SELF-STUDY: Peer Review of Teaching (5 hours)

“Development rather than judgment”

Do you ever wish you could have an informed discussion with a colleague about your teaching practice?

High-quality teaching has becomea national priority in recent times, particularly in the context of the No Child Left Behind Act. In turn, this focus highlights the need for meaningful evaluation of teachers that encourages continuous improvement. Peer Review of teaching is a form of teacher evaluation that involves colleagues in an often reciprocal process of observing, analyzing, providing feedback and reporting. Thus, it opens up opportunity for accurate assessment of the effectiveness of teaching and participating in informed discussions among equals that focus on development.

This course presents resources, research-validated strategies, practical tips and examples to equip teachers with the necessary toolkit to seamlessly turn evaluation into a springboard for improvement in teaching practice. Some questions answered in this course include – What is peer review or peer evaluation? How does it benefit teachers and the larger system? Who can be involved in a peer review program? What does research have to say about it? What is the focus of a peer review process?

The course also details principles of peer review of teaching, various types of review, methods of peer evaluation, guidelines to ensure effective evaluation, the process of providing feedback, using evaluation for change and tools that can be used for the process. Peer evaluation in an online or blended learning context is also discussed.