Why School Based Instructional Rounds Benefit Everyone Concerned
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.
These observations sessions should never be confused with any form of evaluation. The observers are not there to rank the teacher under observation. Their only focus is to learn from the teacher under observation. This is made clear to the learners prior to every session. In fact, no feedback is given to anyone after the session, not even to the teacher that was observed unless he asks for it.
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.
This way of learning from accomplished colleagues have become extremely popular. Many colleges and universities have also implemented similar systems. Participants generally agree that they find the observation session very useful and that they have been able to improve their own teaching techniques in the process. Even the teachers that are observed benefit because the very fact that they asked to agree means that they are viewed as accomplished professionals.
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.
These observations sessions should never be confused with any form of evaluation. The observers are not there to rank the teacher under observation. Their only focus is to learn from the teacher under observation. This is made clear to the learners prior to every session. In fact, no feedback is given to anyone after the session, not even to the teacher that was observed unless he asks for it.
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.
This way of learning from accomplished colleagues have become extremely popular. Many colleges and universities have also implemented similar systems. Participants generally agree that they find the observation session very useful and that they have been able to improve their own teaching techniques in the process. Even the teachers that are observed benefit because the very fact that they asked to agree means that they are viewed as accomplished professionals.
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.
About the Author:
When you are searching for information about school based instructional rounds, come to our web pages today. More details are available at http://www.instructionalrounds.com/WhatIsIR.html now.
No comments