Peer Partnerships is a professional learning program for the continuous improvement of teaching practice.

In program evaluations, teachers typically report that Peer Partnerships increases their confidence, builds positive professional relationships and is extremely beneficial in the development of their teaching practice (96% of participant evaluations stated the “program was useful” N=109). The positive impact of the Peer Partnerships program is further demonstrated by program evaluation comments from participants:

• One of the most positive and enriching professional development experiences I have had in nearly ten years at RMIT.

• Best PD ever…this is a great structure for reflective practice in teaching and learning!

• The most interesting aspect of this program is the concept of non-threatening partnerships as a tool for learning.

• Very positive and insightful, helped me conceive and expand possibilities for my own teaching practice, sparked new ideas.

• I found peer partnerships to be a really effective way of learning and reflecting on practice. It was particularly rewarding as a sessional teacher as many other opportunities aren't open to us so it made me feel part of the RMIT team - for possibly the first time - which is really important to me.

Publications Related to Peer Partnerships

Wingrove, D., and A. Clarke, (2020). ‘Championing peer feedback on educational practice: Partnerships for learning and development in tertiary teaching’. In T. Barkatsas & T. McLaughlin (Eds.) Championing cutting edge 21st century mentoring and learning models and approaches (pp. 45-66). Brill Sense Publishers, Boston: USA.

Chester, A., Johnston, A., & Clarke A. (2019) ‘Partnerships for Learning and Belonging in Tertiary Education: A social capital analysis’. In B. Tynan, T. McLaughlin, A. Chester, C Hall-Vanden Elsen & B. Kennedy (Eds.) Transformation in tertiary teaching: engaging for belonging, (pp. 11-26). Singapore: Springer.

Wingrove D., L. Hammersley-Fletcher, A. Clarke, and A. Chester, 2017. “Leading Developmental Peer Observation of Teaching in Higher Education: Perspectives from Australia and England”, British Journal of Educational Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00071005.2017.1336201: 1 -17.

Wingrove, D., Clarke, A., and A. Chester. 2015. “Distributing leadership for sustainable peer feedback on tertiary teaching, Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 12: 1 – 12

In 2012 I co-designed, developed and led Peer Partnerships with Professor Andrea Chester and Dallas Wingrove at RMIT University. Over the period 2012 – 2017 we secured annual university-wide strategic funding for this program. Peer Partnerships involves voluntary and reciprocal observations of teaching, formative feedback on those observations and guided professional discussions on pedagogy and teaching practice.