How can we use lesson observations as a tool for improvement and not just for accountability? In this blog, I will share my insights and reflections on the purpose and impact of lesson observations in FE. Not only will I draw on my experience as an FE lecturer and IT professional, but also as someone who works closely with those in middle and senior management roles and understands their anxieties around college accountability. If done in the right way, I believe lesson observation can develop teaching practice in a way that feels supportive while also performing a role as a quality assurance mechanism.
I have always been interested in how middle management can support teaching staff to develop their professional practice. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the usual education delivery method, colleges across the country had to adapt quickly and switch to remote teaching and learning. Many of the middle managers I spoke to were impressed with how quickly and creatively teaching staff handled the crisis. College lecturers throughout the country demonstrated outstanding professionalism and dedication and they did this, due to the pandemic restrictions, without the usual oversight and scrutiny from managers. Some colleges tried to move their observation process online, but most trusted their teaching staff to do their best without being constantly monitored and evaluated.
The surprise success of how well we all managed our teaching and lesson during the pandemic made me wonder why some colleges felt the need to return to pre-pandemic observation systems. Essentially old-fashioned and unpopular, they use a top-down approach with a senior member of staff scrutinising and grading teaching practice. It is an approach that does little to empower or engage lecturers. To explore this question, I surveyed lecturers working in local colleges about their views and experiences of observation. The sample size was small and the results were mixed. Nonetheless, the exercise did prove there was more to be discovered. The general feeling seemed to be that many lecturers felt it was a box ticking exercise, something done to them, rather than for them. The whole process caused a great deal of stress, anxiety, and was extremely time consuming. Time which teachers would rather spend doing the things that made them want to become college lecturers in the first place.
