beginning teachers observations of peers the values limitations and suggestions from the perspectives of the insiders

Significance of the study This study would be of interest to teachers at Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Vietna

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

ĐỖ THỊ PHƯƠNG THÚY

BEGINNING TEACHERS’ OBSERVATIONS OF PEERS – THE VALUES, LIMITATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE INSIDERS

GIÁ TRỊ, HẠN CHẾ, VÀ GỢI Ý CHO VIỆC DỰ GIỜ LẪN NHAU

CỦA GIÁO VIÊN MỚI VÀO NGHỀ

M.A Combined Programme Thesis

English Methodology Code: 60 14 10

HANOI – 2011

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

ĐỖ THỊ PHƯƠNG THÚY

BEGINNING TEACHERS’ OBSERVATIONS OF PEERS – THE VALUES, LIMITATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE INSIDERS

(GIÁ TRỊ, HẠN CHẾ, VÀ GỢI Ý CHO VIỆC DỰ GIỜ LẪN NHAU

CỦA GIÁO VIÊN MỚI VÀO NGHỀ)

M.A Combined Programme Thesis

Major: English Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Supervisor: Lê Văn Canh, PhD

HANOI – 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration i

Acknowledgement ii

Abstract iii

Table of contents iv

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Background information and rationale for the study 1

1.1 Peer observation, a reflective approach to teacher development 1

1.2 The current situation of peer observation 2

2 Purposes of the study 3

3 Research questions 3

4 Significance of the study 3

5 Methodology 4

5.1 Participants 4

5.2 Procedures 4

5.3 Data collection and analysis 5

6 Organization of the study 5

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 6

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

1.1 Definition of peer observation 6

1.1.1 Classroom observation 6

1.1.2 Peer observation 8

1.2 Peer observation as a tool for professional development 11

1.2.1 Teacher professional development 11

1.2.2 Peer observation as a tool for professional development 14

1.3 Procedures for peer observation 19

1.3.1 Feel the need for action 19

1.3.2 Choose a peer to work with 19

1.3.3 Conduct the three-step peer observation 20

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 30

2.1 The participants 30

2.2 Research method 31

2.3 Methods of data collection 32

2.3.1 The on-going combination of data collection methods 32

2.3.2 Data collection instruments 33

2.4 Method of data analysis and presentation 35

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 36

3.1 Benefits of peer observation to professional development 36

3.1.1 Benefits of peer observation in comparison with related concepts 36

3.1.2 Benefits of peer observation in promoting self-awareness 38

3.1.2 Benefits of peer observation in assisting the sharing of teaching principles, teaching ideas, and teaching experiences 44

3.1.3 Benefits of peer observation in triggering discussion about teaching contexts including the students, the curricula, and the classroom facilities 48

3.1.4 Benefits of peer observation in promoting job satisfaction in the participants 51

3.1.5 Benefits of peer observation in encouraging future change 54

3.1.6 Benefits of peer observation in networking the teachers in the same institution 55

3.1.7 Benefits of peer observation in introducing new ways of researching into classrooms 56

3.2 Limitations of peer observation 57

3.2.1 Limitation of peer observation as a result of time 57

3.2.2 Limitation of peer observation as a result of its effects on the observed teachers 58

3.2.3 Limitation of peer observation as a result of the difficulty in

finding a suitable peer 60

3.2.4 Limitation of peer observation as a result of the way to give and receive feedback 60

3.3 Suggestions for the use of peer observation as a tool for professional development 61

3.3.1 Suggestions on factors that initiate the application of peer observation 61

3.3.2 Suggestions on factors that determine a peer to work with 63

3.3.3 Suggestions on the tasks for three stages of peer observation 64

PART III: CONCLUSION 70

1 Conclusions 70

2 Recommendations 71

2.1 For teachers 71

2.2 For the educators, and managers 73

3 Limitations and suggestions for further study 74

REFERENCES 75 APPENDIX I

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Background information and rationale for the study

1.1 Peer observation, a reflective approach to teacher development

For teachers, “who dares to teach never ceases to learn” (Dana cited in Chang, 2006: 700) However, concerning the nonstop process of knowledge acquisition, the question has been what to learn and where to get it

According to Wallace (1991), knowledge can come to teachers in two types: “received knowledge” or “research-based knowledge” and “experiential knowledge” The former

is acquired through teacher training with the knowledge and experience handed out from teacher educators as transmitters of knowledge, or from reading books about teaching theories while the later is derived from two phenomena “knowing-in-action” and “reflection”, which is from real teaching and self-evaluation Since “teaching styles and methods are very subjective, and … so far there has been no proof that any one method or style of teaching is significantly more successful than others” (Ellis, cited in Cosh, 1999), “experiential knowledge” has been convinced to be more important Such a shift in teachers‟ sources of knowledge concords with the change in the focus of teacher education In this field, more has been discussed in favor of teacher development than teacher training No longer can one become a teacher just by receiving the knowledge from the educator In fact, she/he has to be self-initiated, self-directed, and self-evaluated with her own development, and what the educator can do for her/him then is to support, promote and further that development

Together with the emphasis on “reflection” and “teacher development”, peer observation, “a reflective approach to teacher development” (Vacilotto & Cumming, 2007:153), “is gaining popularity in the field of education” (Munson, 1998:108)

Peer observation will be more clearly understood when compared with the traditional evaluative classroom observation The common feature of the two approaches is the three stages with which they are organized, namely pre-observation, observation and post-observation However, differences can be found in all the stages and they can be

categorized into the participants, the purposes, and the outcome (Cosh, 1999; Munson 1998; William, 1989; Pham Viet Ha, 2004; Anderson et al, 2005)

Traditionally, classroom observation has been carried out by either the supervisors or the administrators, who choose to sit at the back of some classes, silently observing and checking in the evaluation sheet as a judgmental move to decide on „good teaching‟ and

„bad teaching‟ (William, 1989) The post-observation, if there is, is full of negative feedback The observed teachers “often receive some sort of rating checklist that tends

to be overly general, highly subjective, and vague in its analysis” (Munson, 1998:108) Therefore, teachers don‟t like it “It … [is] threatening, frightening, and regarded as an ordeal” (William, 1989)

In contrast, peer observation engages two or more “teachers of equal status” in “a process of mutual collaboration and interpersonal support, assisting one another in reflecting on their own practices on a regular basis” (Gottesman, Showers & Joyce cited

in Vacilotto & Cumming, 2007:154) Unlike evaluative classroom observation, “peer observation is not carried out in order to judge the teaching of others, but to encourage self-reflection and self-awareness about our own teaching” (Cosh, 1999: 25) It offers the teachers with opportunity to “share their professional experiences, doubts, insecurities, successes, and failure, free from fear of being evaluated” (Vacilotto & Cummings, 2007:153)

A numbers of studies have been done on the benefits of peer observation in both service and in-service teachers‟ teaching practices and their attitudes towards the activity (Anderson et al, 2005; Munson, 1998; and Vacilotto & Cummings, 2007, and so on) The findings confirmed that peer observation fosters development of teaching skills and that teachers feel very comfortable participating

pre-1.2 The current situation of peer observation in the researcher’s working context

