There are many reasons why peer observations with our teaching colleagues can be useful.
They often share your background and so understand your students, books, pressures, etc. They usually approach problems from the same practical perspective as you. They probably know you and so often understand the best way to approach you. And you can have developmental dialogues over time and so can explore ideas gradually.
Here are 5 observation activities that can be used with a colleague. They all follow a basic three-stage process of before, during and after the observation.
1. Spot the difference
In this observation activity two colleagues focus on the similarities and differences in their teaching.
Before:
The teacher gives the observer an outline basic plan of their lesson. The observer writes notes on the plan on what they would be doing as a teacher at the different stages of the lesson.