I did my first ever teaching observation. Wow, it was a really interesting experience. I play tennis regularly, and it reminded me of how when you watch someone else play, you spot your own game in theirs. This includes their strengths, weaknesses and of course a combination of how your own skills reflect theirs.
I also realised that I approach lecturing in a similar way to many: as a kind of performance which requires a lot of energy and rigour. I realise that this approach can work well to engage and amplify the information, but after a certain length of time, I want to learn how to maintain the groups focus, attention, engagement and creative thinking. For this to work, I need to adopt a more dynamic approach which means people feel comfortable enough to interrupt, ask questions and most importantly; I need to plan in moments and micro-tasks where I ask those present to contribute, engage and shape what the lecture involves. I think a key awareness for how long students can remain in a passive mode is important for me to learn.
I have completed my observation form and hope the observee finds it useful. I am far-less experienced than them of course, but I broke things down chronologically and tried to spot patterns emerging, or correlations which they can choose to interrogate the causal integrity of.
I am looking forward to being observed and hope it will be a session where the observer is able to provide me with useful feedback.