Peer observation
A practice for individual and collective teaching professional development
Resources
In this section you will find a selection of resources on peer observation from different external sources.
Websites
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Cambridge Assessment International Education:
The teaching learning team at Cambridge Assessment International Education presents the benefits of peer observation for the observed teachers, for the observing teachers and for the center or institutions involved.
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The University of Edinburgh. Institute of Academic Development:
On this website, updated in February 2024, peer observation is presented in the form of downloadable guides as a formative and improvement process, focusing on the benefits that feedback provides both to the person being observed and to the person being observed; and emphasizes, on the other hand, the importance of establishing a positive and constructive dialogue.
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North Wales Management School. The importance of peer observation in education:
Peer observation in education is a very powerful tool for teacher professional development. North Wales Management School details the importance of PO as a very powerful tool at an institutional level, for teachers, students, schools and for the professional development of teachers.
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Victoria State Government:
The interesting page on peer observation from the State Government of Victoria (Australia) provides tools and guidance for teachers through videos, documents and case studies.
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The University of British Columbia:
UBC (Canada) offers a comprehensive and integrated approach to teaching assessment, combining teacher observation, student feedback and self-reflection. An aspect to consider is that the proposal focuses on the evaluation of the teaching staff, based on the observation of teaching strategies, classroom management and the level of interest, participation and motivation of the students.
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"Mestres que Formen Mestres" (“Teachers Who Train Teachers”)​
“Mestres que Formen Mestres” is an interuniversity initiative, with the participation of the Education Department, as a professional space for sharing content and resources for initial and continuing training for teaching. Offers videos in real educational contexts to help promote the development of Professional Viewpoint.
Videos
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AITSL (The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership) Classroom Observation Strategies
The institute presents different videos on observation strategies in the classroom, of which the following stand out:
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Edutopia_ George Lucas Educational Foundation
In the video "Driving Professional Development With Peer Observations" of the Edutopia's channel present strategies for PO aimed at professional development. They show the benefits of quality feedback using the TAG strategy (Tell something you like; Ask a question; and Give a suggestion).
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El Centro de Investigaciones y Servicios Educativos de Ecuador
The video "Proceso de Observación entre Iguales" of "Programa Básico de Formación Docente" exposes the Peer Observation Process model that has been developed and implemented during the 2018-2019 school year in Ecuador.​
Video 1: Why Formative Peer Observation: The PO procedure is explained through an infographic.
Video 2: What to look for in an online course?: It explains how to carry out the PO process in online courses.
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Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM): Projecte I+D+i: “Enseñanza compartida por la inclusión: culturas, políticas y prácticas para la tranformación educativa (Ref. PID2022-137000oB-100):
Práctica de codocencia por observación entre pares
The project focuses on co-teaching and PO as a means to foster inclusion and transform educational practices.
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Formative Peer Review of Teaching
UBC presents a series of videos to show a method designed to improve teaching effectiveness through PO and constructive feedback.
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Peer Observation. Ross Thorburn
In this video, Ross Thorburn outlines the three phases to peer observation.
Manuals and Practical Guides
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Promaestro Foundation
The guide "Miradas que mejoran" is a proposal for peer observation that arises from the review of different national and international programs and provides strategies for implementing peer observation in schools and institutes. provides a significant compendium of teacher observation practices, compiling 58 peer observation programs from different national and international contexts that are used in educational practice. This tool is presented as very valuable to those involved in educational decision-making, providing a wide range of recommendations and strategies for implementing effective observation in schools and institutes. A key aspect of this guide is its focus on how peer observation can strengthen the teaching profession, improve academic research and have a positive impact on education policy.
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Guia de British Council- TeachingEnglish
Peer observation report
This guide provides information on various formats of peer observation, including short ("pop-in") observations, non-face-to-face observations, where faculty discuss the schedule with the observer but the observer is not physically present in class. Thus the recorded observations, where the lesson is recorded, serve for later review. Each type of observation is designed to suit different needs and contexts, facilitating detailed reflection and constructive feedback. In addition, the guide emphasizes the importance of maintaining pre-agreed behavior to make observations more relaxed and constructive for both parties, the observer and the observed teacher.
Formal observation report
The document "A Guide to Continuing Professional Development – ​​Formal observations" details how to carry out formal observations in an educational institution. The process includes pre-class preparation, class observation, and a post-class discussion for feedback and developmental planning. Templates are provided for lesson planning and observation. This is a material originally designed for asymmetric observation, but it can be used in peer observation situations.
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The University of Edinburgh:
Guide on Peer Observation taken from the website of Institut for Academic Development. It offers interesting materials to carry out the different phases of observation.
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The Centre for Teaching Ssupport & Innovation, University of Toronto
The primary focus of this guide is formative peer observation of teaching at the University of Toronto, including online courses. The guide presents different models of peer observation and assessment that can be adapted to multiple educational contexts across the institution, providing tools and instruments for peer observation of teaching and providing an overview of how to use the best.
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Otras Voces en Educación
The organization offers scripts and guidelines for classroom observation between teachers, which help to focus the analysis on the teaching and learning process and not only on the observed teacher.
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Other resources
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Infographic from Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
In addition to briefly explaining what peer observation is and the three phases (pre-observation, classroom observation, post-observation), it focuses on why and on the key elements that must be consider for improvement and professional development.
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Education world. Connecting educators to what works
Education World is an online resource with original content aimed at teachers, management teams and school staff. The link leads to the following article Teachers Observing Teachers: A Professional Development Tool for Every School. Article in which different experts talk about the benefits of peer observation for professional development and student learning, for which a culture of collaboration on the basis of of trust.
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Podcast Mariana Morales: La observación entre iguales de aula con fines formativos
Interview with Mariana Morales, independent educational consultant and author of the book Classroom observation: An instrument for educational improvement through looking and listening. This work assumes a practical approach to the observation of classes, especially to the observation between peers, and the type of decisions that are made, from the growth mindset and with the aim of achieving educational improvement challenges for the students.
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Courses SM Sala de profes SM | Sala de profes:
It is a meeting place for professional and personal growth. Sala de Profes is a training in warehouse format, agile and practical, which can be accessed at any time and from wherever you want. These are not free courses.
Mejorar la práctica docente a través de la observación | SM.
Cómo llevar a la práctica la observación entre iguales | SM.