10 questions to ask in a lesson observation review

Lesson observations vary considerably from school to school, and even department to department in some cases. For some, they’re little more than a tick-box exercise with no process or structure around how they should work. For others they’re well-designed, planned, and a critical part of developing professional educator practices. The key is making sure you encourage two-way feedback. So, ask the right questions and make your lesson observation reviews worthwhile.

Even if school leaders recognize lesson observations shape better teachers, the execution isn’t always great. Yes, a lesson may be impeccably observed with copious notes taken whilst in the classroom. But feedback is often underwhelming (if it happens at all).

The process shouldn’t stop at the observation. Instead, ask the right questions and adopt a lesson observation review. Like other performance related conversations, this invites a two-way discussion focused on improvements and support. Let’s consider:

• Why lesson observations need two-way feedback
• 3 questions to set the foundations of the lesson observation review
• 3 questions that explore the student experience of lessons
• 4 personal development reflections

Why lesson observations need two-way feedback

A lesson observation review needs to follow every lesson observation. Why? So the observation itself becomes meaningful. If students received a grade with no feedback on an essay, how would they know what to do differently next time? The same is true for teachers.

They need an environment where feedback can be shared freely between teacher and observer, to support change and make improvements in educational delivery. The lesson observation review must reflect on what’s gone well and less well. It considers the student experience. And it should identify any areas of support the teacher needs for the future.

Think of it like a performance review (and find a dedicated performance management system that makes it really simple). You want to ask open questions in your lesson observation review. And encourage wider discussion so you can deliver the best education to your students.

10 questions to ask in a lesson observation review

There are three main themes you want to cover:

• Setting the foundations for best practice
• The student experience
• Personal reflections and development

By looking at each aspect, you create a rounded view of what’s going brilliantly. And also highlight themes for providing support and professional development.

3 questions to set the foundations of best practice

1. What makes a good lesson in your subject?

This is a great opener as it isn’t directly about the teacher’s own lesson. Rather it’s a way to get them thinking about the context of great teaching.

Most teachers (beyond trainees and NQTs) know what a great subject lesson looks like. They’ll share excitement around topics, ideas and delivery. If they don’t, this is a good opportunity to frame the rest of the conversation around best practice and ideal outcomes.

2. How hard was that lesson to plan?

It’s normal to put in extra planning hours for a lesson observation, or an inspection. But you need to gauge how much extra effort went in. Was this lesson typical for students or has the teacher changed their approach just for today?

Ideally you want an observed lesson to be as close to normal as possible. After all, that gives the best opportunity for review. If a teacher was anxious preparing for observation, understand why. Discuss their current preparation approaches and offer advice and support to make lesson planning easier in the future.

3. Would you say that was a typical lesson with that class?

This links to question 2 and helps you reflect on how the students react to an observation. Did their behavior or learning shift compared to normal? Are they usually disruptive or do they engage well?

As the observer, knowing this provides useful context for the rest of the conversation. When it’s a typical lesson, you have a baseline for how the students normally interact. And informs the questions you focus on for the rest of the lesson observation review.

3 questions for a lesson observation review around student experience

What students learn (or don’t learn) is a critical measure in the success of teaching. So it’s important to think about their experience during the lesson observation too.

4. How well do you think you involved the students in the lesson?

Student participation is a key learning tool that should be applied in most lessons. Find out whether the teacher recognizes this (and if they encourage it). Consider the strategies they use to involve students, and how they help students to learn. And identify opportunities to draw quieter students in so they also benefit from applying their learning.  

Alternatively, for some teachers, there is too much participation. So explore the boundaries of student involvement. And discuss ways to develop the teacher’s assertiveness so they can regain control of the room. There’s no doubt discussions are a great way to explore a topic. But if it hinders your ability to cover the syllabus the balance may need adjusting.

5. What do you hope students took away from their lesson with you?

Great lessons are well-planned with a clear lesson objective. This question helps you understand how focused the teacher really was. They should know straight away what the objective was for the session. And that should be at the center of all they do.

Achieving learning objectives is a measure of success, so understanding how teachers set them helps you see where planning is lacking. Use the questions in your lesson observation review to assess how proactively teachers are thinking. And understand any other measures they use to track progress. Then, suggest tools and strategies they might benefit from in the future, so students are getting the takeaways they need.

6. Do you think anyone found it particularly easy or difficult? If so, why?

Great teachers respond to how students are engaging with the topic. As a result, they adapt their approach as required. So, it’s important teachers spot how the lesson is landing. Was anything not working? How did they adapt? What will they do differently moving forward?

The best teachers identify behaviors in their students and adjust their style to meet individuals where they are. And they’re keen to develop their own teaching skills. That’s why you should encourage reflection on the student experience. Allow teachers to highlight any gaps they’ve missed and help them develop to be more effective.

4 personal development reflections

As with any development discussions, it’s important to look at strengths and successes. So, as you complete your lesson observation review, ask questions which help teachers to focus on what they excel at. And identify support available to help them address knowledge and skills gaps.

7. How do you feel your lesson went today?

This is an important question to include – are they happy with how the lesson went or did it fall short of what they were hoping to achieve? Few, if any, lesson observations go perfectly so it’s helpful to ask for the teacher’s view. They often call out observations you have made anyway, so it makes discussing those issues much easier.

Perhaps they missed a key point they wanted to cover. Maybe they were called away from class briefly and got flustered as they came back. It’s also worth understanding whether they were relaxed or anxious at being observed, and feed that into your overall review.

8. What are you most proud of from today’s lesson?

Encourage teachers to focus on what’s great. What can they shout about? What motivates them to keep going and gets them excited about their subject? Celebrating successes is a key part of the lesson observation review. You need to know what really brings your teachers to life, so you can draw on it more (for them and their students).

It’s also a great way to spot anything that needs changing. Listening to what engages them might spark ideas they can apply to their teaching in the future.

9. What didn’t go so well and how would you handle it next time?

The questions you ask are to aid reflection and growth, so teachers can learn, grow and do things better next time. So it’s worth asking this question, even when it’s a great lesson – you can nearly always spot some areas for improvement.

If the lesson went off plan, this is a good way to consider why. Look at their resources, planning, teaching or behavior management. Identify areas for development which make the more challenging aspects a little bit easier. Then offer feedbackon how to change their approach. And hold regular check-ins to review progress and continue to provide support.

10. What support do you need from the school to be the best teacher you can be?

It’s no secret, teaching budgets can be incredibly tight. But that doesn’t mean you should shy away from asking teachers what they need to be the best educators they can be.

You won’t be able to provide everything they ask for, but you can spot common trends. And that helps you understand where investment could help improve educational outcomes.

You’ll also build a more supportive and trusting culture among your teaching staff, as long as you follow up. So be realistic about what you can do and be sure to let them know what that is.

Preparing for your lesson observation review

The idea of a lesson observation review might be new to you, or it might be something you do already. Either way, it’s important to approach it with two things in mind:

1. Two-way conversation is key: the whole point is to engage your teachers in the process. You aren’t just telling them how it is and walking away. You want them involved in the discussion. And you need to look for opportunities to improve the learning for their students while developing their own skills.
2. Make it easy: Have a system that keeps it simple. Not another platform they need to learn – teachers already feel there’s too much administration to do. Instead, introduce an approach to capture key points and track improvements as they go.