The power of peers in GTA development of practice: evaluation of an equal-status teaching observation project

Peer observation of teaching is a well-established professional development practice and can occur through a range of different activities (e.g., micro-teaching, lesson study, performance reviews, etc.). There is evidence that these various activities are being increasingly used to support Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). This paper reports the findings of a pilot project that implemented equal-status, interdisciplinary and developmental peer observations. As a collaborative project, it was co-designed and evaluated by eight GTAs and an academic developer. Our observation framework involved GTAs’ undertaking the observee and observer roles and retaining five of six identified dimensions of control. The findings show that the observation experiences encouraged both new and experienced GTAs to take a self-reflective and critical stance to their teaching and disciplinary approaches. This confirms the value of GTAs’ experiencing the observer role and their exposure to other disciplinary environments. The post-observation ‘learning conversations’ provided significant opportunities for GTAs to discuss and reflect on their practice contexts and experiences together. This represents an effective example of peer supported learning, which also reduces the sense of isolation that GTAs often experience.

What Makes Teachers Reflective Practitioners? Findings from Remote Schools in Pakistan

Reflective practice is considered a key element of teacher learning. The teaching and learning process are considered incomplete without reflective practice. Therefore, teachers are seen as reflective practitioners and researchers. This paper emerges from a qualitative study carried out in private sector schools in remote Pakistan. We collected data from ten teachers in two private schools through interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews. Data analysis was carried out through qualitative methods. Findings showed that teachers regarded reflections and reflective practice very high for their learning as teachers. Teachers used different approaches for reflective practice including reflective journals, students test results, peer observations, and feedback from parents and communities. Findings have important implications for teaching and learning.

Student Teachers’ Development of Reflective Practice concerning Teaching Philosophy and Peer Observations

This study examined the effect of utilizing e-portfolio reflection-enhancing tasks in a practicum course on developing student teachers' level of reflection. It sought to answer how engaging EFL student teachers in writing a teaching philosophy and peer observation affect their understanding of and appreciation for reflective practice and its influence on developing their reflection level and teaching performance. A mixed-methods study design was implemented where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected within this study. Eight female Saudi student teachers enrolled in a teacher education program at a public university in Saudi Arabia participated in this study while completing an 11-week teaching practicum course at a public secondary school in Riyadh. Each participant was tasked with completing a teaching philosophy and six peer observations with other participants within the study. Each task was analyzed for its reflection level based on a rubric developed by El- Okda (2009). Data were also collected through a semi-structured interview with each of the participants. This study demonstrated that while the participants struggled throughout the practicum to develop a cogent teaching philosophy, their level of reflection for the peer observation tasks improved throughout the teaching practice. Their enthusiasm for these tasks and the process of reflection itself was very positive. The results of this study will help teacher educators to create an informative account of reflection in teaching practice programs in ways that encourage reflective practice among student teachers. Future research could continue to explore more reflective tasks that encourage reflection among student teachers.

Student Teachers’ Development of Reflective Practice concerning Teaching Philosophy and Peer Observations

This study examined the effect of utilizing e-portfolio reflection-enhancing tasks in a practicum course on developing student teachers' level of reflection. It sought to answer how engaging EFL student teachers in writing a teaching philosophy and peer observation affect their understanding of and appreciation for reflective practice and its influence on developing their reflection level and teaching performance. A mixed-methods study design was implemented where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected within this study. Eight female Saudi student teachers enrolled in a teacher education program at a public university in Saudi Arabia participated in this study while completing an 11-week teaching practicum course at a public secondary school in Riyadh. Each participant was tasked with completing a teaching philosophy and six peer observations with other participants within the study. Each task was analyzed for its reflection level based on a rubric developed by El- Okda (2009). Data were also collected through a semi-structured interview with each of the participants. This study demonstrated that while the participants struggled throughout the practicum to develop a cogent teaching philosophy, their level of reflection for the peer observation tasks improved throughout the teaching practice. Their enthusiasm for these tasks and the process of reflection itself was very positive. The results of this study will help teacher educators to create an informative account of reflection in teaching practice programs in ways that encourage reflective practice among student teachers. Future research could continue to explore more reflective tasks that encourage reflection among student teachers.

Reflective peer observations of university teaching: A Canadian case study

The purpose of this investigation was to gain insights on facilitating a peer observation process that supports constructive feedback for continued development of effective teaching practices. The findings from this Canadian case study reveal that peer observation feedback are of value for the observed (which is well documented in the research) as well as the observer. Benefits for the observers have tended to be under-investigated and/or under-reported in the literature with respect to (1) fostering collegial relationships and (2) observing a peer whose teaching practices are unfamiliar. The findings in this study also indicate that the integration of an external observer who does scholarship in teaching and learning can provide knowledgeable feedback about pedagogical theory and course development, resulting in the reflective discussion and feedback being enhanced.

