ABSTRACT
There is a strong argument that teaching should be much more open than it has previously been, with teachers themselves playing a prominent role in observing, analysing and disseminating best practice, however that might be conceived. Greater public accountability during the last three decades of the twentieth century brought schools under close scrutiny and, in some cases, critical review. It is a great pity that the tradition in a fi eld like surgery, whereby surgeons learn from each other by studying videotapes, or watching live and even joining in as assistants, when new techniques are being developed and perfected, is not imitated more frequently in teaching. Although the surgery/teaching analogy does not always stand up to close inspection, the open sharing of new ideas and the convention of ‘sitting in’ with fellow practitioners are matters that could spread to teaching with profi t, provided appropriate time and resources are made available.
