*CANCELLED* What can(’t) we learn from lesson observation?

28th January 2019 : 12:45 - 14:00

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances this seminar has been cancelled. The organisers apologies for any inconvenience caused.

A part of the Quantitative Methods Hub Seminar Programme HT 2019

Lesson observation has long been a central part of both accountability systems and of educational research (in particular research on teacher effectiveness). The practise is controversial, however, especially when used for accountability purposes such as for judging the quality of teaching, teachers, lessons or subjects, with both reliability and validity highlighted as potentially problematic. In this presentation we will draw on a large-scale research programme conducted by Ofsted in which we looked at both validity and reliability of lesson observation as a component of inspecting the quality of education. We draw on data from observations of over 350 lessons by two paired inspectors/researchers analysed using a range of methods. Conclusions are relevant to both accountability and research.