ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the place of observation as part of teacher training, as a central part of how beginning teachers learn. It explores the role that mentors have when observing teachers and its relationship with feedback, both spoken and written. All student teachers need to observe others teaching; it is built into all Initial Teacher Education programmes and often the main occupation of the trainee teacher in the initial days of their school placement. The teacher displays a variety of film posters, asking the class to identify who they think are the target audiences for each. Following feedback from the class that classifies each film, the teacher develops the discussion to consider stereotyping, making the point that marketing draws directly on assumed stereotyping. Observation is a fundamental element of learning how to teach, although it is not a straightforward process.