In Vietnam, it seemed to the researcher that peer observation was a new concept, or sometimes mistaken to traditional evaluative classroom observation Moreover, with her

own experience in teaching in Faculty of English Language Teacher Education,

University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, she recognized that reflecting on one‟s own teaching was not a very common practice

among teachers here Moreover if they reflected on their teaching, peer observation was barely used

The situations drove the researcher to do a study on “Novice Teachers’ Observations

of Peers – The Values, Limitations, and Suggestions from the Perspectives of the Insiders”

2 Purposes of the study

This study was carried out with the purposes to

 examine the extent to which the participants benefited from peer observation

 examine the difficulties the participants might have in implementing peer observation

 propose some recommendations for the implementation of the practice

4 Significance of the study

This study would be of interest to teachers at Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi because peer observation, believed to be beneficial for teachers‟ professional development by such reputational scholars as Wallace (1998), Richards & Farrell (2005) and Vacilotto & Cummings (2007), was investigated with the participants teaching in the same context They would be excited to find out the similarities and differences between their own situations and the one described in the study so as to decide on the applicability of the activity

This study would draw the attention of educators, managers of Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi to one of the approaches in developing their trainees and employees The outcome of the study was hoped to lead to some changes in the Faculty‟s teacher development policies

This study would also be of certain benefits to those who were involved in the field of education training in Vietnam since it provided an experience of peer observation All aspects such as the assessment of strengths and weaknesses, and its implementation were thoroughly discussed so that pedagogical implications could be withdrawn for future reference and research

The study was hoped to contribute also to the system of research on teacher peer observation, professional development and support worldwide

5 Methodology

5.1 Participants

The study involved 5 novice teachers in Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, whose teaching experience ranged from 1 year to 4 years These five were divided into 3 pairs with one being in two pairs

It would be ideal if the number of the teachers participating could be more than 5 However, five seemed to be suitable considering the feasibility and controllability of the study

and post observation The post-observation conferences were followed by brief interviews between the researcher and both participants for further explanation and clarification of the points made during the conferences Also, in these interviews, the participants were asked for their fresh feelings and comments on the benefits and limitations of the observation they had just done The conferences and the interviews were audio-recorded for data analysis Findings from the post-observation conferences and the follow-up interviews would be of great value since they demonstrated genuinely the extent to which peer observation benefited the participants

After each observation, the participants freely described what they had done and how they felt about the activity in their journals What the journals came up with provided further evidences of the benefits of peer observation, the difficulties the participants encountered, and their suggestions for the application of the activity

5.3 Data collection and analysis

The instruments for data collection were

 the preliminary interviews

 the post-observation conferences and the follow-up interviews

 the reflective journals

The transcription was segmented and coded according to pre-determined categories With these categories, the findings were then presented and discussed in accordance with the research questions

6 Organization of the study

The research includes three parts as followed: Part I provides a brief introduction to the issue and an overview of the paper Part II includes three chapters, namely Literature Review (Chapter 1), Research Methodology (Chapter 2) and Data Analysis and

Discussion (Chapter 3) In details, Chapter 1 reviews theoretical backgrounds to peer observation Chapter 2 describes the methods used to carry out the study Chapter 3 presents and analyzes the data collected from the interviews, the peer conferences, and the journals Part III summarizes the main findings, and some suggestions for the

effective application of peer observation, the limitations of the research and suggestions

for further studies Following the chapters are the references and appendices

PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter, which reviews the overall background concerning the study, will serve as the theoretical foundation on which the study is based In this chapter, the researcher will review beliefs and studies on the issues most relevant to the study – peer observation

1.1 Definition of peer observation

1.1.1 Classroom observation

Classroom observation has been existing for many purposes One very popular purpose

is research However, observation for this purpose is for sure not the topic of this paper Apart from research, classroom observation is widely used for the purpose of evaluation teacher professional development

 Classroom observation for the purpose of evaluation

Classroom observation can be used for the purpose of evaluation, in which teachers are observed by administrators to be assessed Most teachers have often come across classroom observation in the context of assessment of their teaching practice during teacher training Later, when they start their profession, in-service teachers‟ classroom observation is used, often by the administrators with the purpose of judging the teaching The consequence of these supervisory practices is that classroom observation

is not welcomed by teachers

Richards and Farrell (2005), from their own experience, have discovered “a negative reaction to the idea of someone observing … classes” According to them, since observation is often considered “a part of the process of performance appraisal” (p.85), teachers often feel scared and react negatively to the practice

Teaching performance evaluation being the purpose of classroom observation, administrators or supervisors being the observers, and unpleasant feelings such as defensiveness, distress, suspicion provoked in teachers are the common features of this kind of classroom observation noticed by Cosh (1999), Davies (2000), Munson (1998), Vacilotto & Cummings (2007), Wallace (1998), and Williams (1989) From their

observation, teachers often feel resistant to classroom observation because they “tend to equate being observed with being assessed” (Wallace, 1998: 104)

More importantly, the researchers agreed on the adverse effects evaluative classroom observation has on teacher development Cosh (1999) concluded that not only does this approach have little value for teacher development, but it also negatively influences

“teacher confidence and a supportive teaching environment” (p.22)

The failure of classroom observation in developing teachers was again confirmed by Vacilotto & Cummings (2007), who claimed that once carried out for evaluative purpose, classroom observation “prevents teachers from recognizing the professional development program as a process that focuses on improvement of instruction rather than on revealing weaknesses for the purpose of punishment” (p.153)

In Vietnam, the same situation can be observed in some teacher training institutions, and in a number of schools Pham Viet Ha (2004) stated that in Vietnam being observed

is often linked with being evaluated and criticized Consequently, classroom observations are often carried out with resistance and reluctance in the participants

 Classroom observation for the purpose of teaching development

The shift in the source of knowledge for language teachers from “received knowledge”

to “experimental knowledge” observed by Wallace (1991: 13) and many other scholars has made it clear that classroom observation should not be used for the purpose of evaluation or teacher training, telling them the dos and the don‟ts Instead, it should be used for another purpose: teacher professional development

What differentiates the two types of classroom observations is what Gebhard &

Oprandy (1999) termed nonjudgmentalness

As analyzed above, teachers often react very negatively to classroom observation because they equate it with being rated, with being assessed to be good or bad teachers The judgment, or in other words, the evaluative opinions and conclusions, either positive or negative, formed by the supervisors or administrators as the observers, threats the teachers, makes them feel nervous, stressed, and depressed Moreover, the description of the observed lesson, if any, may not be attentively listened to (Gebhard & Oprandy, 1999: 36), because “the minds … can be so absorbed in the process of

judgment and trying to change this bad stroke that the person might never perceive the stroke itself” (ibid.)

