This conceptual paper discusses 'unseen observation' as an alternative model of classroom observation to support teachers' professional learning. The paper starts with a critical synopsis of how observation has been appropriated principally as a performance management tool for monitoring teacher effectiveness in the UK. It argues that the…

A highly distinctive and structured approach to teacher development, Lesson Study emerged in Japan but has since been adopted much more widely and now sees growing interest in the UK. Tony McConnell, Davinia Daley, Rebecca Levy, Lisa Waddell and Richard Waddington describe the process by which their school first investigated and then adopted…

In this paper we examine two systematic observation methods intended to be used by pre-service and in-service teachers to help increase their awareness of children's participation in productive classroom dialogue. We identify the affordances of these methods for supporting teachers' reflective practice, focusing in this case on students' equitable…

This review examines a range of lesson observation frameworks designed for and used in the observation of teaching in mathematics. This includes frameworks specifically designed for international comparisons of teaching practices and teacher effectiveness, as well as those used for teaching development. Five chapters focus on: (1) Introduction…

Recent systematic observations of UK classrooms are reviewed. Findings about how verbal teacher-feedback and students' on-task behaviour are associated are discussed. The method, utility and impact of this type of quantitative research are discussed using a large-scale (mass) secondary school study. Findings include: the use of positive feedback…

In a previous phase of a project based in a group of UK primary schools, speaking and listening was found to be an effective focus for improved learning across the curriculum and for teachers' professional development. At the project's second stage and in the light of recently changed Department for Education guidelines, these findings have been…

Informed by Martin Buber's notions of "I-It" and "I-Thou" relationships, this paper examines the problematic and contested issues of emancipation and empowerment in schooling. Specifically, it explores what happens when teachers and students collaborate when observing lessons and commenting on teaching practice in the imagined…

The "Effecting Principled Improvement in STEM Education" ["epiSTEMe"] project undertook pedagogical research aimed at improving pupil engagement and learning in early secondary school physical science and mathematics. Using principles identified as effective in the research literature and drawing on a range of existing…

Schools, districts and inspectorates routinely use non-specialists to observe lessons for accountability and professional development purposes. However, there is little empirical research on how well non-specialists observe lessons. We describe two pilot studies in which education professionals made judgements about mathematics lesson observation…

The aim of this article is to explore the structure of social capital in peer networks and its relation to the unequal access of educational resources within mathematics classrooms. We hypothesise that learners can gain access to mathematics through friendship networks which provide more or less help from peers that might sustain (or curtail)…

In this paper we discuss the development and running of a residential animal behaviour field trip. The trip has a number of elements that challenge and develop the students. First, this trip is open to students at levels two, three and M. This allows us to engineer a certain amount of peer assisted learning. Second, the students live together and…

This article outlines the development of a tool designed to take forward the practice of science teachers through subject-specific guidance and discourse that promotes dialogue and deep critical reflection on practice.

The present study examined child and school factors that might foster classroom behavioral engagement during the first year at school in a sample of 67 typically developing British 4-year-olds. The children were followed for 9 months from the summer before enrollment through the first 7 months of school. Our findings showed that effortful control…

Teacher observation takes on a myriad of forms and serves a multitude of purposes. Within UK further education (FE) colleges, lesson observations play a vital role in monitoring a college's provision for the purpose of its annual self-assessment report; this in turn lays the foundations for its overarching quality improvement strategies. This…

In this article the authors compare two phases of an ongoing, annual online peer observation project at the Open University. Adopting a non-managerialist approach, the project aims to give teachers a renewed sense of collegiality, allowing them to take responsibility for aspects of their professional development and share practice points. While…