The Peer Observation for Enhancing Teaching (POET) program is designed for CBS instructors to observe each other's teaching in order to receive formative feedback from peers and colleagues. Typically two instructors are paired together so they can each give each other reciprocal feedback. We pair instructors (or accommodate partner requests) that teach at different levels of the CBS curriculum: Foundations of Biology and Nature of Life introductory courses, core content courses, and upper division writing intensive courses.
An observation is very flexible: a simple informational chat, a classroom visit, or a teaching materials exchange are ideas that come to mind right away. Importantly this semi-structured program is non-evaluative and conversations and feedback are kept private within each instructor pair. [Insert info about how it can be used for annual evaluations]
Peer Observation Benefits include:
Connecting with other CBS instructors about teaching topics, techniques, and evidence-based practices related to writing instruction
Improving student participation and performance
Checking for alignment between class content and college-wide learning objectives about writing
Troubleshooting teaching related issues
Interested in participating? Fill out the POET Interest Form for more information about participating in Spring 2024
The peer observation process is a simple three step process. Feel free to pick and choose what works for you and your partner(s).
Pre-Meeting: Reach out to the members of your team and arrange a pre-observation meeting. Connect with your team at the pre-observation meeting to share an overview of your classes and to talk about specific activities, lessons, or assignments you would like feedback on. Schedule times to observe other classes and to have your class be observed. (Doing this earlier in the semester will make your life easier, trust us!)
Observation: Observe and be observed. You can use the CBS WEC Peer Observation Form to guide you. You can use this form both for classroom observations and materials exchanges.
Post-Meeting: Schedule and have a post-observation meeting with your partner(s) to debrief about the process and to share constructive feedback on the specific items each team member was interested in.
Estimated time: ~ 30 minutes to 1 hour
The Pre-Observation Meeting should establish the context for the course and the class or material to be observed. It should also identify specific goals or areas of focus for the observation. A friendly visit to a classroom is nice, but a focused observation can be much more useful to both the observer and the observed.
Before the meeting, recommend participants email their course syllabus to the other observer(s). The goal of the pre-observation meeting is to provide the observer with an overview of your course and to talk about specific items you would like feedback on.
Optional Pre-Observation Meeting Questions:
What is your goal for the class? What are the expected learning outcomes for this class?
What form of writing are you asking your students to do in this class or activity?
What will you ask students to do during class/activity to attain the learning outcomes?
How will you assess whether they have met these outcomes?
What role will you take in the class? What instructional methods will you use?
What have students been asked to do to prepare for this class/activity?
What was done in earlier classes to lead up to this one?
Will this class/activity be generally typical of your teaching? If not, what will be different?
Is there anything in particular that you would like me to focus on during the observation?
Estimated time: varies by class, but generally 1-3 hours
It can be a little scary to have any peer come in to observe your course; just remember, they're there to help.
During the observation, observers will be to watch the instructor's teaching or a specific assignment. The unique vantage point of the observers will allow them to see things that the instructor might miss. Observers should be sure to watch how students react to different parts of the class and monitor any good/bad student behaviors.
During the observation you should begin to complete the CBS WEC Peer Observation Form. This form includes space for requested feedback items and general items for all observations.
Estimated time: ~ 45-90 minutes
The post-observation meeting is most useful if it occurs one to three days after the observation, while the class activities are still fresh in you and your colleague’s minds. We do not recommend that you schedule the Post-Observation Meeting for the same day as the classroom observation, but understand that it is sometimes the only option.
Suggested Post-Observation Meeting Discussion questions:
In general, how did you feel the class went?
How did you feel about your teaching during the class?
To what extent did the students attain your learning outcomes for this class/assignment?
What worked particularly well for you in the class/assignment? Is this a typical teaching strength for you?
What did not work well in the class/assignment? Is that aspect typically a problem area for you?
What ideas do you have for improvement of your teaching?
Whatever you discuss, it is important that this conversation focus on professional development and growth, not only problems that were observed. It is also important for you to acknowledge the learning and growth that you may experience in this process. Observers will give their feedback to the instructor during this meeting. The instructor may save all their feedback to reflect on, for yearly evaluations, or to include as part of a teaching portfolio.
After the post-meeting you can think about what changes (if any) you might want to implement into your teaching.