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Glossary of Peer Observation Terms
Classroom Visit
A structured process through which teachers and principals observe one another's work to improve instruction, develop a learning community, and build habits of reflective practice. Classroom visits can take place after school when students have left for the day or during school while there are students in the room.
Debrief
A structured conversation, following the use of a consultancy or any other type of protocol such as a classroom visit protocol, in which participants discuss what parts of the process worked best for them, what did not work, and how they could change the process to work better the next time.
Focus Question
(Also called essential question.) A question about crucial aspects of a teacher's or school's practice, related directly to teaching and learning, that drives an inquiry process. If answered "accurately," through the use of data, the question will provide meaningful information for improving student achievement.
Peer Observation
The practice of sharing teachers', principals', and district administrators' work, in which small groups of practitioners observe one another's work, take notes, and discuss what they learned with each other. This process is not evaluative but instead is part of a "peers helping peers" process based on the desire for individual and community improvement.
Professional Learning Community
Groups of people from multiple constituencies at all levels who collaborate by collectively engaging in collegial activities and joint professional efforts that have children's learning as their purpose (from Jalongo, M.R. 1991. Creating Learning Communities: The Role of the Teacher in the Twenty-First Century. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service).
Protocol
A set of guidelines that give structure to a process such as a conversation or a classroom visit. This structure, which everyone understands and has agreed to in advance, focuses activities such as classroom observations around a specific inquiry, economizes on time, and maintains a respectful atmosphere.
Structured Conversation
Conversations guided by a protocol for listening and speaking – an especially important part of any structured process. Usually a facilitator leads a group of practitioners through a set of prescribed steps that give opportunities for all participants to have a chance to speak and to actively listen. These protocols keep the dialogue – often on topics that people are not in the habit of discussing – respectful, collegial, and productive.
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