What are we really looking for in observations?

Too many lesson observations focus on performance. Is the teacher confident? Is the explanation clear? Is the pace right? Is there a plenary?

These things matter. But they can all be present in a lesson where very little learning is actually happening.

The harder question is: what are pupils thinking? Are they grappling with the material? Are they making connections? Are they using the vocabulary of the subject with increasing precision?

When we observe teaching without attending to learning, we miss the point.

A lesson can look polished and leave pupils no further forward. A lesson can feel messy and be full of genuine thinking. The surface doesn’t tell us enough.

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This matters because what we look for shapes what teachers prioritise. If observations reward performance, teachers will perform. If they reward evidence of pupil thinking, teachers will design for thinking.

The shift isn’t about being harder on teachers. It’s about being more honest about what we’re trying to see.

What would change if your observations started with the question: what are pupils understanding, and how do we know?

I explore this further in KS3: The Ambitious Years and it’s available here

Until next time

Mary