In contrast, being nonjudgmental, which means “withholding an opinion or postponing

a conclusion” (ibid.), is much more beneficial First, negative response to classroom observation is no longer found in the observed teachers This leads to another benefit: the trustworthy description of the lessons as the teachers and the students, when under

no stress of being assessed, often act more naturally without trying to fake a good lesson Moreover, once the observed teachers, with no interference of judgments, pay attention to the objective description of the lessons, they are more likely to be able to take full use of it to come up with their own interpretation, and then reflect on their teaching behavior themselves At this point, the ultimate goal of teacher professional development is well served

In order to be nonjudgmental to avoid the negative feelings preventing teachers from taking full use of classroom observation for development purpose, it is advisory that observation be carried out by teachers of the same rank This type of observation has been widely recognized as peer observation

A collaborative and reciprocal process whereby one peer observes another‟s teaching (actual or virtual) and provides supportive and constructive feedback Its underlying rationale is to encourage (continued) professional development in teaching and learning through critical reflection, by both observer and „observee‟ It may also include

„observation‟ and feedback of non-classroom aspects [such as] a staff member‟s approaches to teaching and learning, including module or course design and documentation, teaching resources, appropriateness of assessment etc

From the definitions, it is obvious that peer observation should involve the following elements

 Purpose of peer observation

The ultimate goal of peer observation is professional development It should be done for the purpose of professional development rather than to assess and evaluate teaching practices

 Observer and ‘observed’

The relationship between observer and „observee‟ should firstly be a collaborative one Since classes are normally organized with the presence of students and one teacher only,

“teaching is in many ways a lonely profession”, in which “most teachers face their classes alone” (Wallace, 1998: 207) However, collaboration is believed to be of great value since the sharing of ideas only can be beneficial in many obvious ways According to Wallace (1998), by articulating the ideas to another teacher, one can have his/her ideas developed in ways that might not otherwise have happened Moreover, he/she can be motivated and gratified by the feedback from colleagues, which also provides the basis for further reflection

In fact, the collaboration between members of academic staff can be between experienced and novice teachers On one hand, the inequality of experience and knowledge often leads to criticism from experienced teachers, and scare of novice ones, which is likely to result in the relationship failing to benefit the teachers On the other hand, when both participants are in much the same position, the exchange of ideas is believed to be the most honest and open For these reasons, it is vital that participating

in the process of peer observation are teachers of same rank The unavoidable habit of judging may still be sometimes found in both teachers, but unlike in the experienced-novice teacher relationship, they do not hesitate to discuss the judged areas, and consequently develop themselves

Teachers of the same rank participating in the collaborative process of peer observation should not be clear-cut assigned to be observer or 'observee' They should take turn to

be both Since “learning takes place from the „double‟ perspective of being the observer and the observed,” (Donnelly, 2007: 126) the role-shift will provide teachers with a

chance to take full advantages of peer observation for the purpose of teaching development

 Observed lessons

Teachers may observe a language lesson or part of a lesson The lesson observed may

be actual or virtual; however, according to the principles of classroom observation proposed by Williams (1989), the lesson should be “course-link”, which means that teachers “should try to link the visits to the course, so that the teacher‟s attention in the classroom is focused on items being discussed on the course” (p 86)

Another requirement is that “the observer should remain an observer” (Richards, 1998:143) In order to minimize the influence of the observer to the lesson, it is crucial that observers stay still and silently, allowing the lessons to go on naturally and smoothly

 Observation, feedback, and reflection

Observing, giving feedback and reflecting are three main activities that peer observation involves

Ideally, observers‟ feedback to „observee‟ is nonjudgmental, including no evaluative comments However, as long as the goal is to be supportive and constructive, some occasional judgments are acceptable

Peer observation has to be more than just observing and giving feedback; it would not

be complete without the most important phase, in which both observer and „observee‟ can learn the most, reflection This is what makes peer observation far different from evaluative one

 What to be observed

Wallace (1998) shared the idea on what to be observed with Richards & Farrell (2005)

In his opinion, the focus of the observation can be on the teachers, the students, or the context of teaching and learning While the teachers can have their techniques, physical presence, use of gesture, etc observed, aspects of learning like the way of working, of interacting, and of responding to the teachers can be observed in the students As for the context of teaching and studying, observers might be interested in the classroom layout

or the use of classroom facility, and so on

However, according to Lublin (cited in ProDAIT), the focus of the observation can be the so-called “non-classroom aspects” like module and course design and documentation, teaching resources, and appropriateness of assessment, etc

In summary, peer observation is the collaborative process in which two teachers of the same rank observe each other‟s lessons (actual or virtual) then give constructive and supportive feedback on teaching, learning, classroom interaction as well as some non-classroom aspects which inspires them to reflect on their own teaching for the ultimate goal of professional development

1.2 Peer observation as a tool for professional development

1.2.1 Teacher professional development

 Teacher learning: Training versus development

Training and development were identified by Richards & Farrell (2005) as “two broad kinds of goals within the scope of teacher education” (p.3)

The initial step taken by all teachers-to-be is training, which often “involves understanding basic concepts and principles as a prerequisite for applying them to teaching and the ability to demonstrate principles and practices in the classroom” (ibid.) Later, in their career, teachers are occasionally trained to be introduced to new textbooks, to get familiar with new teaching methods and facilities, or even to be instructed to fulfill a new assignment and responsibility No matter when the training is offered, the content of training is often chosen by the educators and can be found in standard training format or methodology books

However, in accordance with the updated educational paradigms, and in response to new challenges from new curricula, national tests, or student needs, “the field of language teaching is subject to rapid changes” (Richards & Farrell, 2005: vii) If teachers simply wait to be trained, they can hardly keep pace with these changes, to which teachers are supposed to response to not only at one single moment in their career but continuously in the whole professional life They should be aware of the fact that not everything teachers need to know can be provided at pre-service level, and that they should feel the need to be responsible for themselves, to participate voluntarily in an on-going process for a longer-term goal: professional development

Underhill cited in Head (1997) defined development as change and growth, and teacher development as “the process of becoming „the best kind of teacher that I personally can be‟” (p.1) He also maintained that the process can be achieved by using the teacher‟s

“inner resource”, and that each teacher should be aware of the possibilities for change and aware of what influences the change process According to Woodward (cited in Head, 1997:9), unlike teacher training, teacher development is a voluntary and continual awareness-based process which aims at a long-term goal of personal growth and development of attitudes The agenda for development is from nowhere else but right inside each individual teacher who feels the urge not to get a certificate to get a job but

to “construct their own knowledge and understanding of what takes place in their classroom” (Richards & Farrell, 2005: 13)

 Areas for Professional Development

Richards & Farrell (2005) identified six areas for professional development as followed

- Subject-matter knowledge Increasing knowledge of the disciplinary basis of TESOL –

that is, English grammar, discourse analysis, phonology, testing, second language acquisition research, methodology, curriculum development, and the other areas that define the professional knowledge base of language teaching

- Pedagogical expertise Mastery of new areas of teaching, adding to one‟s repertoire of

teaching specializations, improving ability to teach different skill areas to learners to different ages, and backgrounds

- Self-awareness Knowledge of oneself as a teacher, of one‟s principles and values,

strengths and weaknesses

- Understanding of learners Deepening understanding of learners, learning styles,

learners‟ problems and difficulties, ways of making content more accessible to learners

- Understanding of curriculum and materials Deepening one‟s understanding of

curriculum, and curriculum alternatives, use and development of instructional materials

- Career advancement Acquisition of the knowledge and expertise necessary for

personal advancement and promotion, including supervisory and mentoring skills

(Richards & Farrell, 2005, 9-10)

