From 1 Hour to 5 Minutes: How TeacherMatic Is Transforming Lesson Observations

Lesson observations are essential for improving teaching, learning and assessment, yet the process can create pressure for both teachers and observers. Write-ups take hours. Feedback can be inconsistent. Data is rarely analysed. Many educators feel the system is more about judgement than development.

TeacherMatic takes a different approach. Built by educators and grounded in pedagogy, it supports the entire observation lifecycle in a way that reduces workload and strengthens professional dialogue. This blog follows the same order as the recent Deep Dive session, guiding you through each phase of the process and the generators that support it.

Watch this Deep Dive to see TeacherMatic in action. The session walks through observation prompts, feedback reports, coaching and mentoring tools, and the CPD planner. A great way to understand how TeacherMatic can reduce workload and strengthen professional dialogue.

Phase 1: Preparation – Lesson Observation Prompts

The first challenge in observations is stepping into lessons outside your specialism. An observer may understand pedagogy but not the subject’s technical content. The result can be uncertainty and surface-level feedback.

The Lesson Observation Prompts generator solves this. Observers enter the subject and topic and receive a detailed list of look-fors that blend technical accuracy with pedagogical expectations.

For example, entering a bricklaying topic such as setting out a right angle corner in a wall produces prompts about mortar joint thickness, correct brick bonding and the use of a spirit level. This empowers observers to conduct confident and accurate observations in any curriculum area.

Phase 2: Reporting – Lesson Observation Feedback

The next stage is the most time-consuming. Observation reports often take an hour to complete and require careful alignment to the institution’s policies. TeacherMatic reduces this to minutes.

The Lesson Observation Feedback generator accepts:

• Typed notes
• Bullet points
• PDFs
• Photos of handwritten notes
• The organisation’s observation policy
  
  

TeacherMatic then produces a professional, structured and policy-aligned narrative. Observers simply review and adjust. Human judgement remains central, supported by a draft that removes administrative workload.

This phase alone saves up to 80 percent of the time usually required.

Phase 3: Strategic Analysis – Insight Generator

Once multiple observations take place, valuable trends often stay hidden in separate documents. Leadership teams rarely have the time to analyse patterns across departments or themes.

The Insight Generator changes that. Leaders upload anonymised observation or learning walk data and then ask plain language questions such as:

• Which department is strongest at differentiation?
• What is the most common area for development this term?
• How are different programme areas performing?
  
  

The AI summarises the dataset and produces clear, actionable insights. What was once a collection of disconnected write-ups becomes a strategic tool that informs CPD planning.

Phase 4: Development – Coaching Generator (GROW Model)

Once observation feedback is written, the real work begins. Professional dialogue is central to growth, yet many observers lack a structured set of coaching questions that help teachers reflect and find solutions.

The Coaching Generator uses the GROW Model to create purposeful prompts that support reflective and empowering conversations. These questions help teachers explore barriers, define goals and identify actions for improvement.

Phase 4 Continued – Mentoring Generator (Skilled Helper Model)

Some staff benefit from longer-term support. The Mentoring Generator produces staged mentoring prompts drawn directly from the observation report. This makes the conversation targeted and evidence based. The prompts encourage deeper reflection and guide teachers toward long-term improvements.

Phase 5: Review – Appraisal Question Generator

Generic appraisal questions rarely reflect the individual teacher’s strengths and needs. The Appraisal Question Generator uses observation reports to create tailored questions that make appraisal meetings relevant and constructive.

Phase 5 Continued – How To Generator

Teachers sometimes need immediate, practical strategies to address specific development areas. The How To Generator offers quick, pedagogically grounded guidance on topics such as:

• Low-level disruption
• Differentiation
• SEND needs
• Stretch and challenge

Observers can also use these strategies when signposting clear next steps.

Phase 5 Continued – Scenario Generator

The Scenario Generator creates realistic classroom scenarios that are useful for training or developmental conversations. For example, a scenario about low-level disruption at the back of the room gives staff a chance to explore different responses and discuss approaches in a structured way.

Phase 6: CPD Planning – CPD Action Planner

The final stage focuses on long-term improvement. By uploading the observation report, the CPD Action Planner creates a set of SMART targets that are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time bound

Leaders can also signpost teachers to relevant TeacherMatic generators to support progress. This ensures that observation leads directly into meaningful CPD.

A Culture Shift From Judging to Collaborating

TeacherMatic supports more than efficiency. It encourages a cultural shift toward coaching, mentoring and collaboration. Administrative burden reduces. Conversations become richer. Teachers feel more supported. Observers have the time to focus on people rather than paperwork.

One idea from the deep dive captured this well:

“Observation without support is just judgement.”

TeacherMatic helps institutions move toward a supportive, developmental and evidence-based approach.

Explore TeacherMatic Further

Free Self-Paced Course
https://teachermatic.com/course

All TeacherMatic Links and Deep Dives
https://teachermatic.com/links

TeacherMatic YouTube Channel
https://youtube.com/@teachermatic?sub_confirmation=1

TeacherMatic includes more than 150 generators designed to reduce workload and strengthen teaching practice. Transforming observations is only one part of what it can do.