where analytical and sober methods are "supposed" to be practiced, only prove that the reverse has been true for centuries.
I confess I'm a skeptic, but I will continue to search for common sense, rational intelligence, and humanity. Heck, people believe in UFO's.
10. cbobbitt - December 11, 2009 at 08:28 am
As academics, can we use any other professions as models for peer review? Professional athletes? Attorneys and judges? Law enforcement officers? Physicians? Actors? Elected officials?
11. purpleghost - December 11, 2009 at 08:42 am
I go the "suck up" route, especially when the observer is the Dean. I ask the observer to attend a class which isn't going as well as I'd like. I explain my concerns about the class and ask the observer for specific feedback that would help me improve the class. That serves two purposes: 1. I do get good suggestions. 2. The observer is disarmed and made to feel more (to use Elbow's image) coach than judge.
12. isugeezer - December 11, 2009 at 01:28 pm
purpleghost: "The observer is disarmed and made to feel more...coach than judge."
Yes, unless the observer is my department chair. After her visit to my class, we adjourned to my office, where I asked, "What feedback do you have for me?" Her reply: "How would I know?" (I'm NOT making this up.)
13. heathercm - December 11, 2009 at 02:01 pm
At my institution one can videotape a class, write up one's personal observations, and then give both to a senior colleague for feedback (a colleague who has agreed in advance to write a review). I think that this approach is more humane and less intrusive in the classroom.
14. mbelvadi - December 12, 2009 at 09:52 am
Anyone else struck by the matter-of-fact description of group work? If that's typical student behavior, then not only shouldn't you do it with an observer, you shouldn't be doing it anytime else either, as it's apparently an enormous waste of very expensive class time.
15. amnirov - December 13, 2009 at 01:48 pm
Hey, untenured colleagues! Do NOT take this article's advice to heart.
This is probably one of the dumbest pieces I've read in weeks. Primarily, the author appears to be suggesting that the bare minimum of academic due diligence should be exercised only when there is a teaching observation. Good grief: "I ended up becoming a small authority on the novel I was teaching. That enabled me to supply textual evidence whenever the discussion seemed to require it, and to throw in well-timed bits of background information." HOLY GODS! What in the world was this halfwit doing teaching a novel over which he did not have significant scholarly mastery? Enforce punctuality? 'Cause you don't most days? WTF! This is idiotic advice.
We should extend a standing invitation to any of our colleagues to randomly wander in and out of our classes as they see fit. I welcome it. Come and sit in the back row. Heckle. Trade ideas. Fill in bits that you have greater mastery over than I do. This is what true collegiality is all about.
Always be prepared. Always be the expert. If you're not... and we can't always have mastery over everything... think twice... because that rule only applies to civilians, of course we academics can master absolutely every single text on an undergraduate curriculum. Get your lazy but into the library and read at least a dozen articles on everything you plan to teach.
16. britlitfan - December 14, 2009 at 12:54 pm
The point of my piece was obviously not how to be a better teacher than you usually are just because you are being observed; rather, the point was how to perform up to your level under the strain of observation.
But I can see where the piece might have given a false impression about the necessary level of preparedness. Of course, I am thoroughly prepared, even over-prepared, for every class. But here's the context of my piece, which I couldn't include due to space restrictions: During the observation, I was teaching a Balzac novel, which is miles out of my own field (that being twentieth-century British Lit.); moreover, the class I taught was a general literature survey course stocked with students from all majors. So, becoming a small authority on the text went beyond a reasonable description of due diligence (though it was certainly fun do to do so). You can always do more by way of preparation, for any text, but you got to stop somewhere, and what I meant to say is simply this: go a little further than you would normally go when it's observation time. If you applied that principle to each and every class, you would probably end up sacrificing your sleep.
The subject of punctuality is also context-dependent. I teach at a commuter college where the idea of punctuality is a bit more flexible, extending to about five minutes after the bell. But this can be irksome during an observation.
Obviously, amnirov doesn't appreciate the performance aspect of the teaching observation and what it implies for junior faculty. If he doesn't see anything of value in my column, that probably means he is already a stellar teacher, and I salute him for that.
17. educator1 - December 14, 2009 at 02:51 pm
I certainly hope that this article does not represent the majority of the teaching faculty. This author is evidently afraid of teaching, not at ease in the classroom, and the presence of an observer only exacerbates these negative traits. In other words, exhibits many of the characteristics of a poor teacher.
18. amnirov - December 14, 2009 at 05:06 pm
I'm not a stellar teacher, but I'm certainly not afraid of being observed doing my job. Like I said, every single one of my colleagues has a standing offer to freely observe any class period without warning. For that matter, I extend invitations to other interested members of the academic community to sit in. Why should we be nervous? No one is going to throw rotting fruit.
And if a person has doubts about his or her teaching, surely he or she must remember something from being a student, or have colleagues. One one makes it to professor without having been a student or works in a place with no other professors.
I'm sure a lot of faculty feel the same way I do. Ask if you can informally sit in on a class or two. The chances are, the answer will be yes.
Finally...
In my experience, no one ever got voted down on a reappointment, tenure or promotion decision based on a single teaching observation, or a single anything observation. These things are based on the full spectrum of publication, presentation, service, teaching observations, student evaluations... I'd say that if a faculty member is constantly late filing required paperwork that will probably damage their chances of reappointment far more than one wretched observation.
19. britlitfan - December 14, 2009 at 05:54 pm
educator1 can relax: I love teaching, get consistently excellent student evaluations, and have a loyal student base who insist on taking more classes with me. My classrooms often hum with excitement.
amnirov, if being judged on a performance doesn't make any impression on you and you don't need to do anything special to prepare for that, then good for you. But not all people are cast in the same mold.
20. amnirov - December 14, 2009 at 06:44 pm
See? This is the problem, this whole attitude of "being judged." If you look at a teaching observation like its some sort of trial, then you are setting yourself up for problems. It's just an observation, and the most productive always end in discussions of pedagogy. But have no fear... unless a professor is truly horrible, like to the extent that actual laws get broken, nothing bad will come of it.
21. profperf - December 17, 2009 at 06:09 pm
I disagree with involving the visitor in class discussions and activities. I do realize how artificial the class feels on that day, but if I am asked either to be a student or to bring my own expertise or opinions into class interactions it feels as if I can't really do my job as observer--I become too aware of my own performance anxiety. I think the most successful observation experiences, from what I have been told by those familiar with the literature, are those that involve attendance on multiple successive days so that not quite so much depends on a single class, which can go amiss. This may also diminish some of the effect of the stranger in the room. Hard to devote the time, I know, but, at the same time, if such observations are to be meaningful either as data gathering for maiking retention decisions or for faculty development (ideally both), such work should have a high priority for all of us.
22. profperf - December 17, 2009 at 06:17 pm
Another point or two (I sat on our all college T&P committee for eight years, so have read many of these observations). 1. Observers need to be compassionate, diplomatic, yet also direct and appropriately critical when writing up these evaluations--otherwise, they just become puff-pieces and carry no weight for purposes of tenure and promotion. 2. One reason that student evaluations (or statements, as we are asked to call them here) take on such inflated weight at many schools is because either there is no mechanism for peer evaluation in place or (as in point 1) they are all so lacking in specificity and genuine constructive criticism that it seems as if colleagues fear to say anything that could be construed negatively. One can praise what a colleague does well, contextualize what may need attention (particularly for newer colleagues), without jeopardizing a colleague's chances. And, if a colleague has serious instructional deficiencies (as we also call them here), isn't it better to redflag these before the T&P point, either to help the colleague address them or to make a strategic move elsewhere.
I also realize that peer observations are not only for use in such decisions, but wanted to point out the role they can play.
BTW, in my department (and we have a 4-3 teaching load), by the time an individual has gone through the probationary period, they have been observed, over the course of five years upwards of fifteen times by anywhere between 3-9 colleagues (depending on the composition of the department in any given period). To some this may seem like over-kill, but we are able to make strong, evidence-based cases for our recommendations.
23. britlitfan - December 23, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I'd be happy to write a follow-up column based on constructive feedback to my original article about peer teaching observations. Clearly, this is a complex and interesting subject that bears further elaboration and development.
Feel free to look up my email address at the English Department, Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus), and let me know if there are things that you would like me to address beyond what has already been stated in the above posts. Or write a column yourself if you feel like it.
Bernard Schweizer