Not only is the list the guide for teachers on their way to professional development, but

it is also the criteria to evaluate professionally developing tools Actually, teachers who

go beyond training, attempting to develop themselves have “a wide variety of methods

and procedures […] available for in-service teacher development” (Richards & Farrell, 2005: 14) which fit in different contexts with different facilities Some activities require

no one else but the teachers themselves, no complicated equipment but a pen and paper; others may be more demanding in which some teachers need to work together in a classroom equipped with camera, voice recorder, etc The extents to which these activities are valuable to professional development are also very different In this case, depending on how much they lead teachers to the acquisition of the target knowledge proposed by Richards & Farrell (2005), the activities can be evaluated

 Activities for development

There are clearly a wide range of possibilities of strategies to professional development Listed by Wallace (1998) are the following eight

o Membership of a professional association

o Informal discussion with colleagues

“teachers need to be able to take part in activities such as:

o Engaging in self-reflection and evaluation

o Developing specialized knowledge and skills about many aspects of teaching

o Expanding their knowledge base about research, theory, and issues in teaching

o Taking on new roles and responsibilities such as supervisor or mentor teacher, teacher-researcher, or material writer

o Developing collaborative relationships with other teachers

Richards & Farrell (2005: vii)

In particular, activities for development can be divided into four groups namely

individual, one-to-one, group-base, and institutional, each of which is a list of methods

and procedures to professional development

Individual One-to-one Group-based Institutional

o Action research

o Critical incidents

o Team teaching

oCase studies oAction research oJournal writing oTeacher support groups

o Workshops

o Action research

o Teacher support groups

Peer observation belongs to the second group, i.e one-to-one procedures to professional development Together with other methods, it plays a valuable role in assisting teachers

on their way to professional development

1.2.2 Peer observation as a tool for professional development

The implicative view of classroom observation as a journey towards discovery and knowledge drawn by Fanselow has been cited in some studies on the benefits of peer observation like Wainryb (1992), Gebhard & Oprandy (1999)

self-Here I am with my lens to look at you and your actions But as I look at you with my lens, I consider you as a mirror I hope to see myself in you and through your teaching When I see myself, I find it hard to get distance from my teaching I hear my voice, I see my face and clothes, and fail to see my teaching Seeing you allows me to see myself differently and to explore the variables we both use (Fanselow cited in Gebhard

& Oprandy, 1999: 39)

How exactly peer observation is beneficial to teachers had been investigated by Sheal (1989), Williams (1989), Richard (1990) and later was the concern of some scholars like Sadtono (1991), Wainryb (1992), Head (1997), Munson (1998), Richards (1998), Cosh (1999), Gebhard & Oprandy (1999), James (2001), Pham Viet Ha (2004), Richards & Farrell (2005), Orabah (2009) and Race et al (2009) A synthesis of all those studies brings about the ways in which teachers can take advantage of peer observation for the goal of professional development as followed

 Developmental observation proves to be more effective

As analyzed above, observation can be evaluative or developmental with regards to its purposes, or sometimes by the presence of supervisors, or administrators, etc However, the latter, one representative of which is peer observation, is believed to be more effective than the former in promoting professional development Comparing peer observation with what he referred to as “the usual procedure of having an administrator act as the observer”, Munson (1998) concluded that at any levels from kindergarten to post-graduate school, peer observation is evidently “more effective in enhancing the teaching skills” (p.110)

 Peer observation enhances self-awareness in the observed teachers

The importance of self-awareness was affirmed by Diamond (cited in Swan, 1993) who believed that a “transformation of the … teacher‟s perspective, which arises out of awareness”, is what fosters teacher development

The role of peer observation in enhancing teachers‟ self-awareness was investigated and confirmed by Sadtono (1991), Munson (1998), Richards (1998), Richards & Farrell (2005) and Race et al (2009) They all agreed that peer observation provides the observed teachers with new perspectives of their own teaching, an objective view of their strengths and weaknesses, and a new way of seeing the problems they are facing in the classrooms, which they “might not otherwise be able to gather” (Richards & Farrell, 2005: 86) The real experience of teachers having involved in peer observation affirms such a benefit of peer observation Morris (cited in Race et al, 2009), for example, commented that he enjoyed seeing himself from another peer‟s perspective Another teacher cited in Munson (1998:109) found the reason for her being exhausted at the end

of the day when looking at the class traffic chart that her colleague used as the instrument when observing her lessons Some in Richards (1998) felt very pleased with the detailed information on their students‟ performance and interaction during a lesson that was provided by their peers after observations One participant shared her awareness of the limited range of teaching strategies after being observed by a peer

Peer observation with the follow-up discussion full of supportive feedback on both strengths and weaknesses is also believe to be helpful in showing teachers room for improvement in their teaching practices

o “I need to give students more time to complete some the activities I use”

o “I realized that I need to develop better time management strategies”

(Richards, 1998:148)

Indeed, research reported that some participants in peer observation did make some immediate modification to their teaching practice In Donnelly‟s opinion, the modification of behavior resulted from peer observation is not necessarily the modification for better, but more importantly it “can support the teacher in movement towards improvement in his or her teaching” (Donnelly, 2007: 126)

In brief, as “a self-diagnosed need for learning provides greater motivation to learn than

an external diagnosed requirement” (ibid.), peer observation with its important role in enhancing teachers‟ self-awareness of their strengths and room for improvement will promote professional development

 Peer observation triggers reflection in both observing and observed teachers

Reflective teaching, which could be defined as a teacher critically examining what happened in classroom lessons and finding out different ways to achieve his goals or aims is believed by Richards & Farrell (2005) to result in a “better understanding of one‟s teaching practices and routines” (p.7) and by Wallace (1991) to “lie the path to possible self-improvement” (p 14) According to Brockbank and McGill cited in Donnelly (2007:125), “it is the layering of reflective activities that can contribute to transformational learning that involves reflection on knowledge, action, and self, together with reflection on that learning.”

Reflection can be initiated through such procedures as peer observation, in which there

is a so-called “mirror”, a metaphor for the benefit of peer observation used by Fanselow, for both the observers and the observed teachers to “reflect on their teaching” (Orabah, 2009: 72) Munson (1998), Richards & Farrell (2005) and Race et al (2009) had the same idea Leggott (cited in Race et al., 2009) noticed that she was positively made to reflect upon her own classroom practice, while another teacher in Munson (1998) learnt more about him/herself and his/her teaching by observing other teachers They are

evidences for the role of peer observation in encouraging reflection in both observing and observed teachers

 Peer observation is a chance for acquiring new knowledge, new teaching ideas and

skills

Donnelly (2007) maintained that it is important for teacher to be “receptive” and try experimenting other teaching styles and methods Likewise, Richards & Farrell (2005) equaled opportunities to update teachers‟ professional knowledge and skills with their opportunities for professional development, and claimed that regular opportunities of this type is of great value They also believed in peer observation to be the chance Apart from Donnelly (2007) and Richards & Farrell (2005), Sadtono (1991), and Race

et al (2009) also observed that by attending a colleague‟s lesson, teachers are exposed

to different teaching styles, so they are likely to discover effective teaching strategies, and new ways of dealing with the same problems they face everyday Aries (cited in Race et al., 2009) had her “best move” learned from her peer in peer observation, while Chalkley (ibid.) admitted that his best teaching techniques were “plagiarized” through watching other people (p.9) Especially, Morris (ibid.) is among some uncommon cases who learned new knowledge in others‟ teaching It was when the topic of the observed lesson was not in a familiar area In such cases, the observers can enrich their minds with new knowledge, which might be useful sometime in the future

