Peer Perspectives on Teaching: A Case Study in Mathematics

Abstract

This paper describes an experiment devised to increase our understanding of good teaching practices. Each of two instructors selected a topic and on two consecutive mornings they taught a topic of their choice to a group of 21 experienced and competent tertiary educators but without expertise in the subject area being taught. The organization of the experiment is outlined, and the subject matter selected and strategies adopted by the instructors are described. Outcomes of the experiment are reported in two ways: in terms of general comments provided by the independent evaluator and in terms of the participant's reactions to the exercise. While mathematics teaching was the basis of this study, the peer review process described has general applicability to all disciplines.