Within many schools, observations are used to oversee teachers’ classroom skills, the aim being to identify possible improvements, refine skills or suggest new ideas.
Yet too often this can feel like oversight and surveillance - staff feeling watched and sticking to polished scripts when under observation, in the hope of being told that everything is fine.
There is value in watching each other teach, and it is something we should look at as a measure not of control, but of a professional partnership that can genuinely help schools and their staff to grow.
Changing perspectives
At our school, this change came when we reframed classroom observation as a form of partnership during the Council of International Schools accreditation process.
In 2022, as part of our two-year self-evaluation phase, we focused on embedding differentiation and a shared understanding of high-quality teaching and learning across all lessons.
To move beyond compliance and promote genuine professional growth, we encouraged teachers to view observation not as performance monitoring, but as a collaborative learning opportunity.
Structured reflection
We introduced structured peer observations and reflective discussions to support this shift.
Teachers paired up across departments to visit each other’s classes once a month, focusing on one area of practice, questioning, transitions or feedback. No forms, no scores. Just structured reflection.
By 2023, following our social capital evaluation, the results were evident: professional trust had deepened, and multiple collaborative triads had naturally formed across teams.
The approach proved so effective in strengthening both teaching practice and collegial relationships that it became a permanent part of our professional learning culture.
How it works
To make classroom observation meaningful and manageable, we integrated it into our Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications (PDQ) programme, which was already embedded in the school’s professional learning framework.
PDQ mentors regularly visited lessons as part of the mentoring and assessment process, so we aligned peer observations with this schedule to avoid additional workload.
Teachers were given dedicated time within their timetables for these sessions, ensuring that observation was seen as a structured, supported activity rather than an optional extra.
Pairings were designed to maximise professional learning rather than convenience. Instead of observing their closest colleagues, teachers were encouraged to partner with peers who could offer constructive, subject-relevant or pedagogical insights.
For example, a science teacher might observe an English colleague known for strong questioning techniques, or a new teacher might shadow a PDQ mentor to learn classroom differentiation strategies.
This cross-departmental approach not only diversified professional dialogue but also strengthened the school’s culture of trust and openness. Many teachers even arranged additional observations as they prepared for PDQ mentor visits, recognising the value of feedback in refining their practice.
Senior staff on display
Furthermore, as part of this work, we developed “Leadership in the Classroom” sessions, where senior staff invited colleagues to observe them teaching.
All members of the senior leadership team, including the two deputy principals and the three heads of department, regularly invited colleagues to observe their lessons.
This practice was especially encouraged for early-career teachers, allowing them to witness diverse instructional strategies and leadership approaches in real classroom settings.
To ensure consistency and accessibility, these sessions were built into the school timetable, with scheduled observation slots each term.
The openness and authenticity displayed by senior staff helped normalise peer observation across the school, demonstrating that reflective practice and feedback were not evaluative exercises but shared opportunities for growth.
The goal wasn’t to showcase excellence but to model openness. One teacher noted, “Seeing my head of department struggle with group work and then reflect on it made me realise we’re all learners”.
Observation as change management
Educational change often fails not because ideas are bad, but because implementation is isolated. Classroom observation provides a structure for collective adaptation.
It turns new ideas into shared practice.
When new pedagogies or curricula are introduced, teachers can feel overwhelmed. But through peer observation cycles, change becomes manageable.
Teachers test strategies, observe outcomes and refine together. This iterative, low-stakes process transforms resistance into reflection.
Sustaining the habit
At our school, we’ve learned that the real challenge is consistency. The habit must be nurtured through time allocation, leadership participation and celebration of small wins. But once embedded, it becomes self-perpetuating.
If schools want change that lasts, they must invest in the currency of trust. Real transformation doesn’t happen when a lesson is observed; it happens when a teacher feels valued enough to open the door in the first place.
Classroom observation, when grounded in collaboration, is not just professional development; it’s professional belonging. And in an age of relentless change, that may be the most enduring innovation of all.
Ildar Iliazov is the principal of Light International School Mombasa in Kenya
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