 Peer observation is successful in networking teachers in a department/ school/ institution

Even though professional development is mostly personally initiative or individually done, “mutual sharing of knowledge and experience is a valuable source of professional growth” (Richards & Farrell, 2005: 2) In fact, individual learning can be promoted by collaboration, which has become “a value that can guide the process of teacher development” (Brody and Davidson cited in Richards and Farrell (2006: 12) However,

in such a busy life when time is spent mostly on work, social interaction with colleagues, despite its importance, is really rare among teachers, who always work in their own “offices”, separating themselves from others

Richard (1998), Munson (1998), and Richards & Farrell (2005) viewed peer observation

as the solution to the situation Involving in the process, teachers can enjoy an

opportunity for interaction, for “the sharing of ideas and expertise, as well as a chance

to discuss problems and concerns” (Richards & Farrell, 2005: 86) In this way, peer observation is effective in developing “collegiality within faculty” (Munson, 1998:109)

 Peer observation promotes job satisfaction and encourages further development

Munson (1998) and Cosh (1999) claimed that peer observation can have positive influence on teachers‟ job satisfaction At one level, participants in peer observation have their self-confidence increased as a result of the positive feedback from the observers Feedback of this kind obviously “can enhance self-assurance and zest for further exploration of their practice” (Donnelly, 2007:125) The result of the increased self-confidence and job satisfaction is that participants in peer observation become more responsible for their own professional development (Munson, 1998:109), which is clearly of great importance Moreover, according to Odell & Ferraro cited in Munson (1998), those who participated in mentoring program which included peer observations tended to continue their teaching career longer than those who did not

 Peer observation is where teachers discover a new way of research into classroom

Doubtlessly, peer observation is of great benefit to teachers who are pursuing professional development However, it is often until really participating in the process that teachers feel the positive impacts peer observation has on their teaching Research demonstrated that participants in peer observation mostly positively assessed the effectiveness of this problem-posing method The comments range from peer observation being “enjoyable”, “fantastic” and “excellent” experience, an “exceedingly valuable” learning opportunity, to “worthwhile” and “essential” (Donnelly: 2007, Munson: 1998, and Race et al.: 2009) Participating in peer observation convinced teachers of the values of such a fascinating “way of talking about teaching” (Donnelly, 2007: 124) They recognized the importance of discussing ideas and techniques of learning and teaching with peers, and especially valued the follow-up discussions which provided them valuable feedback to understand their teaching profoundly Most importantly, a participant in Munson (1998) recommended peer observation to every teacher, which clearly demonstrated his/her awareness of the benefit of the practice

1.3 Procedures for peer observation

Procedures are crucial to the success of peer observation for some reasons Firstly, observation of any kinds often “involves an intrusion into a colleague‟s classroom” (Richards & Farrell, 2005: 90), so procedures for carrying out observation is needed for the least interference of the observer and the normal effectiveness of the lesson Moreover, interpretation of the teachers and students‟ practices can not be exact and implication for teacher professional development can not be of great value if the description of the observed lessons simply depends on memory

As suggested by many scholars, the implementation of peer observation should be in the following steps

1.3.1 Feel the need for action

Pham Viet Ha named this step initiation Accordingly, it is the need to answer a specific

question about one‟s own teaching and the wish to use classroom observation as a way

to answer the question that initiate an observation The questions can be whether one‟s lesson achieves the aims set in the plans or how one could give instructions more effectively

Obviously, there can be some other particular situations in which peer observation can

be effectively used However, generally speaking, peer observation like other action research methods is initiated when a teacher does not want to cease to learn for the goal

of professional development

1.3.2 Choose a peer to work with

When choosing a partner to work with, details concerning his/her professional position should be taken into consideration

Firstly, peers should be in the similar ranks, which means neither their academic training background nor their working experience is too different from each other Instead, peer observation should be conducted between teacher of the similar rank to avoid evaluation and judgment Moreover, the exchange of ideas is believed to be the most honest and open then

Secondly, concerning the field that peers teach, it is of great value if peers teach the same subject, and even better, the same textbook It is sometimes possible for a math teacher to give any kind of feedback on an English teacher‟s teaching except for some

very quantitative aspects like teacher movement or teacher allocation of talk, which can

be easily counted to numbers but, at the same time, be very low-inference (Richards & Nunan, 1990:47) Moreover teaching and teaching content are two inseparable elements

of a process How a teacher handles the lesson is often predetermined by what she is going to teach Therefore, in order to give feedback on any aspect of teaching, teaching content can not be completely left out

Last but not least, peers should be working in the same department/school/institution (Wallace, 1998: 209) Observation by a peer from the same school or department is often the most useful probably because it is more convenient to plan activities and analyze data then

As one teacher has found a colleague with the similar positions in the same department who is teaching the same subject to work with, he or she should make sure that the colleague agrees to take part in peer observation without any reason other than her own desire to develop herself, since “peer observation would be voluntary” (Richard, 1998:148)

1.3.3 Conduct the three-step peer observation

Three-step peer observation is recommended by Munson (1998), Richard (1998), Burns (1999), Pham Viet Ha (2004), Race et al (2008), and Weimer (2008) Accordingly, peer observation should comprise of a pre-observation meeting, observation, and a post-observation conference, each of which has certain aims and be conducted with certain techniques

 Pre-observation meeting

The pre-observation meeting, or sometimes referred to as briefing session, is very useful since it sets the grounds for the observation The meeting should be organized sometime before the observation rather than being squeezed in some minutes before the observed lessons since pre-observation meeting, however brief it can be, is the only initial step of preparation by both the observer and the observed teacher Moreover, the pre-observation meeting is the key to three issues

First, it can be seen as psychological preparation for both sides Before observing and being observed, both parties may naturally have some level of anxiety, which could be resolved by the pre-observation meeting It can be a chance for them to get to know

each other, for the observed teacher to be familiar with the presence of the observer in her classes

Secondly, pre-observation meeting provides context with details about the course, the instructor, and the students In the meeting, the two teachers share information about the nature of the class to be observed, the materials being taught, the teacher‟s approach to teaching, expected student behavior, etc

The last and also the most important issue to be discussed in the pre-observation meeting concerns the observation itself which includes the following:

o The focus of the observation

One of the principles of peer observation proposed by Williams (1989) is that observation should have “limited and focused content”, which means that the observer should not pay attention to no more than one or two items in one visit This is agreed by Chism (cited in Weimer: 2008) and Davies (2000) who also suggested one or two items

to be focused during the observation

o Approaches to observation

Depending on the focus, observation techniques and instruments are then chosen by the observer

- Richard (1990)‟s approach to observation

Richard (1990) grouped the techniques into two broad approaches basing on the types

of data collected

Qualitative approach or “educational ethnography, and wide-lens” “provides rich, descriptive data about what happens in the second language classroom” (Richard, 1990: 44) Techniques that are qualitative in their approach can “capture the essence or spirit

of what was going on during the observer‟s presence, and is especially useful when the observer wants to capture a broad picture of a lesson rather than focus on a particular aspect of it” (ibid.) However, sometimes the target picture is so broad that only “highly trained observer” can “do a competent and reliable observation.” This is the main disadvantage of this approach

