DEEP is about Developing Education through Enhancing Performance, and one way we've found to do that, is through professional noticing - the art of actively observing and reflecting on what's happening in your classroom, and using that information to improve your teaching practice. In this blog post, we'll explore why professional noticing is so important for teacher observation and development, as well as strategies for honing your observation skills and providing meaningful feedback to support teacher growth. So grab a cup of coffee (or tea!) and join us on this journey towards becoming a more effective educator through the power of professional noticing!
Definition of Professional Noticing
Professional noticing is an innovative approach to teacher observation and development that involves honing in on specific moments in the classroom. It's a focused way of paying attention to what's happening and using those observations as opportunities for growth.
At its core, professional noticing is about developing a keen awareness of the nuances of teaching practice. This includes everything from how students are engaging with material to the ways in which teachers are delivering instruction.
It's important to note that professional noticing isn't just about identifying areas for improvement; it's also about recognising strengths and building upon them. By taking a closer look at what works well, teachers can develop strategies for amplifying their successes.
Professional noticing is all about being intentional with our observations so that we can use them to inform our teaching practices. With this approach, we're able to gain insights into what makes effective teaching tick and apply those learnings across all aspects of our work in education.
Developing Effective Observation Skills for Teacher Growth
As a teacher, observing and analysing your own teaching style is an essential part of professional growth. It can help you identify areas where you need improvement, make changes to improve student learning outcomes, and become a more effective educator.
To develop effective observation skills for teacher growth, the first step is to set clear goals for yourself. Identify what specific aspects of your teaching practice you want to focus on improving and use those as the basis for your observations.
Next, it's important to be intentional in how you observe yourself in action. Consider recording or videoing yourself during lessons so that you can go back and analyse the footage later. This will allow you to pick up on subtleties that may not have been immediately apparent during the lesson itself.
It's also important to seek out feedback from colleagues or mentors who can provide constructive criticism on your teaching practice. Take their input seriously and use it as an opportunity for reflection and growth.
Regular self-reflection is key when developing effective observation skills, much like the approach described in mastering deliberate practice. Take time after each lesson or unit to reflect on what went well, what didn't, and what changes could be made moving forward. By doing so consistently over time, these reflections will become second nature - ultimately leading to improved teaching practices overall!
What the Research Says About Professional Noticing
Professional noticing has its roots in mathematics education research, where Miriam Sherin's work on "professional vision" demonstrated that expert teachers perceive and interpret classroom events fundamentally differently from novices. Sherin's video club studies showed that when teachers repeatedly watched and discussed classroom footage, they developed increasingly sophisticated capacities for noticing mathematically significant student thinking. This concept has since been extended well beyond mathematics to encompass all subjects and all aspects of classroom practice.
The Education Endowment Foundation's guidance on effective professional development identifies several mechanisms through which professional noticing contributes to teacher growth. Their review found that the most impactful professional development programmes share common features: they are sustained over time, involve collaboration with colleagues, and include cycles of observation, reflection, and feedback. Professional noticing sits at the intersection of all three. It provides the observational lens, reflection provides the processing mechanism, and feedback closes the loop.
In the international school context where I work, professional noticing takes on additional dimensions. Teachers are often observing across cultural boundaries -- an observer from one educational tradition may interpret classroom dynamics differently from a teacher trained in another. Building a shared vocabulary for professional noticing helps bridge these differences and creates a more equitable observation culture.
Common Pitfalls in Teacher Observation
Despite good intentions, many observation systems fall short because they focus on compliance rather than development. Here are some of the most common pitfalls I have encountered in my work with schools, alongside the professional noticing approaches that can address them.
| Pitfall | Description | Professional Noticing Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Tick-box observation | Observer works through a checklist without attending to classroom dynamics | Focus on specific teaching moments and their impact on learning |
| Confirmation bias | Observer sees what they expect to see based on prior impressions | Use structured protocols that require evidence for each claim |
| Feedback overload | Post-observation conversation covers too many points | Identify 1-2 high-leverage observations for focused discussion |
| Deficit framing | Feedback centres on what went wrong | Balance noticing of strengths with developmental areas |
| Lack of follow-up | Observation is a one-off event with no sustained support | Build observation into ongoing coaching cycles |
| Observer inconsistency | Different observers prioritise different things | Calibrate through shared video analysis sessions |
Each of these pitfalls represents a failure of noticing -- either noticing the wrong things, noticing too many things at once, or failing to notice what matters most. The shift from generic observation to professional noticing is fundamentally a shift in attention: from "what is the teacher doing?" to "what is happening in the learning?"
Strategies for Meaningful Feedback in Teacher Observation
In order for teacher observation and development to be effective, it is essential that meaningful feedback is provided. This can be achieved through a variety of strategies, including using specific examples and evidence to support feedback, offering suggestions for improvement rather than criticism, and emphasising the positive aspects of teaching.
Professional noticing plays an important role in this process by helping observers recognise areas of strengths and weaknesses in a teacher's performance. By developing effective observation skills, educators can provide constructive feedback that helps teachers grow professionally.
The art of professional noticing in teacher observation and development requires patience, skillful communication, and a genuine desire to help colleagues improve their practice. With these tools at our disposal, we can create supportive learning environments where teachers feel empowered to take risks and grow as professionals. Understanding what metrics matter most in education can further sharpen this feedback process.
DEEP Development Kit - Professional Noticing
In the rapidly evolving world of education, professional noticing stands as a key element in transforming your teaching practices. It's about tuning into the nuances of your classroom, understanding your students better, and refining your methods. But how can you effectively achieve this? That's where the DEEP Development Kit comes into play.
Our kit is a tool that combines technology and pedagogical research to help you unlock the power of professional noticing. With the innovative SCRIPT framework, you'll have a systematic approach to observing, analysing, and enhancing your teaching.
Imagine watching a replay of your class, spotting elements you missed in real-time, and using these insights to make your next lesson even more impactful. This is the experience that the DEEP Development Kit provides.
Whether you're a new educator honing your craft or a seasoned teacher seeking a fresh perspective, our kit offers valuable insights that can elevate your teaching practice. You can also explore our full range of professional development training to continue your growth.
Conclusion: From Observation to Professional Culture
Professional noticing is ultimately about more than individual teacher improvement -- it is about building a professional culture where observation is welcomed rather than feared, where feedback is specific rather than generic, and where growth is continuous rather than episodic. The schools I have seen make the greatest strides in teaching quality are those that have embedded professional noticing into the fabric of daily practice, not as an add-on to appraisal cycles but as a way of thinking about classrooms.
This requires investment -- in training observers, in creating time for collaborative viewing and discussion, and in building the trust that allows teachers to be genuinely open about their practice. It also requires a shift in language: from judgement to inquiry, from evaluation to understanding, from "what did you do wrong?" to "what did we notice about the learning?" When these conditions are met, professional noticing becomes one of the most powerful levers available for improving teaching and, by extension, the educational experience of every student in our care.
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Looking for hands-on support with AI integration, curriculum design, or teacher professional development? Alex works with schools and organisations worldwide to build practical, evidence-informed approaches to education technology.
