I don’t have a ton of time to write tonight, y’all — trying to catch up after the curveball that life threw at me last week — but I wanted to share a handout that I think might be useful for anyone working in a professional learning community.
Called a Practice-Centered Observation Protocol, it is designed to guide teachers through the process of observing their peers in action:
You’ll notice that each question intentionally places the focus of a peer observation on the impact that instructional practices — rather than individuals — are having on students.
That’s an incredibly important first step for making peer observations a safe practice that professional learning teams can embrace.
Until members are convinced that peers are collectively evaluating practices INSTEAD of people, peer observations as a form of professional development are too threatening for most teachers to buy into.
Hope this protocol helps in the work that y’all are doing. I’d love to hear any feedback that you have if you actually use it!
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