Teachers work under tremendous pressure. They not only have to prepare lessons and teach, but they also have many administrative responsibilities. They are expected to be involved in all extra curricular activities and they have to do their work with a woeful shortage of resources. On top of this they have to deal with large classes and disciplinary problems. There is certainly no time for personal and professional development, but it seems as if school based instructional rounds are making a difference.
Starting such a system is truly not difficult and it is extremely cheap. It simply means that a smaller group of teachers attend the class of a colleague, normally a well respected and experienced one, to see how he does his job. The whole idea is to learn from one another. There is never pressure placed upon anyone to participate as either observer or the teacher being observed.
Before attending a session, the observers meet in order to discuss the forthcoming visit and to set some goals. Observation sessions are short so the observers try to focus on one or two aspects only, normally the known strong points of the teacher under observation. He may be known, for example, for the excellent way in which he uses multimedia in his class. The session will then focus on that aspect of his teaching.
Observation sessions should never be confused with evaluation exercises. Observers do not evaluate the teacher that they observe. The sole purpose of the session is to learn. Everyone involved, including the students, are informed of this fact. The observers may take notes but they do not participate in the class activities at all, regardless. They do not provide any feedback either.
The observers meet for a second time after the observation session. This time the goal is to share the lessons that they have learnt with each other and to debate ideas on how to improve their own teaching methods by implementing those lessons. No observer is allowed to voice criticism in any form and no report, formal or informal is made to anyone. In addition, the meeting is viewed as strictly confidential.
The vast majority of teachers participating in observation sessions report that they definitely benefit. The sessions not only expose them to the teaching methods of respected colleagues, but also allow them to get to know their own colleagues a little better. These sessions are extremely popular and have even been implemented in many institutions of higher learning. The general agreement is that they help to improve educational standards.
The critics are sceptical. They think that there is little benefit to be gained in short observation sessions and that the entire systems is much too informal. In addition, they accuse teachers being observed of taking special trouble to make a good impression upon their colleagues. Formal training is the only true answer to the problem of poor educational standards, these critics allege.
Regardless of thee criticism, observation sessions keep growing in popularity. It is easy to implement and it does not cost money. The majority of role players agree that any effort to improve the standard of education should be applauded and supported.
Starting such a system is truly not difficult and it is extremely cheap. It simply means that a smaller group of teachers attend the class of a colleague, normally a well respected and experienced one, to see how he does his job. The whole idea is to learn from one another. There is never pressure placed upon anyone to participate as either observer or the teacher being observed.
Before attending a session, the observers meet in order to discuss the forthcoming visit and to set some goals. Observation sessions are short so the observers try to focus on one or two aspects only, normally the known strong points of the teacher under observation. He may be known, for example, for the excellent way in which he uses multimedia in his class. The session will then focus on that aspect of his teaching.
Observation sessions should never be confused with evaluation exercises. Observers do not evaluate the teacher that they observe. The sole purpose of the session is to learn. Everyone involved, including the students, are informed of this fact. The observers may take notes but they do not participate in the class activities at all, regardless. They do not provide any feedback either.
The observers meet for a second time after the observation session. This time the goal is to share the lessons that they have learnt with each other and to debate ideas on how to improve their own teaching methods by implementing those lessons. No observer is allowed to voice criticism in any form and no report, formal or informal is made to anyone. In addition, the meeting is viewed as strictly confidential.
The vast majority of teachers participating in observation sessions report that they definitely benefit. The sessions not only expose them to the teaching methods of respected colleagues, but also allow them to get to know their own colleagues a little better. These sessions are extremely popular and have even been implemented in many institutions of higher learning. The general agreement is that they help to improve educational standards.
The critics are sceptical. They think that there is little benefit to be gained in short observation sessions and that the entire systems is much too informal. In addition, they accuse teachers being observed of taking special trouble to make a good impression upon their colleagues. Formal training is the only true answer to the problem of poor educational standards, these critics allege.
Regardless of thee criticism, observation sessions keep growing in popularity. It is easy to implement and it does not cost money. The majority of role players agree that any effort to improve the standard of education should be applauded and supported.
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