Rethinking Lesson Observations: From Performance to Professional Learning - Birmingham - Speakers

Dr Matt O’Leary, Reader in Education, Faculty of Health, Education and Life Science, Birmingham City University

Dr Matt O’Leary is Reader in Education at Birmingham City University. Prior to this he was the co-founder of the Centre for Research and Development in Lifelong Education (CRADLE) and a principal lecturer in post-compulsory education at the University of Wolverhampton.

Matt has worked as a teacher, teacher educator, head of department and educational researcher for over 20 years in colleges, schools and universities in England, Mexico and Spain. He is well known internationally for his work on classroom observation and is regarded as one of the first educational researchers in the UK to investigate and critique the practice of graded lesson observations.

He is also the author of the highly acclaimed book Classroom Observation: A Guide to the Effective Observation of Teaching and Learning (Routledge 2014). Follow Matt on Twitter @drmattoleary.

Joanne Miles, Freelance Consultant, Coach & Trainer, Joanne Miles Consulting

Joanne has worked in education for the last twenty years, in both teaching and training roles in the private and Further Education sectors. In London FE colleges she spent ten years in Professional Development as a teacher trainer, observer and CPD Lead, setting up CPD programmes, events and coaching networks.

Joanne was based at the Learning Skills Network in a managing consultant role for two years and worked with twenty colleges, schools and Sixth Forms to improve their CPD, project management and coaching delivery.

She is now a freelance trainer, consultant and coach. She is interested in whole organization approaches to developing teaching and learning and building capacity for improvement through solution-focused planning and coaching skills.