Step 4.

To review literature

Silvia victoria Vargas Cuellar

Code: 1.083.908.527

Tutor: Astrid Yanira Lemos

Group: 551023_6

University national and opening Unad

Lile in English as a foreign language

Teacher Development

2018
Task 1. Flowchart according chapter two: identifying a research problem.
Task 2

Conceptualization of the Literature Review

A literature review is a way of writing in which it is analyzed and contrasted

some information that has been published by different authors regarding specific
topics. Besides, on this kind of document is possible to show different abilities like
seeking information and finding relationships among them. According to the above,
a literature review allows the writer, by one side, to establish the state of an issue
taking into account the perspective of other authors regarding the same topic and,
on the other side, to consider the possible links that exist between all the
information on the study. Thus, it is possible to conclude in a few words that a
literature review is a critical recompilation from different sources of information
aboutan existent problem or topic.

Chosen Strategy: Peer observation

This strategy consists basically in the action of a teacher observing a

colleague during a class. Such observation includes the most important factors
related to the teaching – learning process, such as interactions among the actors
of the class, strategies, methods, evaluation, management of the class, and other
factors used by the teacher while teaching.
Problem about peer observation

Topic Teacher development

Research Advantages and disadvantages of Peer Observation

Problem

Purpose To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of

statement peer observation inteacher development

Research Which are the advantages and disadvantages of

Question peer observation in teacher development?
 Literature Review

Which are the advantages and disadvantages of peer observation in teacher

development?

Currently, talking about teacher development involves a lot of factors and

elements that are directly related with the role of the teachers and all what this
means, not only within a classroom, but in everyday life with the whole exigencies
that this profession has. Accordingly, within all those aspects mentioned before, it
is possible to identify that education must represent an ongoing process that
should point to the constant improvement trough process of self-evaluation,
reflection, and inquiry of different strategies and methods so that teachers can
reach each one of the main goals of education in Colombia.

According to the above, there are some strategies by which teachers can
improve their pedagogical practices and their professional exercise of teaching.
One of those strategies is the “peer observation”; where teachers have the
opportunity to be observed by others colleagues following some criteria for taking
the registers of the observation. However, such strategy brings with itself some
disadvantages for teacher development so that it arises a gap between how helpful
or how counterproductive could be this strategy for teachers development, both for
the observer and who is observed. For this reason, this proposal is directed to all
those teachers who are trying to get better every day and do not know the
strategies that can help them to enhance their or do not know what they can gain
with these kind of strategies.

Consequently, the main goal of this proposal is to establish what

advantages we can get with the “peer observation” strategy and what possible
negative impacts such strategy could bring to the teaching practices; starting from
different researches that have covered the same topic before.

By one side, it is possible to begin referring to all those views that have
analyzed “peer observation” as a good way to advance in teacher development. In
this vein, Fletcher*, L., & Orsmond, P.(2004) propose that“peer observation of
teaching can be seen as a means by which the quality of the teaching and learning
process in higher education establishments is both accounted for and improved”. In
the same way, according to Gosling (2005), the objectives of peer observation of
teaching within such a developmental model are:

• To facilitate reflection on the effectiveness of the participant’s own teaching

and identify their development needs;

• To improve the quality of learning and teaching;

• To foster discussion and dissemination of good practice; and

• To increase participant awareness of the student experience of learning.

(p.16)

In addition, there are other points of view in which peer observation involves
a university lecturer attending a colleague’s teaching session with the intention of
offering feedback as a ‘critical friend’ (Kinchin, 2005); which is a different but
coherent view of the way in which sharing a classroom with an observer could be
helpful to the professional development, taking into account it becomes possible to
learn from each other.

In this part of the text, it is already evident that there are several authors that
point out to the use of peer observation in improving the pedagogical practices,
and the paspects in common that is possible to find between their statements.In
regards to the above,Richards, J. C. (s.f.) proposes:

Observing another teacher may also trigger reflections about one’s own
teaching. For the teacher being observed, the observer can provide an
“objective” view of the lesson and can collect information about the lesson
that the teacher who is teaching the lesson might not otherwise be able to
gather (p.86).

