Douglas Wise English Teaching Resources

Brief Notes for Lesson Observation Feedback Conversations

Written by Douglas Wise | 2 November, 2019

Some brief notes below for those providing feedback after lesson observations…

Remember that no two classes are the same

  • Make an effort to understand the context of the class – you don’t know the students as well as the teacher does
  • Be mindful of the halo (and golem) effect – it’s natural to be unduly influenced by positive (or poor) performance
  • Avoid being domineering – don’t say, ‘I would’ve done…’

Acknowledge the complexities involved with teaching and learning

  • Ask how the lesson went – you will inevitably have missed a lot of what went on
  • Don’t feel like you have to define next steps – vague or contrived targets are useless
  • Understand that your observation is a snapshot – a single observation is not definitive

Don’t forget that performance are learning are different

  • Read Robert Coe’s poor proxies for learning summary – e.g. students are engaged, a calm classroom…
  • Remember that learning is liminal – learning occurs over time and not in a single moment
  • Ask about the intentions behind the actions – the assumptions you make can be wrong

Further reading

Thanks for reading –

Doug

hello@douglaswise.co.uk