Peer Observation of Language Teaching: A Reflective Approach to Teaching

Abstract

Peer observation of teaching has increasingly been considered as a means of promoting reflective practice for language teachers. An interactive model is critical to the success of the observation process as it is structured, supportive and emphasises choice, control and observation between equals. The insistence on an information flow aimed at the observed helps reaffirm the idea that observation is not an administrative exercise but a beneficial process for the teacher and learner. If peer observation can uncover some of the assumptions teachers use to shape language teaching, including the resistance to teaching as an open practice, an improvement of existing approaches to language teaching may be within reach.