Peer review in the preparation of Practice Teachers Valerie Keating Catherine Dawe

Aim of the Research To engage and develop student practice teachers in peer review strategies

Methodology Action Research first developed by Lewin (1946) was used for this development One of the features of action research is its collaborative approach with participants We felt that we needed this participant involvement in order to empower the students involved and to progress the development of the peer review.

Action Research Cycle Identify the issue (Need to develop a peer review tool) Plan the intervention (develop the peer review strategy with the students) Carry out the intervention (peer review tool incorporated into the module) Evaluate the effectiveness of the peer review tool (students involved in evaluation of the peer review experience) Reflect on the evaluations and make provision for further developments

Practice Teacher Course Prepares community practitioners (Health Visitors, School Nurses and District Nurses) to become practice teachers Pg Cert in Health Care Education (Practice Teacher) (60 credits) Includes module on the Principles and Practice of the Practice Teacher Role (30credits)

Background to the research Peer review became part of the assessment on the Practice Teacher module at Sheffield Hallam in 2007 Based on the students presenting a seminar on one of the Practice Teacher Standards (NMC 2008) Facilitated the students in developing and engaging in peer review through developing a tool and taking part in reviewing their peers

Following review students asked to complete an assignment with the following criteria: o Quality of their seminar paper, its clarity structure and relevance to the practice teacher role o Critical self reflection of the processes involved in the preparation and presentation of the seminar (including a self evaluation tool) o Critical evaluation of the processes and issues involved in peer review undertaken

How did they feel about the process? Anxiety around evaluating their peers work Evaluating as a group was seen to be positive as it allowed learning to take place from each other There was a sense of partnership working in the learning experience Felt they needed more experience and confidence in the process of peer review There was negotiation and compromise Gained confidence as the process developed

How did they feel about assessing each other? Did not want to be seen as criticising if their feedback was less than positive Being collectively swayed from negative comments More time was needed to discuss the peer review outcomes to better identify strengths and weaknesses At times the process felt rushed, did not allow for the sharing of feedback

What support and guidance did they receive? Felt reassured that the process was complemented by formative tutor feedback and therefore not from peers alone Support was good from fellow colleagues

What did they think about the tools used? Felt the tools used were clear and easy to use Using the same tool throughout afforded familiarity and reliability Process got easier with each review Liked experimenting with other tools In the last two years the students developed their own tool for review

Conclusions Practice teachers have become more confident in their overall assessment skills Practice teachers gained valuable experience in developing their own tools Practice teachers valued the experience of being ‘assessed’ in a safe environment

Thank you for listening Are there any questions?