Other perception aboutpeer observation of teaching, considers that it is a

collaborative developmental activity in which professionals offer support while
observing each other teach, explaining and discussing on what was observed;
reflecting on understanding the feelings, procedures, actions and feedbacks, and
trying out new ideas in the class while teaching (Bell, 2005).

The above idea lead to think that peer observation also involves rubrics, reflection,
criteria, analysis, interactions between colleagues and flexibility, inter alia. Hence,
the process of peer observation, under this perspective, would be ideal for teacher
enhancement since it covers everything what the profession has in a holistic way.
Nevertheless, from some authors’ angle,this strategy is not as good as it seems.
Some of them think that, perhaps, peer observation could bring some
disadvantages or negative affectations to the teacher’s role because of the
situations or reactions that having other teacher in the same classroom could
cause.

For instance, Williams (1989, p. 86) has summedup some of the problems of
traditional classroom observations:
- The teachers did not like it. It was threatening, frightening, and regardedas
an ordeal.
- It was prescriptive.
- The checklist focused on too much at once.
- The teachers had no responsibility for the assessment. It was trainer
centered.
These four items evidence that there are still some discontents among
teachers, mainly where they are observed by a learner or a colleague. Richards
and Farrell (2005) poses:

Observation is often seen like a negative experience, since it brings to the

mind that thought where it is believed that observation is for judging the work
realized and for carrying out a type of evaluation that may affect the teacher
performance (p.85).

This little paragraph leads to identify the reasons by which teachers tend to
feel threaten while being observed by some colleagues. Furthermore, being
observed can represent an environment of distrust due to a teacher can feelhe or
she is being watched and no just observed.

According to the whole above ideas, it is possible to conclude that

undoubtedly peer observation is a great chance both observers as the teacher who
is observed. Besides, for beginning teachers, peer observation can helps them to
notice new ways and strategies of teaching, how experienced teachers deal with a
group and its characteristics; how students behave and reaction according the
teacher expressions and other important aspects what teacher has to deal with in
their job. In addition, beginning teachers can observe the way how teachers face
different situations related with discipline, or lack of comprehension from students,
how they answers the student’s questions, and all the issues and features that
teaching inside a classroom represents.

On the other hand, for experienced teachers being observed can offers
them the chance to look into themselves and receive from the observer some
information about oneself that many times a person does not look by him/herself.
Such aspects can be related with timing, activities, questioning techniques,
participation, and others aspects that although they cannot be observed, must be
inferred by observer such as engagement, problems, doubts, decision making. All
the above things, are those kinds of aspects that many times one cannot see but
with the help of other, an experienced teacher can be aware of them in order to
analyze them and reinforce them if it if necessary or potentiate them as well.

Finally, it is not possible to forget that peer observation could also has
negative consequences if there are no agreements between the observer and the
observed, and if there are no clear reasons or academic reasons for the
observation, so the teacher can feel an environment of confidence and normality
during the classes and the observation.
 References

Bell, M. (2005). Peer observation partnerships in higher education. Milperra, NSW:

Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia.

Gosling, D. (2005). Peer observation of teaching. SEDA Paper 118. London: Staff
and Educational Development Association.

Hammersley‐Fletcher*, L., & Orsmond, P. (2004). Evaluating our peers: is peer

observation a meaningful process?. Studies in higher education, 29(4), 489-
503.

Hertel, T. J. (2007). Professional Development for Language Teachers: Strategies

for Teacher Learning Edited by RICHARDS, JACK C., & THOMAS SC
FARRELL. The Modern Language Journal, 91(1), 133-134.

Kinchin,I.M. (2005). Evolving diversity within a model of peer observation at a UK

university. Paper presented at the British Educational

Mann, S. (2005). The language teacher's development. Language teaching, 38(3),

103-118.

Richards, J. C. (s.f.). Professional Development for Language Teachers Strategies

for Teacher Learning. Recuperado 13 mayo, 2018, de
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667237.00

Richards, J.C. & T.S.C. Farrell (2005) Professional Development for Language
Teachers. Cambridge.

Williams, M. (1989). A developmental view of classroom observation.

EnglishLanguage Teaching Journal 43(2), pp. 85–91.