Peer Teaching Experiences: A Guide for Reflection and Discourse
This is an instructional document for both peer teachers and participants engaging in peer experiences.
The purpose of this document is to:
- provide a clear framework for comments on the practice teaching of your peers
- provide instructions and examples for how comments can be both candid and caring
- provide a gradient for what is an acceptable comment for each experience level
| Experience Levels (Expressed in Shinobi Ranks[1]) | Coursework | And… | Field Observation Hours Completed |
| LEVEL 1Academy Student(Akademī-sei)忍者学校生 | Currently not finished with all 100 and 200 level Music Education courses (Mus 201, 112, 113, 114, 115a/b) | Fewer than 20 Field Observation Hours completed and turned in | |
| LEVEL 2Genin下忍(low Ninja) | Second-year Music Education Majors who have passed all 100 and 200 level Music Education courses (Mus 201, 112, 113, 114, 115a/b) | 20-40 Field Observation Hours completed andturned in | |
| LEVEL 3Chuunin中忍(middle Ninja) | Third-year Music Education Majors who are currently completing the Professional Licensure Sequence in Music Education (Mus 301 a/b), | 41-100 Field Observation Hours completed andturned in | |
| LEVEL 4Jounin上忍(high Ninja) | Fourth-year Music Education students who have completed 301A, B and are currently in 301B or Student Teaching | 0-5 years of post-licensure teaching experience | |
| LEVEL 5Kage[2]影(Shadow) | Professors of Music Education and licensed music teachers |
The Six Qualities of Valid Critique
The goal of valid critique for teaching is to prompt reflection for everyone present. For our peer observations, valid critique consists of questions and comments that display the following six qualities.
Table 2: Qualities
| Informed | Critique that informed by adequate knowledge and experience is far more helpful to discourse. |
| Respectful | When you offer critique through a question or comment that comes from a well of knowledge/experience, you are showing care and respect. |
| Humble | People place greater value on praise that comes from knowledge and experience. We ask less experienced peers, therefore, to use thoughtful questions rather than praise for the peer teacher. We encourage higher-level students to show restraint (humility) by not presuming to offer teaching advice to more experienced peers, especially when they are a captive audience. |
| Thoughtful | We want peers and future mentors to take time to ponder what they really want to say or ask and to double-check that their contribution contains all six of these qualities. |
| Positive | In this context, “positive” means that you pose a question or comment in positive rather than negative language. Think do rather than don’tto help prevent a defensive reaction. Each of the six qualities in this list are statedpositively. You may also refer to Table 1 for examples. |
| Open to return-critique | If you construct a question or comment that is informed, respectful, positive, etc., then you can be confident enough to receive a return question or comment from the receiver, who may need to clarify your statement. That’swhat discourse (two-way communication) is about. For the discourse to continue, return-critique must likewise hold these six qualities. |
Modes of critique for peers and mentors
The system focuses on three primary modes of critique: a) Questions (General and Specific), b) Positive Comments (General and Specific) c) Targeted Praise and Question Structures (TPQs). Please note how the examples are positively worded and embody the Six Qualities outlined earlier.
Table 3: Three modes of critique according to experience levels
| Mode of Critique | Specificity | Examples | Experience Level (Shinobi levels are just for fun) |
| Question | General Question | Why did you choose to…?What were the results that you envisioned when you were planning the lesson?How are you planning to follow up in the next lesson? | Level 1 Academy Student |
| Specific Question | Who is your target for this lesson?Why did you select this material?Why did you choose a neutral vowel sound at the beginning of your lesson instead of the written lyrics? | Level 2 Genin | |
| Positive Comment | General Comment | Your lesson was clear and it was easy to understand where you were going.I thought this lesson had clear closure that matched what you said the learning objective was. | Level 3 Chuunin |
| Specific Comment | It seemed amazingly effective to me when you looked directly at the group who was talking too much.Even though the activity you used took more time than you expected, I was excited to see how it engaged the students.[3] | Level 4 Jounin | |
| Targeted Praise and Question Structures(TPQs) | General or Specific | TP: Your question for the students seemed very clear to me. Q: Do you think that the students understood the question?TP: I liked that you used kinesthetic strategies. Q: Did students respond according to your expectations?TP: You structured your game wellbut I was wondering… (Q)… why you chose not to restart the game when students were having difficulty?[4] | Level 5 Kage |
[1] Shinobi is interchangeable with Ninja. The Shinobi ranks presented here are taken from the Japanese Anime series, Naruto Shippuden.
[2] The SIUE Village Nikage (two Kage): Utakage 歌影 (Song Shadow) and Gakkikage 歌影(Instrument Shadow)
[3] Note that critique regarding a time problem was stated in a neutral, observational way that retains the Six Qualities and encourages reflection rather than reaction.
[4] “I was wondering why…?” This focuses on reflection rather than blame yet still acknowledges an issue.
Teaching, Performing and Learning Music 