Written ethnography, audio and video recordings, and a limited or selected ethnography

or recording are three representative techniques and instruments belonging to this group Written ethnography, “the classic technique used in a qualitative approach” is “a written

account of the whole proceedings of the classroom activities”; an objective and nonjudgmental description of not only the teacher, the students, and the interaction between them, but also the “classroom (e.g size, seating, furniture, physical equipment), the quality and quantity of visual aids, room temperature and so on” (Richard, 1990: 45)

Unlike written ethnography, audio and video recordings free the observer from “a good supply of writing instruments and paper” The sounds and clips caught with the help of special equipment installed somewhere in the classroom enable the observer to hear what the students heard, and see what they saw in the observed lesson

If the first two techniques, written ethnography and audio and video recordings, focus

on the class as a whole failing to address specific questions, the last one, a limited or selected ethnography or recordings, allows observers to “focus on individual behaviors

or a set of behaviors” (Richard, 1990: 47) Instead of recording the whole lesson, observers can choose to record and analyze teachers‟ questioning behaviors, for example That is why this technique is also referred to by Acheson and Gall (cited in Richard, 1990) as “selective verbatim” (p.47)

Quantitative approach, however, does not describe the observed lessons in word In stead, observers can come up with “actual numbers of behaviors” basing on a check-list,

or a form to fill in or complete, which are main techniques and instruments under this approach Although these forms are “relatively simple to construct or revise and to use,”

“The units of observation may be trivial aspects of the teaching and learning process Or they may not be crucially involved with or related to the concerns or purpose of the observation.” Richard (1990: 48) Among some other drawbacks of this approach,

“techniques and methods under quantitative approaches are all low-inference”, which means items investigated using these techniques and methods are “readily recognizable

or specific” leaving not much room for insightful analysis (ibid)

Representative techniques and instruments under quantitative approach were provided

by Richard (1990) after some classroom issues that they can be used to observe

“Seating chart observation records (SCORE) particularly helpful in three areas: teacher and student talk, at-task, and movement patterns” Richard (1990: 49) To investigate

teacher expectations, classroom management, and motivation, observers can apply different forms offered by Good and Brophy, and so on

- Wallace (1991) and Wallace (1998)‟s approach to observation

The techniques and instruments provided by Richard (1990) are grouped into quantitative or qualitative approaches, basing on the type of data they can collect However, there is another way to classify the techniques discovered by Wallace (1991) Accordingly, they can either be “ethnographic” or “system-based”, or “ad-hoc” depending on how the data is collected Later, Wallace (1998) restated his way of classifying observation techniques and instruments with ethnographic approach named unstructured approach

Unstructured approach and ethnography are actually two ways of calling only group of techniques It is “essentially an impressionistic approach whereby we note whatever seems of most importance and relevance, given our purpose for observing” (Wallace, 1998: 109) “The ethnographer participates, overtly or covertly, … in a class for an extended period of time, watching that happens, listening to what is said, asking questions, in fact collecting whatever data is available to throw light on the issues with which he or she is concerned” (Wallace, 1991: 76) What we note about the observed lesson is mostly determined by our ideas and beliefs related to the focus “There is also the degree of knowledge that we bring to the observation” (Wallace, 1998: 109)

System-based approach, which is more quantitative, includes some “fixed observation categories” like BELLACK and others, FLANDER: FIAC which can free observers from having to work out a different one for them However, like quantitative approach,

an “important disadvantage is that the specific categories may not be of any relevance or interest to what [is under investigation]” (Wallace, 1998: 112)

Unlike Richard (1990), Wallace (1998) provided observers with another approach, which “is flexible and eclectic, in that it will use both quantitative and qualitative data

where each seems appropriate” (Wallace, 1991: 77) “The ad hoc approach is also a

structured approach, but the categories derive from a particular problem or research topic” (Wallace, 1998: 113) The categories of investigation under this approach can be established from three sources First, observers may have seen the list of categories in a books or similar source Secondly, observers may come up with the list by

“brainstorming” with their colleagues basing themselves on their own teaching and learning experience Thirdly, “the list might be the result of a period of unstructured observation” (ibid.) The choice of sources of categories to look for during observation depends on the focus that the teachers have agreed upon

In the same book, observers are also provided with some example techniques and instruments With each technique and instruments introduced, Wallace (1998) also gave his comments and then suggestions to make it more effective Question tally sheet is the first example Instead of just focusing on the times each type of questions appears, Wallace (1998) thought it would be better if observers add some more categories concerning the questions types (W or Y), or whether the questions are redirected to another students or not (R), etc Another instruments introduced is spatial observation schedule, which is to some extent to the SCORE proposed by Richard (1990) Observers may also find some other example techniques that they can use for their own observation

- Richards and Farrell (2005)‟s approach to observation

Without attempting to name them under any approaches, Richards & Farrell (2005) provided observers with three particular techniques and instruments, i.e written narrative, field notes, and checklist (p.88)

Unlike written ethnography, in which observers try to note down everything about the class including teachers and students‟ behaviors, classroom interaction and even about physical appearance of classroom, etc., in a written narrative, only information about

“the main structure and development of the lesson, the kinds of activities the teacher employed, and the significant time periods within the lessons.” (ibid) Therefore, a written narrative is particularly useful in helping to see “the structure of the lesson”, and how the teacher implemented or departed from his or her lesson plan” (Richards & Farrell (2005: 88)

Instead of writing the full narrative of the lesson, observers could choose to write notes

of key events, which are sometimes time-based, or may be linked to the key activities that occurred during the lesson Field notes, as they are terminologically called, are a flexible way of observing the lesson ensuring that observers hardly ever miss any significant information either when important things or little is happening In the former

situation, observers note down relevant information, but in the latter, they can focus on something else which is of greater value for the observation (Richards & Farrell, 2005: 89)

If written narrative and field notes are quite unstructured, a checklist is a “structured inventory listing features of a lesson” (ibid.) Even though it is a “systematic” and

“relatively easy” way of collecting information on specific aspects of a lesson,

“checklists sometimes focus on trivial aspects of the lesson and fail to account for much

of what happened” (ibid.) Moreover, not every aspect of a lesson can be coded using a checklist

So far, the approaches to classroom observations proposed by Richard (1990), Wallace (1991), Wallace (1998), and Richards & Farrell (2005) are investigated with some example techniques and instruments under each approach Actually, each scholar may come up with their own categorization of observation techniques and instruments, Gebhard & Oprandy (1999), for another instant; however, the lists of example techniques and instruments are not very different from one another Some most common techniques are written narrative or written ethnography, checklist, audio and video recordings with transcription, etc Basing the purposes or the focus of the observation which have been agreed upon, observers and 'observees' have to discuss to finalize which techniques or instruments they are going to use in the observation

 The observation

“For the observation the observer teacher arrives at the classroom at the predetermined time” Munson (1998: 109) and “complete the observation using the procedures that both partners had agreed on” (Richard, 1998: 148)

