Teachers work under tremendous pressure. Not only do they have to teach their classes, but they have to teach to very large classes. This makes individual attention to struggling students very difficult. In addition, teachers are required to do an enormous amount of administrative work. They have to be involved with other school activities and they need time to prepare their lessons. There is no time for personal development, but with school based instructional rounds they do get an opportunity to grow professionally.
Implementing such a system does not cost money and it requires very little effort. It basically consist of small numbers of teachers attending the class of a colleague with the express purpose of observing him at his job. The system is voluntary and the teacher asked to agree to be observed by others is normally a well respected professional. The observers are there to learn, nothing else.
Before every observation session, the observers meet. During this meeting they set some goals for the forthcoming session. In most cases, these goals will relate to some aspect for which the teacher that will be observed is particularly known. He may, for example, be known for using multimedia very effectively. The goals of the observers will then focus on this particular aspect, the use of multimedia to enhance the classroom experience.
It is important to note that these observation sessions contain no element of evaluation whatsoever. The observers are not there to evaluate a colleague. They are there to learn from him. For this reason, observers never provide feedback after the session, unless the teacher that was observed request it. Great care is also taken to make sure that the learners understand the purpose of the observation session.
Another meeting is held after the session. The observers discuss their experiences and impressions and they name the lessons that they have learnt. They also discuss ways in which they could perhaps incorporate those lessons learnt in their own classrooms and how they could adapt their own teaching methods. They never criticise the observed teacher and the certainly do not file a report. The entire session is seen as confidential.
Teachers participating in these observation sessions are very positive about it. They say that they not only learn a lot from their colleagues, but that they are also given the opportunity to interact with their colleagues. It is no wonder that observation sessions are now implemented almost everywhere, even at some universities. Everyone agrees that the system plays a role in helping to improve the general quality of education.
The system has its critics too. They say that these observation sessions are far too short to be of any value and they are too informal. They also say that teachers being observed tend to make special efforts to impress their colleagues, thereby completely negating the very purpose of the session. Critics are of the opinion that observation systems are merely watered down efforts to improve the quality of education.
The fact remains that observation sessions cost almost nothing and they are easy to manage. If they make even the tiniest difference then they are certainly worth it. From all reports, however, it seems that they are making much more than just a tiny difference.
Implementing such a system does not cost money and it requires very little effort. It basically consist of small numbers of teachers attending the class of a colleague with the express purpose of observing him at his job. The system is voluntary and the teacher asked to agree to be observed by others is normally a well respected professional. The observers are there to learn, nothing else.
Before every observation session, the observers meet. During this meeting they set some goals for the forthcoming session. In most cases, these goals will relate to some aspect for which the teacher that will be observed is particularly known. He may, for example, be known for using multimedia very effectively. The goals of the observers will then focus on this particular aspect, the use of multimedia to enhance the classroom experience.
It is important to note that these observation sessions contain no element of evaluation whatsoever. The observers are not there to evaluate a colleague. They are there to learn from him. For this reason, observers never provide feedback after the session, unless the teacher that was observed request it. Great care is also taken to make sure that the learners understand the purpose of the observation session.
Another meeting is held after the session. The observers discuss their experiences and impressions and they name the lessons that they have learnt. They also discuss ways in which they could perhaps incorporate those lessons learnt in their own classrooms and how they could adapt their own teaching methods. They never criticise the observed teacher and the certainly do not file a report. The entire session is seen as confidential.
Teachers participating in these observation sessions are very positive about it. They say that they not only learn a lot from their colleagues, but that they are also given the opportunity to interact with their colleagues. It is no wonder that observation sessions are now implemented almost everywhere, even at some universities. Everyone agrees that the system plays a role in helping to improve the general quality of education.
The system has its critics too. They say that these observation sessions are far too short to be of any value and they are too informal. They also say that teachers being observed tend to make special efforts to impress their colleagues, thereby completely negating the very purpose of the session. Critics are of the opinion that observation systems are merely watered down efforts to improve the quality of education.
The fact remains that observation sessions cost almost nothing and they are easy to manage. If they make even the tiniest difference then they are certainly worth it. From all reports, however, it seems that they are making much more than just a tiny difference.
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