Pre-launch preparations for a peer observation initiative viewed through a concerns model

ABSTRACT

This study was a qualitative comparative case study of two secondary schools (one urban high school and one suburban middle school) where teams of teacher leaders were in the planning stages of implementing an initiative about a peer observation protocol called collegial visits. The primary research question was, ‘How does a team of teacher leaders plan for a collegial visits initiative within an urban and a suburban school district?’ The urban high school had a triad of teacher leaders planning for the initiative, which included completing two pilot collegial visit cycles with teacher volunteers. The suburban middle school had a pair of teacher leaders planning for their initiative, which culminated in a spring pilot cycle. Overall, feedback about the collegial visits as a professional learning vehicle was overwhelmingly positive. The planning process was analyzed through the Stages of Concern framework. Teacher leaders selectively and strategically used associations or dissociations with teachers’ prior experiences with initiatives to allay anticipated personal stage concerns about the initiative. Teacher leaders also provided participants anticipated benefits of collegial visits to increase positive consequence concerns. Formal leaders were largely left out of the planning, and this decision appeared to enhance buy in from teachers.

KEYWORDS:

• Collegial visits
• peer observations
• stages of concern
• teacher leadership
• professional learning
• job-embedded professional learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.