Peer review of classroom teaching: an interim report

This paper provides interim findings from the implementation of peer review of classroom teaching in a large UK University School of Nursing, Midwifer y and Health Visiting. A total of 258 classroom teaching sessions, involvin g 129 teaching staff (n = 129) were included over a period of 7 months. Tea chers had two teaching sessions reviewed by a colleague. One reviewer was s elf-nominated and the Dean of School allocated the other. The paper is in t wo parts. Part one includes a short literature review followed by a descrip tive account of how peer review was implemented. Part two focuses upon indi vidual experiences from a small scale study with data obtained from 14 teac hers (n = 14) who took part in qualitative interviews based on their experi ences of being both reviewer and reviewee. The larger study gathered data f rom several sources. This paper presents the initial findings from intervie w data with nurse teachers. Their perceptions form the basis of a discussio n, which raises issues related to the experience of both implementing and b eing involved in, peer review of classroom teaching. Four themes emerged from the interview transcriptions; peer review was init ially perceived as a threat; the experience of peer review was a positive o ne; teachers felt that being a reviewer was an interesting and worthwhile e xperience and perceived peer review positively when good relations existed between them and their reviewer. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.