There can be no doubt that the entire educational system is in a crisis. There are not enough resources. Teachers have to deal with very large classes and they often have to deal with disciplinary problems. The administrative load is heavy and they have to show support for extra curricular activities. This is all apart from their primary jobs, to teach. Luckily, with school based instructional rounds teachers get a chance to learn and to become better in their jobs.
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.
Prior to every session, the observers meet in order to set a few objectives for the forthcoming session. These objectives normally focus on the known strong points of the teacher that will be observed. The teacher being observed may be known for his ability to get learners to participate in class activities, for example. The observers will then focus on the methods he uses to achieve this.
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.
After each session, the observers meet once more. They now give each other feedback about exactly what they learned, how they think those lessons can improve their own teaching techniques and ideas on how to implement renewal in their own classrooms. No criticism is voiced or allowed. No report is drawn up either. The entire meeting is deemed to be confidential.
Most teachers that participate in these systems are extremely positive about it. They say that they really do learn from their colleagues and that they appreciate the opportunity to get to know their own colleagues a bit better. Teacher being observed also benefit because they enjoy the official recognition of their peers. The entire concept has grown in popularity and is now even used by some universities and colleges.
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.
The fact remains that observation sessions are virtually free, simple to implement and very popular. Experts agree that they do make a difference. Anything that strive towards bettering the educational system and its standards should be supported and underwritten.
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.
Prior to every session, the observers meet in order to set a few objectives for the forthcoming session. These objectives normally focus on the known strong points of the teacher that will be observed. The teacher being observed may be known for his ability to get learners to participate in class activities, for example. The observers will then focus on the methods he uses to achieve this.
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.
After each session, the observers meet once more. They now give each other feedback about exactly what they learned, how they think those lessons can improve their own teaching techniques and ideas on how to implement renewal in their own classrooms. No criticism is voiced or allowed. No report is drawn up either. The entire meeting is deemed to be confidential.
Most teachers that participate in these systems are extremely positive about it. They say that they really do learn from their colleagues and that they appreciate the opportunity to get to know their own colleagues a bit better. Teacher being observed also benefit because they enjoy the official recognition of their peers. The entire concept has grown in popularity and is now even used by some universities and colleges.
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.
The fact remains that observation sessions are virtually free, simple to implement and very popular. Experts agree that they do make a difference. Anything that strive towards bettering the educational system and its standards should be supported and underwritten.
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