CLASSROOM VISITS: Some Thoughts to Consider from the LTC

• Arrange a time to visit in advance. Unannounced visits should be avoided, even if a colleague says that any day is fine.
• Arrange a time when you will meet to discuss the class or classes you have visited. Setting this time before you actually visit will prevent your pre-tenure colleague from wondering when or if they will hear from you. It’s fine to meet after you have visited a series of classes.
• The faculty member being observed may find it helpful to talk with you shortly before class to provide you with a frame for the day's activities. It would be thoughtful to offer this as an option.
• Some department chairs have found it helpful to circulate a colleague’s syllabus with slots for faculty members to sign up. This eliminates having too many visitors in one class or course. This can also help minimize the end of the term rush to visit class.
• The Dean is recommending a minimum of two visits and a maximum of five visits total for each senior faculty member. Labs, studio art sessions, rehearsal/performance-based activities, and athletic practices are all considered forms of classes.
• Sometimes we can get very engaged in the class content and forget that we are observers, not students. Entering a discussion (unless invited by your colleague) or asking a question should be avoided.
• Be conscious of the effect your presence might have on the dynamics of a small class.
• Some faculty have found it helpful to share their notes with the colleague undergoing review as they leave the class. One format for class feedback is available in the LTC.
• When discussing a class, it is often helpful to start by asking your colleague who is undergoing review how he or she felt the class went, the extent to which this class session was typical, and the ways in which the class did (or did not) unfold as planned.
• Feedback that is descriptive is often more helpful than explaining how you might have approached a situation, at least as a starting point for discussion. Discussions about class visits can be a wonderful opportunity to have a two-way conversation about teaching.
• It is often helpful to share one's own experience in the classroom with a junior colleague, but in doing so it is important to remember that there are many different personal styles and teaching techniques that can be equally effective. Avoid attempting to persuade a colleague that he or she needs to approach a situation as you would have.
• There are many aspects of teaching to consider when observing and discussing your observations with a colleague. In addition to comments on clarity, content, and approaches taken, a visitor can provide feedback on student behaviors and interactions the instructor might not notice. For example, pace and the timing of transitions or breaks can often be adjusted with some outside feedback on what students were doing at different points during the class. The many new options for using technology in the classroom can lead to mutually enlightening discussions.