Abstract
As a college professor, I have taught hundreds of graduate students in instructional leadership and reflective teaching courses. The overwhelmingly consistent report I hear from these active and engaged educators is that they rarely, if ever, have time to see each other teach. Teaching remains an isolated event - protected time for teachers to share their craft through thoughtful peer discussion and observation rarely. exists. When time is devoted to these activities, it usually is prescribed by building or division-led professional development initiatives, experiences teachers say do not feel genuine, safe, and focused on true reflection and growth. As Daniels, Pirayoff, and Bessant state, "professional development experiences in K-12 education are often disconnected from what teachers actually want and need in order to authentically improve and/or strengthen their practice" (2013, p.268).
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2017
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2017 VASCD. This article first appeared in VASCD Journal 14 (2017), 71-83.
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Recommended Citation
Cassada, Kate, Julie Harris, Bobby Herting, Tara Warren, and DaMia Brown-Kidd. "Engaging the Power of Peer Observation." VASCD Journal 14 (2017): 71-83.
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