Peer-Educator Dialogue Guide[*]
This is a "Checklist" guide, not a scaled rating or evaluation form. This guide is intended to be used as a tool to enable educators… “who teach, supervise and/or support students’ learning to gain feedback from one or more colleagues as part of the process of reflecting on their own practices” (University of Exeter). It asks peer-educators to indicate the presence of teaching activities/behaviors already established as indicative of high-quality teaching. Individual educators, units, departments, etc. can determine which of the items in the categorized lists below reflect their priorities; a targeted set of items per list will make the guide easier for educators to use.
Date:
Time:
Instructor-educator name:
Course #:
Course Title:
Modality:
No. Students:
Peer-Educator name:
Peer-educator instructions: Indicate with a check (√) the presence of the following actions and behaviors that indicate high quality teaching. Leave blank items you do not observe. Use N/A if an item is not relevant for this experience or the instructor’s teaching style.
Variety and Pacing of Instruction
The instructor-educator:
- uses more than one form of instruction
- pauses after asking questions
- accepts students’ responses
- draws non-participating students into activities/discussions
- prevents specific students from dominating activities/discussions
- helps students extend their responses
- guides the direction of discussion
- mediates conflict or differences of opinion
- demonstrates active listening
- provides explicit directions for active learning tasks (e.g. rationale, duration, product)
- allows sufficient time to complete tasks such as group work
- specifies how learning tasks will be evaluated (if at all)
- provides opportunities and time for students to practice
Examples of instructor-educator actions or behaviors that support the above indications (√):
Organization
The instructor-educator :
- arrives on time
- relates this and previous class(es), or provides students with an opportunity to do so
- provides class goals or objectives for the class session
- provides an outline or organization for the class session
- knows how to use the educational technology needed for the class
- locates class materials as needed
- makes transitional statements between class segments
- follows the stated structure
- conveys the purpose of each class activity or assignment
- completes the scheduled topics
- summarizes periodically and at the end of class (or prompts students to do so)
Examples of instructor-educator actions or behaviors that support the above indications (√):
Presentation Skills
The instructor-educator:
- is audible to all students
- articulates words so that they are understandable to students, and/or visually represents words that might he difficult for students to hear
- varies the tone and pitch of voice for emphasis and interest
- speaks at a pace that permits students to understand and take notes
- establishes and maintains eye contact
- avoids over-reliance on reading content from notes, slides, or texts
- avoids distracting mannerisms
- uses visual aids effectively (e.g. when appropriate to reinforce a concept, legible handwriting, readable slides)
- effectively uses the classroom space
Examples of instructor-educator actions or behaviors that support the above indications (√):
Clarity
The instructor-educator:
- notes new terms or concepts
- elaborates or repeats complex information
- uses examples to explain content
- makes explicit statements drawing student attention to certain ideas
- pauses during explanations to ask and answer questions
Examples of instructor-educator actions or behaviors that support the above indications (√):
Content Knowledge
The instructor-educator:
- makes statements that are accurate according to the standards of the field
- incorporates current research in the field
- identifies sources, perspectives, and authorities in the field
- identifies diverse sources, perspectives, and authorities in the field
- communicates the reasoning process behind operations and/or concepts
Examples of instructor-educator actions or behaviors that support the above indications (√):
Instructor-Student Rapport
The instructor-educator:
- attends respectfully to student comprehension or puzzlement
- invites students’ participation and comments
- treats students as individuals (e.g. uses students’ names)
- provides periodic feedback
- incorporates student ideas into class
- uses positive reinforcement (i.e. doesn’t punish or deliberately embarrass students in class)
Examples of instructor-educator actions or behaviors that support the above indications (√):
General Peer-Educator Reflection:
What did you observe that went well?
What suggestions for enhancement do you have?
Additional Comments:
[*] Adapted 1/2006 from Chism, N.V.N. (1999) Chapter 6: Classroom Observation, Peer Review of Teaching: A Sourcebook. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing, by Angela R. Linse, Executive Director, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Penn State. If you further adapt this form, please include this source citation.
