Why your teachers seem to ignore your feedback from learning walks or observations

In our last Get Further Curriculum Team blog, we explored why teachers often struggle to implement your teaching and learning CPD. Today, Curriculum Manager Ed Noon continues the conversation, examining why feedback from learning walks or observations often goes unacted upon. 

Back in April, Get Further’s Senior Curriculum Manager (Toni Harper) and I presented at the College of West Anglia’s Learning Skills and Research Network (LSRN) conference a talk entitled ‘Observations Reimagined.’ In it, we focused on a recent history of observations and how they have transformed over time. We also shared how the use of video recording has supported us here at Get Further to develop our tutors even more this year (more on that in the final blog post of this series!).  

We began by asking the audience to reflect on what an observation is and what makes one good. As expected, in answer to the former question, we heard ideas which boiled down to a senior leader who visits a lesson to check the teacher is complying with the standards and policies of the institution and sometimes gives feedback. Responding to ‘what makes a good observation?’ teachers told us that it should not feel hierarchical, should not pass a judgement on their ability in the form of a grade or rating, and should inspire them and give them the skills to develop and improve. 

Sadly, our study of the history of observations concluded that they were hierarchical: a senior leader would be the single visitor; they would be rare and high stakes; they would focus on poor proxies for learning and visible compliance with policies; and they would pass judgement (often using Ofsted ratings) as part of the annual appraisal process, with this often linked to pay progression. 

Evidently, this process did not lay the foundations for teachers to improve in an environment of safety and support. Thankfully, over time, observations have changed: more commonly, teachers form pairs or triads and observe one another in non-hierarchical groups. Visits will occur regularly and be low-stakes; the focus will be on improving tangible skills and processes which will support student learning; and they are typically non-judgemental. Feedback conversations are a dialogue and occur with professional curiosity and interest as opposed to imposed instructions to follow.  

So, despite these developments over time, why do so many teachers still make no recognisable improvements after observations or learning walks? Firstly, in many institutions, despite the good will of those involved, there is no clear focus or foundational shared understanding between teachers (see the first blog post in this series for more on this!). Without clear training and development of staff initially, conversations and feedback are erratic and the highest leverage changes are not identified.  

Secondly, the time and space for visiting other teachers is not sacrosanct. There must be dedicated, ring-fenced time for teachers to observe one another and time for dialogue and reflection to occur as well.  

Thirdly, institutions must strive to create a culture of openness and feedback, where it becomes part of everyday existence. In so many educational establishments, attempts to develop the workforce fall flat because the culture is one of distrust and scepticism about the intentions of others. Feedback must become something viewed as a gift, not a threat. And, as Dylan Wiliam says, it should not be ego-involving – either to inflate or threaten the individual – but task-involving, to focus on how a teacher can improve, not prove (credit to John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley in their book ‘Putting Staff First’). 

At Get Further, we’ve spent several years creating and developing our Feedback and Reflection cycles alongside a culture of regular drop-ins. Crucially, tutors receive high-quality training when they join us, and each drop-in or feedback visit is clearly aligned with that training. We work to foster a culture of trust and support, where tutors feel safe to ask for and receive feedback from peers, Lead Tutors, and the central team. Each visit is conducted with a co-reviewer, and together they reflect on the tutor’s practice in a spirit of intellectual curiosity and shared commitment to improving the quality of tuition and student outcomes. 

Co-reviewers and tutors agree on action steps that include a clear ‘why’ and ‘how’, and are linked to wider educational reading, listening, or viewing. These steps are small, manageable, and high-leverage, designed to make a real difference to students’ learning. Each action includes phrases like ‘by’ or ‘so that’ to help tutors understand exactly what to do and why. For example: “Ensure students are paying attention and ready to learn by waiting for complete silence before starting the exposition.” Tutors are also encouraged to invite drop-ins to share their progress and learning with their tutor team. 

By keeping the action steps small and simple, tutors have the cognitive space to implement and embed them. Once they reach automaticity, they are ready for a new action step to develop another aspect of their tutoring. 

In your setting, how do observations happen and what is the impact of them? How could they be different to support teacher improvement and better student outcomes? 

Written by Ed Noon, English Curriculum Manager at Get Further.

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Next in the series: Why introducing video recording could transform your teachers’ development and learning.