Improving Teaching Practice using Peer Observation of Teaching while participating in a Community of Practice
Author: James Staples
Supervisors: David Woodward, James Harrison
Staples, J. (2022). Improving teaching practice using peer observation of teaching while participating in a Community of Practice (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Professional Practice). Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.5986
Abstract
This paper discusses research that was conducted at the Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus with the aim of creating a programme for peer observation of teaching. The motivation for the research was to discover a process for lecturers to feel empowered in developing their facilitation practice through a sustained sharing of ideas, and to foster a greater culture of collegiality among teaching staff. Participants in the research project engaged in multiple rounds of peer observation of teaching over the course of a teaching block on the campus, during which each participant acted as both classroom observer and observee.
To foster the sharing of practice, participants were also placed into a community of practice where they would discuss their experiences after each round of observation. The feedback from the participants was used to determine if the structure of the programme would be acceptable for a wider implementation of such a project. Participative action research was selected as the methodology, as this allowed for the participants and the researcher to work together in determining the process and for the participants to have the freedom to operate in a method that suited their own practice. Key findings from the project included that the use of a community of practice was instrumental in getting facilitators to share their practice and engage in sustained observations of teaching in a mutually beneficial manner, and that lecturers need to be given a level of autonomy in how they manage their observations for them to feel empowered in their own development of practice. The results from this study can be used to develop similar peer observation processes across Otago Polytechnic.
Keywords: peer, observation, teaching, community, practice
Licence
This thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
