NTLSN · Crash Course · Peer review

Peer observation of teaching — a crash course

Watching a colleague teach — and being watched — is one of the best ways to grow. Four short lessons on doing it well, then a self-check.

The one thing to remember: peer observation is a gift, not a judgement — developmental, reciprocal, and about growth, not appraisal. Done badly it threatens; done well it transforms.
4 lessons~10 min read1 self-checkGrounded in developmental peer-review-of-teaching practice

The lessons

1
Developmental, not judgementalGrowth, not appraisal
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Peer observation works when it's safe: separate from appraisal, reciprocal, and owned by the person being observed.

  • Keep it developmental and confidential — not a management tool.
  • Make it reciprocal: you observe, you're observed.
  • The observed colleague sets the agenda and owns the notes.
2
Before: agree the focusLook at what they want looked at
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A good observation starts before the class. Agree what to look for, and get the context, so feedback is useful and welcome.

  • Ask the colleague what they'd like feedback on.
  • Get the context: who, what, where it sits in the course.
  • Agree how you'll observe (quiet, where you'll sit).
3
Observe & gather evidenceDescribe, don't grade
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Useful observation describes what happened — specific, evidence-based — rather than rushing to judgement.

  • Note what students did, not just what the teacher did.
  • Capture specifics and examples, not global verdicts.
  • Watch against the agreed focus, not your own style.
4
The conversation afterWhere the learning happens
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The debrief is the point. Make it a dialogue that starts from the colleague's own reflection.

  • Start with their reflection: ‘how did that feel?’
  • Offer specific, balanced observations tied to the focus.
  • End with one thing to try — chosen by them, not you.
◇ Bring it together — from the NTLSN commons
Browse “Peer review” resourcesAcademic development resourcesReflective Practice & SoTL courseCommunities of Practice

Before observing (or being observed) — a quick self-check

✓
This is developmental and confidential, separate from appraisal.
✓
It's reciprocal — I'm observed too.
✓
The observed colleague set the focus.
✓
I describe what happened with specifics, not grades.
✓
I start the debrief from their reflection.
✓
We end with one thing they choose to try.
Source & attribution. Curated from developmental peer-review-of-teaching good practice indexed by the NTLSN commons. Practitioner synthesis, not original research; keep it separate from performance appraisal.
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