If agreed, the lecturer should introduce the observer, about who he/she is, what he/she is going to do with the class, and especially what he/she is there for The introduction should put emphasis on the fact that the purpose is not for judging or evaluating teaching and studying so that his presence will not alter the behavior of the students The place where the observer sits should also be taken in consideration He/she should sit in an unobtrusive position as long as they have a good view of everything that takes place Most teachers choose to sit at the back of the classroom so as for her to be out of the students‟ sight Observers should also stay away from the teacher‟s main line of

vision to minimize her being reminded of their presence Some teachers may be concerned about the amount of observers‟ participation in class activities; however, “the observer should remain an observer; an observer cannot observe effectively if participating in the lesson” (Richard, 1998:143)

All the technology appliances, if any, should be neatly installed before the class assembly to lessen the impact of the equipment in the classroom since “one of the drawbacks to the use of both audio and video recordings is the fact that they are intrusive, with the latter much more so than the former” (Richard & Nunan (1990: 46) Most importantly, the observer should always bear in mind the focus of the observation and stick to the recording method and techniques

 Post-observation conference or feedback and reflection

o Meeting for feedback

When the observation session ends, with all the notes, forms, or letters completed, Richard (1998) recommended that “the two teachers would meet as soon as possible” (p 148) since “the information gleaned from being in the class remain fresh for a limited amount of time” (Chism cited in Weimer, 2008: 5) However, conference right after the observation session does have some cons that need to be taken into account (Race et al., 2008: 24) For example, while both participants “remember better exactly what happened”, they “are more likely to remember particular things, rather than the bigger picture – e.g the extent to which students achieved what was intended” (ibid.).Therefore, straight-away conference is more of a bad decision than a wise one Yet, “it‟s not a good idea to leave the post-meeting too long Memories on both sides could have faded too much” (ibid.) In these cases, it‟s best to hold the conference about two or three hours after the observation session so as for both sides to have time to

“cool down from any tension at being observed, and to give your observer time to put things in perspective” (ibid.)

The very first part of the conference should be for the observed teacher to briefly reflect

on how the class went As Munson (1998) believed, “the emphasis is on the observed teacher doing the analyzing, not the observer teacher” (p.109) Only when the observed has finished her general analysis of her own class does the observer teacher take the turn

to speak Questions like “How did you think that went? What were the best bits about

it?‟” (Smith cited in Race et al, 2008: 21) might be used by the observer to motivate the observed teacher to start

Next, the observer should start by proving the objectively observed data without any comments yet In the description, questions like who, what, when, where are to answer Together the two then cooperatively confirm the focus of the observation and interpret the data sheet The observer may explain, and elaborate some notes that are not clear on the sheet, give constructive feedback, and at the same time “encourages the observed teacher to reflect upon and respond to the data – what it appears to be indicating” Munson (1998: 109) Giving feedback is always the hardest part in any conversations since it requires tactfulness and sensitivity in the part of the speaker, and at the same time, feedback welcome in the listener, the lack of which is very likely to lead to offensiveness and ruin the relationship between two parties

As a feedback giver, it doesn‟t only matter what the feedback is about, but also how and when it is given The ultimate goal of the what, how, and when of feedback should be to establish and maintain an “atmosphere of trust and mutual respect” (ProDAIT, 6) Specifically, a feedback giver should take account of the following

Firstly, the observers should be aware of the balance between positive and negative feedback, since being overly positive can make the observed teachers feel complacent, while focusing on the problems and ignoring the positive points, they may risk becoming discouraged and even despondent

Secondly, as suggested by Race et al (2009), feedback on the strengths of the teaching should be highlighted at the beginning of the post-observation conference Firstly, this will help put the listeners at ease after being observed and most often after hours of fear

of negative feedback Moreover, “we are all much more likely to take on board the

„could do betters‟ if we have received the positive statements first” (Race et al., 2009: 26)

Thirdly, when negative feedback is given, the observers should be sensitive concerning what the observed teachers were trying to achieve and their reasoning for behaving in a particular way It would be better if the observed teachers are invited to highlight their problems and possible solutions first; feedback from the observers should pitch in the right time in form of the agreement with the problems highlighted The discussion

should be from a mutual problem-solving angle, acknowledging that the problems emerging from the observed lesson are not for the observed teachers only but many others, including the observer as well

Additionally, the observers should remember to give comments on specific behaviors, rather than the general Generalizations such as “you are overpowering”, “The instruction is quite effective”, etc can hardly work

In short, a feedback giver should be aware of the balance between negative and positive feedback, the priority to the latter, the consideration for the feedback receiver‟s reasons when giving the former, and the importance of specific feedback

However tactfully feedback is provided, it would not be effective if feedback is not received in the right way The observed teachers should also learn to “value the feedback from colleagues” (Race et al., 2009: 25) Therefore, even if the feedback is not very positive, the observed teachers should “avoid the temptations to become hostile, or

to justify your position, or to make excuses for things that were found to be lacking” (ibid.) Instead, they should be aware of the impact of their own reactions and emotions and try to stay rational It is crucial to listen carefully and avoid immediately trying to rationalize, justify or defend the observed reaction and behavior

Feedback should be viewed as an opportunity for professional dialogue with a colleague, and regarded as free consultancy to be valued Throughout the post-observation conference, the observed teachers should elicit feedback by questions like

“what do you think I should do with the situation?” or “if you were me, how would you deal with that type of student‟s behavior?” etc., ask for clarification, and regularly check their own understanding of the messages given by the observers

To conclude, the tactfulness of the observers together with the openness of the observed teachers makes the observation successful

o Reflection by journals, diary, or teaching portfolio

Usually done separately from the post-observation conference, reflection is the phase that closes up the observation session, but may, at the same time, start another reflection cycle Generally, the journal, diary, or teaching portfolio are storages of their discovery about their own teaching, the lessons drawn from observing and being observed, as well

as their future decisions to adapt their teaching accordingly, etc Later, these can also be

used to describe what, why, and how changes have been made and whether or not the changes are successful and whether they are worth doing

The choice among journal, dairy, or portfolio also depends on each teacher‟s purposes and time allowance However, without them, the observation can never be complete

Summary

Peer observation, which was defined as a collaborative process in which teachers of the same levels observed one another‟s lesson for the purpose of professional development, was believed to be beneficial to teachers The benefits that peer observation offered the observer and the observed teacher ranged from promoting their self-awareness to introducing a new way of research into classroom In the literature review, besides some benefits of peer observation, some guidance to make the best use of it had been provided However, it could be seen that the studies cited in this part was mostly in countries rather than Vietnam That drove the researcher to do the research to find out to what extent these were right in Vietnamese classroom context In this new context, the study aimed at answering the following questions:

- What were the benefits of peer observation?

- What could be some of its limitations?

- What suggestions should be made to be the most benefited from peer observation?

