The vast majority of teachers are professionals dedicated to help their student do well. Unfortunately, so many teachers have to work under very difficult circumstances and under high pressure. They do not only teach. They also have to perform many admin duties, attend numerous meetings, write reports and become involved in other school activities. They have very little time to attend courses or seminars. Thankfully, by leading instructional rounds experienced educators can help their colleagues to improve professionally.
The idea is not complicated at all. An experienced educator act as group leader and, with a small team of other teachers, attends the classes of another experienced teacher. The purpose of sitting in on the class of another teacher is to learn from him by observing him in action. The observers are not allowed to take part in the lesson or to interrupt the teacher under observation.
The leader will have a meeting with the other observers just before each session. They decide upon the goals for that observation session. In most instances the goals will focus on the known strengths of the teacher that will be observed. For example, an educator may be well known for his ability to maintain discipline in his class by using humor. The goals of the session will therefore focus on that aspect of his teaching.
There is no question of evaluation during observation sessions. That would defy the entire idea of the system altogether. Observers do no score, they do not criticize and they do not evaluate. They learn, that is all. They observe and try to improve themselves in the process. That is the only purpose. To this end, observers never provide feedback to the teacher that they observed.
The leader of the observers will chair another meeting soon after the observation session. This time the purpose of the meeting is to compare notes. No criticism is allowed. Instead, observers share with each other the lessons that they have learnt and their ideas on how to implement them in their own classrooms. This meeting is deemed to be confidential and no report is ever submitted.
Participants in these observation systems are very positive about it. They say that they learn a lot and that they get a chance to interact with professional colleagues. As a result the system has been implemented everywhere and schools even have observer teams visit each other. Colleges and other educational institutions have also caught on. There are numerous benefits including professional development and improved motivation that leads to better teaching.
There are always cynics and critics. They say that these observation sessions are useless because they are too short, far too informal and the fact that no feedback is given means that there is no measurable outcome. They also say that those teachers under observation never teach the way they always do because they want to impress their colleagues. This, they say, nullifies the entire purpose of the system.
Despite the criticism, one has to admit that the entire educational system is under tremendous pressure. Anything that can help improve standards and raise the motivation of teachers should be applauded and supported. Observation sessions do not cost anything and they certainly do no harm.
The idea is not complicated at all. An experienced educator act as group leader and, with a small team of other teachers, attends the classes of another experienced teacher. The purpose of sitting in on the class of another teacher is to learn from him by observing him in action. The observers are not allowed to take part in the lesson or to interrupt the teacher under observation.
The leader will have a meeting with the other observers just before each session. They decide upon the goals for that observation session. In most instances the goals will focus on the known strengths of the teacher that will be observed. For example, an educator may be well known for his ability to maintain discipline in his class by using humor. The goals of the session will therefore focus on that aspect of his teaching.
There is no question of evaluation during observation sessions. That would defy the entire idea of the system altogether. Observers do no score, they do not criticize and they do not evaluate. They learn, that is all. They observe and try to improve themselves in the process. That is the only purpose. To this end, observers never provide feedback to the teacher that they observed.
The leader of the observers will chair another meeting soon after the observation session. This time the purpose of the meeting is to compare notes. No criticism is allowed. Instead, observers share with each other the lessons that they have learnt and their ideas on how to implement them in their own classrooms. This meeting is deemed to be confidential and no report is ever submitted.
Participants in these observation systems are very positive about it. They say that they learn a lot and that they get a chance to interact with professional colleagues. As a result the system has been implemented everywhere and schools even have observer teams visit each other. Colleges and other educational institutions have also caught on. There are numerous benefits including professional development and improved motivation that leads to better teaching.
There are always cynics and critics. They say that these observation sessions are useless because they are too short, far too informal and the fact that no feedback is given means that there is no measurable outcome. They also say that those teachers under observation never teach the way they always do because they want to impress their colleagues. This, they say, nullifies the entire purpose of the system.
Despite the criticism, one has to admit that the entire educational system is under tremendous pressure. Anything that can help improve standards and raise the motivation of teachers should be applauded and supported. Observation sessions do not cost anything and they certainly do no harm.
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