ABSTRACT
Lesson observation continues to be one of the most widely discussed and hotly debated areas of practice amongst those involved in the teaching profession. In recent years much of this debate has centred on its use as a performance management mechanism with which to evaluate the quality of teaching and teacher effectiveness. In England, the removal of graded lesson observations from Ofsted’s inspection framework marked a significant milestone in policy development, which heightened interest further and opened up new possibilities for the ways in which the teaching profession conceptualises and engages with observation. Yet this shift in policy has not necessarily been matched by a parallel shift in practice in many circles. Despite Ofsted’s recent change in stance, there is concern amongst teachers that it is unlikely to lead to a change in the mindsets and working practices of some senior managers/leaders in education. This is unsurprising given how engrained the normalised practice of graded observations has become in many institutions over the last few decades. But what does this tell us about the role that observation has traditionally played in the lives of teachers and the role it could play in the future?
