Leading Instructional Rounds And Reaping Their Benefits

By Diane Burns


Instructional rounds have been regarded among the best tools that institutions and districts can use to enhance collaboration as well as pedagogy skills for its teachers. Leading instructional rounds should ensure that the main focus is not to provide feedback to the teacher under observation. Rather, focus should remain on comparing the skills used in provision of instructions.

Participants stand to reap incredible benefits by participating in the observation and plenary debriefing. The reason you visit as a team is to capture as much as possible from the target teacher and also collect diverse views. The plenary debriefing session is used to report on individual observations and compare notes. When each teacher is making reflections on the day, he or she will also have learnt something.

It is advisable that each teacher joins the rounds at least once each semester. Leadership for the team should be left to a highly respectable and seasoned colleague. In fact, the responsibility should lie on an instructional coach or administrator. Since these are senior teachers, they should still maintain the intention as learning and not criticizing teachers under study.

The success of such rounds depends on the willingness of teacher being observed to accommodate guests. This is why volunteers are the best teachers to be visited. They will conduct their lesson without any pressure. To enhance the capacity of the entire team of teachers, comparison sessions should be held involving the best teachers in the area.

The rounds should be made by a considerably small team. Keep the number as low as 5 to 6 including the leader. Brief the students that they will receive guests and the intentions of the visit. When they know that these visitors will also be learning from them, they appreciate and respond positively. The session will be free of tension.

Entry and presence in class should be designed such that there is least distraction possible. In fact, it is advisable that the team takes the back seats away from the eyes of students. This will also help them observe all corners of the class in its natural life. Share areas of observation to enable you maximize on your visit. Some may focus on student response while other pay attention to how the teacher uses learning materials, among other elements.

The round should last between 10 and 15 minutes. This is sufficient time to make observations that will inform your decision making. There is no rubric where scores are entered. The main aim must remain to learn. You should therefore take notes and compare what you observe. Thank the teacher and student once your session is over and exit the class.

Keep observations made within the team. Even the comments participants will make during debriefing must remain within the group. The natural design of rounds is that even the teacher does not receive any feedback. However, some may ask for it. That is the only moment the feedback should be given. Pulse and Delta approach is preferred during evaluation because it helps you identify the strengths that can be emulated and weaknesses to be avoided.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment