Peer Observation Reports

"Peer Observation is a professional learning tool for English Language Teachers. “Peer observation 

and feedback in teacher training and teacher development have a natural appeal. It seems 

professional, non-threatening and non-prescriptive". (Poumellec, et al. 1992 p.129)

01.) Peer observation - Colleague 

Date of the observation - 08th November 2022

Click here to view the peer observation protocol of one of the colleagues. 

Observation write-up

According to Bell (2005):

Peer observation of teaching is a collaborative developmental activity in which professionals offer support while observing each other teach, explaining and discussing on what was observed; reflecting on understanding the feelings, procedures, actions and feedback, and trying out new ideas in the class while teaching (as cited in Ahmed et al.,2018).

Hence, as per the requirements of the teaching practicum, one of my colleagues was observed on the 8^th of November 2022 from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm. A group of twenty, second-year ESL learners who were taking the ‘English for the World’ compulsory course was observed and the peer teacher outlined the lesson to train learners to write formal emails. As per the information collected from the peer teacher, Sinhala is the first language of all learners. They come from different localities in Sri Lanka with cultural, social, and linguistic disparities. The lectures are conducted for two hours per week. The course content was developed based on the UTEL benchmark. Accordingly, all the learners are scaled under the benchmark band 4. The peer teacher used a PowerPoint presentation, a padlet page, and a worksheet in the lesson. The lesson started with a collaborative brainstorming activity in which learners were instructed to rearrange the jumbled email and proceeded with the lesson by practicing learners writing formal emails.

The peer teacher was able to regulate discussion, foster feedback at an effective pace of delivering the materials, use technology with ease, provide coherent directions, and assist the learners with immediate needs. The peer teacher moved around the class observing the learners when they perform the tasks. I highly appreciate how the teacher assisted the learners at a personal level and allow learners for the individualized considerations rather than general considerations. Therefore, I thought that strategy would mould my teaching style as well. Besides, rather than code-switching, the peer teacher attempted to use simpler English words instead of learners’ L1 in scaffolding and I hope to employ it in the future. Nonetheless, there are number of dilemmas regarding whether to employ the native language in an English language classroom or not (Spahiu, 2013).  The peer teacher speaks expressively and she used a variety of pitches and volumes. In addition, she always called each student by name, encouraged students to ask questions and often checked for comprehensibility. During the classroom discussions, correct answers were reinforced in a particular way and I cherished the way that she used the phrase “I like the way………is ……..” to praise her students and thought of employing it in the future. Danielson (2007) stated that when teachers employ questions competently, they allow learners to explore the content (p. 79). This was peculiarly accurate with my colleague’s teaching approaches because she always kept asking questions like ‘Can you remember and we discussed this’.

Besides, while the peer teacher was conducting the lecture, there were some facets that I thought I should incorporate if I do the same lesson for the learners. Initially, I thought that providing a task in which some samples of inaccurate and informal emails can be shared and ask learners to figure out the mistakes in the emails and giving learners a scenario and asking them to send an email to the lecturer.

However, I was able to observe a passionate peer teacher who is enthusiastic and responsive and there are several positive facets that I can manipulate in my teaching style as well.

 

Reference

Ahmed, E., Nordin, Z.S., Shah, S.R., & Channa, M.A. (2018). Peer Observation: A Professional

Learning Tool for English Language Teachers in an EFL Institute. World Journal of

Education, 8(2), doi:10.5430/wje.v8n2p73

Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing professional practice. ASCD.

Spahiu, I. (2013). Using Native Language in ESL classroom. International Journal of English

Language & Translation Studies, 1(2), 243-248.

 

02.) Peer observation - Senior ELT practitioner  

Date of the observation - 11th November 2022

Click here to view the peer observation protocol of one of the senior ELT practitioners. 

(Note: All the senior lecturers of the Department of English Language Teaching at the University 

of Kelaniya deliver lectures only for the undergraduates reading for Teaching English as a Second 

Language. Therefore, the observation was conducted for one of the degree-based lectures.)

Observation write-up

Peer observation in teaching plays a constitutive part in academic development and can be formal. It provides a platform to explore the practices related to teaching overtly. Hence, it leads to reflections on teaching and fosters debate on the best practices for teaching (Katal et al.,2022). Hence, as per the requirements of the teaching practicum, one of the senior ELT practitioners was observed on the 11^th of November 2022 from 12.00 pm to 2.00 pm. A group of twenty-seven, fourth-year ESL learners who were taking the ‘Research Methods in Applied Linguistics’, a compulsory course for undergraduates who are reading for Bachelor of Teaching English as a Second Language was observed and the senior peer teacher outlined the lesson to train learners writing a quantitative research report. The lectures are conducted for four hours per week. The peer senior ELT practitioner used a PowerPoint presentation and a video clip to foster learning.

The first positive thing that I observed was that the peer senior lecturer before staring the lesson, she reminded the learners what they had studied in the previous lesson and it provided learners stability, a mastery of the flow of knowledge from one topic to another. Furthermore, the senior ELT practitioner outlined the intended learning outcomes of the lesson to the learners thereby, they receive the aims of the lesson from the outset. This facet is further corroborated as the opening of the lesson occupies the first five minutes and it involves the plan of action the teacher manipulates to focus learners’ awareness on the learning outcomes of a lesson (Richards & Lockhart, 1994).

Besides, the practitioner concluded the lesson by providing a short briefing of the lesson. Hence, I realized that I can replicate these strategies in my classrooms as well.

The senior ELT practitioner maintained a productive rapport with the learners and she frequently addresses the learners by their names and provided learners with opportunities to clarify doubts. I realized that the equilibrium between teacher talk and student talk was markedly second-rate. Nunan (1999) mentioned that the constant teacher talks foster communication skills, yet the Senior ELT practitioner focused not on language, it axiomatically forms a teacher-centered classroom. However, the practitioner attempted to cross-examine some of the learning points covered before by some randomly selected learners and I was doubtful whether it demonstrated that everyone has grasped the facts. 

I highly appreciate how the ELT practitioner facilitates independent learning. The most significant approach to foster independent learning is for the teacher to shift the attention of learning away from the teacher and onto the student (Gobert,2006). Hence, learners were supposed to make informed choices, set goals, and make decisions about how to accomplish their learning necessities. Besides, the practitioner demonstrated an awareness towards the pace and timing of each stage with transparent time allocation. Furthermore, if I would deliver this lesson, I incorporate collaborative learning as well.

Due to the knowledge and experience of the peer senior ELT practitioner, I realized that there were ample of minute facets that I can embrace in their mode of delivery. Hence, I was able to observe a passionate, more knowledgeable and experienced peer senior ELT practitioner teacher who is enthusiastic and responsive and there are several positive facets that I can replicate in my teaching style as well.

Reference

Gobert, M. (2006.) Promoting independent learning in the classroom. In D. Dixon, H. Baba,P.

Cozens, & Thomas, M. (Eds.), Independent learning schemes: A practical approach

(pp.29-36). TESOL Arabia.

Katal, A., Singh, V.K., Choudhury, T., & Imran, Ff. (2022). Enhancing Teaching and Learning

through Peer Observation: An Indian Case Study. Hindawi Education Research

International.1-13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7825178

Nunan, D, (1999). Second Language Teaching and Learning. Heinhle and Heinhle. 

Richards, J.C., & Lockhart. C. (1994). Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms.

Cambridge University Press.