So, you have decided to “build” a classroom observation cycle – or perhaps upgrade the one you currently use.
You’ve probably listed a number of the areas that will require most of your attention:
- Components of the observation cycle
- Methods to record the data collected from classroom visits (and forms)
- Systems or processes to analyse the data, provide feedback to teachers and record action plan steps
- Training for the “observers” (and “observees” perhaps)
- Plans for the type of observation schedule you need to set up
If you are “savvy” you have also probably also thought about:
- Resources (“human” and “leadership support”) to help you get the project off the ground and see it through
- Ways to get the teaching staff “involved” in the wider development process
- Communication systems to keep people informed of developments
- Agreeing the “ground rules” covering the whole observation process
- Getting all this down on paper or in a “handbook” (in case you “die” before you finish the project – Allah Korusun)!
Lots of people will tell you that this “checklist” is the best way to prepare the foundation for an effective classroom observation process – but is it?
Is planning – even planning that involves teachers themselves – enough?
It’s true – classroom observation is a great means-to-an-end.
Classroom observation can and does help institutions:
- Uncover (and describe, when required) how teachers “do the business” of LEARNing and TEACHing at the chalkface.
- Identify (and hopefully tackle) any challenges that the organisation may be facing with its LEARNing and TEACHing strategies.
- Look into any LEARNing “imbalances” that may have become evident – within or between the various “classes” or “sections” the instıtution uses to “group” students.
- Make decisions about “probation” or “renewal” of its TEACHing staff – perhaps as part of a wide “performance management system”.
- Improve the “quality” of classroom TEACHing – and hopefully, as a consequence, the “quality” of student LEARNing.
- Plan, implement and evaluate various improvement and training initiatives.
- Provide teachers with “input” and, it one would hope, information that that help them “see” things that they might have “missed” about their own classroom behavior and ability-set – and help them reflect.
- Evaluate the success (or otherwise) of major “investments” across the organisation (e.g. in EdTech or new facilities).
The list goes on, and on…
The problem is – of course – some of these scare the HELL out of many teachers!
Some teachers, fortunately not too many, even dispute whether institutions have the “right” to look into some of these areas (this is much more common in “higher” education).
This is because people – and by people, I mean teachers – tend to look at classroom observation as do “Sith Lords”. No, that does not mean all teachers are “evil” – it means that the issue of classroom observation is very often seen in terms of “black-or-white” or an “either/or” mentality:
This is not entirely teachers’ fault – this obsession with “weighing” and the inability to see “shades-of-grey” is how many educational institutions operate. The fact is that these things do not have to be mutually exclusive – why can we not have “reflection” and “accountability” together?
Why can we not have “combos”?
OK (and brace yourself) – now, I’m going to talk about something that I vowed never to repeat a few days back!
But, this awful notion has lodged itself in my brain and I cannot shake it. The notion is that of “pig-weighing”!
Tony Thornley uses this phrase in his article “Make it outstanding” – he apologises for using it, too. He notes that it has become a very common term term in the UK (and hints that it may have more to do with Ofsted school “inspections” than how heads or the inspectors themselves think – I would bloody hope so)!
Pig-weighing (I can’t believe I have repeated it twice) is basically “lesson observation” – and Tony tells us that British schools have got very good at in recent years.
He goes on to tell us that that many schools (he calls them “pig-weighing schools”) have got it all wrong with with lesson observation – in their rush to “weigh their pigs” (and prove they are not “failing schools”) they have developed observation processes that focus only on the more obvious features of teaching, like lesson objectives, three part lessons, behaviour management and so on.
Some of these things could be the result of “over-attention” to many of the planning questions I asked at the very start of this post – I told you planning is not enough…
Tony redeems himself (for using that horrible phrase) by suggesting that these schools really need to ask themselves a few questions:
- Are we weighing the right things?
- Is all the weighing really necessary?
- Are our weighings consistent?
- And finally, having done the weighing, what do we do about the poor pig’s diet if it seems to be lacking?
Now, I gave this example – not because I want you to have nightmares about the notion of “pig-weighing” (I promise I will not repeat the phrase again – ever) – but because I think that many teachers (who look upon observation in a “negative light”) do so because they believe this is exactly what their institutions are trying to do to them.
It is, as ever, a question of “trust” that is at the heart of this problem in many schools, colleges and universities.
Now, I cannot speak to the motivations of institutions – but if you are planning to introduce classroom observations with these types of motives…
…STOP NOW and GET OUT of education!
The other issue, of course, is that although classroom observation is such a good means-to-an-end, many institutions do not begin-with-the-end-in-mind – with regards allthingsobservation.
The majority of institutions do not begin where observation really starts-and-ends – the TEACHer!
OK – I’m not going to get into all the research about the pragmatic, methodological or epistemological debates (as much as I would “love” to – not) related to classroom observation.
Just take my word for it – look at the picture of me at the bottom of the page – you could buy a second-hand car from that “face”, could you not?
Classroom observation (even in higher education), properly conceptualised, designed and implemented can be one of the most powerful tools available to educational institutions to improve both student and teacher LEARNing.
It’s as simple as that!
There are, however, a number of starting points – the most important of which is grounded on a critical question (you know how I love my questions):
And, to get to this question we really have to consider a number of other questions:
What all of these questions come down to is – PURPOSE.
But, you already knew that – yes?
- Why do you want a classroom observation cycle?
- What do you want classroom observation to “do” – for student and teacher LEARNing?
- What are your underlying assumptions about what is “doable” – “learnable” – “observable”?
Answer these questions, involve your teachers – then get to work on the “action plan“!