Peer feedback for teaching professional development: conditions for it to take effect

Abstract

Research on peer feedback has proven that it enhancess learning by fostering student agency and providing a deeper understanding of assessment criteria and greater capacity for self-reflection, which become key strategies for self-regulated learning. However, peer feedback does not seem to have been systematically involved in teacher training processes, especially in ongoing training. The previous literature on this topic reports both the scarcity of practices and the difficulties in their implementation. The absence of institutional support, the lack of training (which affects the quality of feedback) or the existence of non-peer relationships nor collaborative processes are some of the problems highlighted. The results show that peer feedback practices have benefits for the improvement of teachers’ competencies but that these practices must be developed in teacher collaboration settings, within safe environments. As a conclusion, a decalogue of proposals is drawn up for the design of peer feedback experiences in ongoing training processes and teacher professional development.