ABSTRACT
A considerable body of applied educational research carried out over the last two decades acknowledges that one of the most successful means of improving the quality of student learning outcomes is by investing in effective teacher education and CPD (e.g. Darling-Hammond 2000, 2006; IfL 2010, 2012). Nowadays the notion of the ‘refl ective practitioner’ undergirds any ITT or CPD programme. Teachers are encouraged to critically refl ect on what goes on in their classrooms in order to bring about meaningful and sustained change through increasing or shifting awareness in their behaviour. It seems appropriate then to begin the opening section of this chapter by providing the reader with a brief insight into the origins of the refl ective practitioner, some of the key factors underpinning the notion of (critical) refl ection as well as exploring its practical application through the medium of classroom observation. As part of this discussion, the chapter explores what I refer to as ‘expansive approaches to observation’ (O’Leary 2012c), with an emphasis on differentiated and peer-based models and their role in promoting teacher learning. The fi nal section includes a range of targeted observation tasks where the focus and structure is varied, enabling observer and observee to maximize the developmental benefi ts and to use these observations as a springboard for collaborative, professional dialogue and learning.