Teachers Gender Age Teaching experience

“experienced/ novice teachers”, the researcher thought that these figures were quite suitable for her study whose scope was neither peer observation between experienced-experienced nor experienced-novice teachers

Similarities in terms of levels of students, textbooks, course objectives were also found

in individual pairs

La and Ma were both members of Division of English for Minority Students at the time

of the research All from mountainous areas, La and Ma‟s students entered the university to be taught English mostly from the beginning to be English teachers for their hometowns in the future Besides four language skills, teachers for this type of learners, especially those teaching first-year students like La and Ma, had to spend more time instructing basic grammar and pronunciation Not only the contents of the lessons but also the teaching methods were advised to be carefully chosen to be compatible with low levels of students in this division

The second and the last pairs, which actually involved three teachers only, includes Na,

Ka, and Li These three were all teacher of Division of English for Second-year Students, teaching second-year mainstream and Double-Majors students whose English was assumed to be intermediate For second-year students, teachers in this division had

to give speaking, listening, reading and writing lessons using common textbooks, following common schedule assigned at the beginning of each semester Li and Na were both in charge of speaking classes and Li and Ka reading The speaking course books were Inside Out intermediate for mainstream students and Market Leader Intermediate for students of Double-Majors whereas the reading course book was Interaction – Reading

2.2 Research method

Qualitative method was utilized in this study so as to achieve the desired aims

Qualitative method can be defined as “non-numerical examination and interpretation of observation for the purpose of discovering underlying meanings and patterns of relationships” (Babbie, 1983: 537) Qualitative research aims at an in-depth and thorough understanding of the phenomena than just answering the questions of how well, how much or how accurately something is done (Frankel and Wallen, 1996) This method proved to be appropriate in this study since the ultimate question to be answered

is “how can peer observation enhance professional development from the perspective of the participants?” Qualitative study is based mainly on three basic data gathering techniques, that is, interview, peer conferencing, and journal In this study, qualitative data is gained by means of all the three techniques in the following order

At the early stage, the interviews helped reveal the fundamental information about the participants, which by some means influenced the way they perceived the benefits of peer observation Then, after each observation, a post-observation conference was recorded, data from which served as a valuable source of information to answer the research questions Along with the recorded conference, two short interviews with the observer and the observed teacher was initiated by the researcher to clarify any of the information from the conference, as well as to find out how the participants felt about the experience Another source of qualitative data exploited in the study was the journals from participants which played an important role in putting straightly in writing the findings implied from the conferences

2.3 Methods of data collection

2.3.1 The on-going combination of data collection methods

The study targeted at peer observation, which had been a research method long before this study and so might be misunderstood to be a data collection method However, it was not In fact, the data for the study was collected by utilizing two kinds of interviews, peer conferences, and journals To collect the data, these methods were used

in three phrases of the research, which were in accordance with the procedure of peer observation

The first phase was before the peer observation In this phase, the preliminary interviews with questions mainly related to the participants‟ experience with and knowledge about peer observation were used Also, the participants were instructed about how peer observations were going to be conducted, and the peers discussed to set the time and place for the first observation However, only data from the preliminary interviews was collected and analyzed

The second phase was during the peer observation This was when the pre-observation meetings, the observations, and the post-observation conferences were held In order to maximize the reliability of the data, the researcher tried to minimize her interference in

the peer doing the three stages However, the post-observation conferences or peer conferences as they were named to be a data collection instrument of the study were audio-recorded Besides the peer conferences, another method was used in this phase It was the so-called follow-up interview This semi-structured set of questions aimed at further clarification and sharing of the experience, but in most cases gave participants more time to reflect and discover new findings These interviews were also audio-recorded

The last phase was after the peer observations At this phase, the data was collected through the participants‟ journals, in which they could freely express their opinions on their practical experience with peer observation, and on peer observation in general

2.3.2 Data collection instruments

 The interviews

Interviews as an instrument of data collection were used in two different phases with different purposes

o The preliminary interviews

The preliminary interviews aimed at the participants‟ initial perception of the benefits,

and limitations of peer observation These interviews were quite structured with a fixed list of interview questions The researcher chose to ask the participants fixed questions since at the very first moment of this research-aimed peer-observation program, the researcher did not want to make an impression of a time-consuming study, which might discouraged them

The interviews were conducted face-to-face and informally so as to create a relaxing interaction between the interviewer and interviewees With some terms like „peer observation‟ or „professional development‟, etc used in English, throughout the interviews, all the questions and answers were in the interviewees‟ native language, which was the most effective tool for them to express themselves

During the interviews, audio recorder was utilized with a view to promoting the accuracy of data It could help record accurate and complete information much better than traditional notes Moreover, it was not as distracting to the interviewees as time-

consuming note-taking All the data were then transcribed for data analysis (See

Appendix 1 for sample preliminary interview extract)

o The follow-up interviews

The follow-up interviews were conducted right after the post-observation conferences They consisted of both unstructured and structured questions Initiated by the contents

of the conferences, unstructured questions aimed at explaining the points that were unclear to the researcher in the conferences The clarification and explanation provided

in the first part of the follow-up interviews would later assist the researcher analyzing the data from the peer conferences On the other hand, structured questions in the follow-up interviews sought for the fresh feelings of the observers and observed teachers about the benefits and limitations of the peer observations they had just done Also, the questions aimed at their suggestions for the next observations

Face-to-face and informal conversations, together with the utilization of audio recorder and transcription were how the follow-up interviews were conducted with the same

purpose as the preliminary interviews (See Appendix 2 for sample follow-up interview

extract)

 The peer conference

Peer conferences were actually one stage in the process of observation, and therefore, they might be argued to be unable to be used as an instrument However, the peer conferences were utilized in this study to be an effective data collection instrument Firstly, even though there was hardly any discussion about the research or research questions in the conferences, what was discussed between the observer and the observed teachers about the teaching, the studying, the classroom, etc of the observed lesson provided practical evidence for how peer observation benefited the teachers, and of what are the difficulties they had to cope with in carrying out the activity Secondly, since each participant had at least two observations: one as the observer and the other as the observed teacher, the number of peer conferences was quite big, which resulted in a large amount of valuable data to answer the research questions

For this reason, the post-observation debriefing between the observers and the observed

teachers were carefully recorded and transcribed for data analysis (See Appendix 3 for

sample peer conference extract)

 The reflective journal

The journals played an important role in confirming the participants‟ perception, feelings, and opinions on peer observation, which was also the aim of the study At the beginning of the program, each participant was sent an email in which the guidelines for the main points to be included in the journals were given As long as no main points were missed, the participants were encouraged to write informally and freely, basing themselves on the experience they had had with the observation For convenience, they were able to choose to write the journals in English or Vietnamese depending on their preference, and it was also up to them to determine how long they wanted to write For 8 observation sessions, there should have been 16 journals However, for the

incorporation of 2 participants, only 10 were collected for data analysis (See Appendix

4 for a sample journal)

2.4 Method of data analysis and presentation

The transcription of the interviews and the peer conferences, and the reflective journals were involved in “coding as an analytical strategy” (Coffee & Atkindon, 1996: 29), which consisted of three steps: “(a) noticing relevant phenomena, (b) collecting examples of those phenomena, and (c) analyzing those phenomena in order to find commonalities, differences, patterns, and structures” (Seidel & Kelle cited in Coffee & Atkinson, 1996: 29) For the “relevant phenomena” to be noticed, and their examples to

be collected, the data was segmented and coded by “assigning tags or labels to the data, based on … [the researcher‟s] concept” (ibid.) For the analysis, these segments were

“decontextualized” and “recontextualized” to “reduce and then expand the data in new forms ad with new organizing principles” (ibid.)