O2G: Observe to Grow

At the Teaching and Learning Centre, we firmly believe that the development of teachers and leaders must be an essential part of school life at Aitchison. To improve teaching quality and effectiveness, teachers must observe their peers. O2G is a voluntary system of professional support that helps teachers at any stage in their career gain valuable insights about their teaching performance in a confidential, trusting and formative climate. It simply involves inviting a colleague into one’s classroom and asking him/her to give his/her insights about the delivery of material, student experience and other important teaching-related factors. For the O2G pilot, eighteen teachers were selected from the three schools, the Junior, the Prep and the Senior, and they attended a two-hour workshop at the Prep School library to fully understand the O2G concept. Their task was simple: they were to observe two teachers within the group (any grade/subject) using a simple form. They were also required to share two positive aspects that went well in the lesson they observed. This procedure was very closely monitored by TLC through status reports, while the Heads of Schools, HOD’s and Coordinators ensured that teachers were fully facilitated during the observations.