Observational Bias Within Hospital-Wide Hand Hygiene Program

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is critical to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Running a successful HH program requires valid and accurate HH data to monitor the status and progress of HH improvement efforts. HH data are frequently subject to variable forms of bias, for which considerations must be made to enhance the validity of HH data. Objective: We assessed the extent to which observers may be prone to report more favorable HH rates when observing healthcare workers from the same professional group versus members of other job categories. Methods: We analyzed HH data from 48,543 electronically collected observations conducted by frontline healthcare workers in a 793-bed acute-care hospital from January 1, 2019, through July 31, 2019. All auditors received training on HH observations and proper use of the data collection application. Compliance data were sorted into peer versus nonpeer observations by profession. We compared HH compliance rates for members of each professional group when monitoring peers versus nonpeers. We further stratified results by ancillary professions (central transport, unit associates, food services, pharmacy, phlebotomy, rehabilitation services, and respiratory therapy) versus nonancillary professions (doctors, nurses, physician assistants, patient care assistants). Results: Of 12,488 ancillary observations, 7,184 (57.5%) were peer observations and 36,055 were nonancillary observations, of which 15,942 (44.2%) were peer observations. The percentage of peer-to-peer observations versus nonpeer observations varied by profession, ranging from 96% of central transport workers and 91% of environmental services observations to 21% of patient care assistants and 34% of physician’s assistants. Average compliance rates for peer versus nonpeer observations in ancillary groups were 98% (95% CI, 98.7%–99.2%) versus 83% (95% CI, 82.5%–84.5%). Average compliance rates nonancillary groups were 92% (95% CI, 92.0%–92.8%) for peers versus 88% (95% CI, 87.8%–88.7%) for nonpeers (Table 1). Conclusions: We documented a propensity for some categories of healthcare workers to record discrepant rates of HH compliance when observing members of the same peer group versus others. This effect was more pronounced amongst ancillary versus nonancillary services. This study adds to the literature of potential sources of bias in HH monitoring programs. Operational changes in HH program data collection may be warranted to try to mitigate these biases such as increasing the frequency of validation exercises conducted by nonaffiliated observers, weighting peer versus nonpeer observations differently, or switching to automated electronic monitoring systems.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Content Analysis of Family Medicine Resident Peer Observations

Background and Objectives: Direct observation is a critical part of assessing learners’ achievement of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones and subcompetencies. Little research exists identifying the content of peer feedback among residents; this study explored the content of residents’ peer assessments as they relate to ACGME Milestone subcompetencies in a family medicine residency program. Methods: Using content from a mobile app-based observation tool (M3App), we examined resident peer observations recorded between June 2014 and November 2017, tabulating frequency of observation for each ACGME subcompetency and calculating the proportion of observations categorized under each subcompetency, as well as for each postgraduate year (PGY) class. We also coded each observation on three separate dimensions: “positive,” “constructive,” and “actionable.” We used the χ2 test for independence, and estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for two-by-two comparisons to compare numbers of observations within each category. Results: Our data include 886 peer observations made by 54 individual residents. The most frequently observed competencies were in patient care, communication, and professionalism (56%, 47%, and 38% of observations, respectively). Practice-based learning and improvement was observed least frequently (16% of observations). On average, 97.25% of the observations were positive, 85% were actionable, and 6% were constructive. Conclusions: When asked to review their peers, residents provide comments that are primarily positive and actionable. In addition, residents tend to provide more feedback on certain subcompetencies compared to others, suggesting that programs may rely on peer feedback for specific subcompetencies. Peers can provide perspective on the behaviors and skills of fellow residents.

TEACHERS� ATTITUDE TOWARDS PEER OBSERVATION AT NAJRAN UNIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY

The present research paper aims to analyze teachers� attitude towards peer-observation and suggest remedies to improve practice of peer-observation. As part of the methodology, the researcher selected twenty questionnaires as a sample of this study. Twenty teachers involved in peer-observation (as observer and participants) were also interviewed and their suggestions and opinions were taken into consideration to improve practice of peer-observation at PYP, Najran University. The analysis of data showed that teachers do not whole-heartedly support peer-observation. The study also found that most of the teachers are not well familiar with the concept and application of peer-observation. They often consider evaluation as an excuse to termination. The study accomplishes that a teachers� performance/ability cannot be judged in 20-30 minutes. Therefore, the study recommends that there must be many peer-observations for the same class and the best one must be assessed. The study also suggests organizing seminars and workshops to orient teachers to the process and advantages of peer-observation.