Rethinking lesson observation: From performance to professional learning - Speakers

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

Dr Matt O’Leary is a Reader in Education at Birmingham City University. He has worked as a teacher, teacher educator, head of department and educational researcher in colleges, schools and universities in England, Mexico and Spain for over twenty years. Many of his research interests are rooted in the field of teacher education, particularly exploring the relationship between education policy and the continuous professional development of teachers.

Matt is well known internationally for his work on classroom observation, which has been instrumental in challenging engrained orthodoxies and influencing policy makers and national debates. He is the author of Classroom observation: A guide to the effective observation of teaching and learning (2014) and author and editor of the recent book Reclaiming lesson observation: supporting excellence in teacher learning (2016), both of which are published by Routledge.

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.