Those with fond memories of their school days, when classes were orderly, punishment was fair but quick and students vied for the favour of the teacher are in for a very rude awakening if they could see a modern school in session. Teachers are not only expected to teach and to obtain acceptable results, but they are also swamped with paper work and extra curricular activities. Since the introduction of lesson observation, at least teachers get the opportunity to learn from their colleagues.
The system of observing other teachers in action is called instructional rounds. There is nothing complicated about it. A small group of teachers, normally inexperienced ones, attends the class of a more experienced teacher in order to learn from him. The observing teachers do not interrupt the class in any way. The learners are told what the observation session is for and to simply ignore them and behave as they normally would.
The observers get together prior to every observation session in order to set objectives for the event. In most cases, teachers asked to allow their classes to be observed are very accomplished, obtain excellent results and usually employ a variety of teaching strategies in their class rooms. The objectives of each session ordinarily focus on the known strong points of the teacher to be observed but they are not made known to him.
There is no purpose to instructional rounds other than to learn. For this reason, and to make sure that the teacher being observed is not pressurised in any way there is no evaluation component to the sessions at all. Observers do not even give feedback to the teacher they observed unless he asks for such feedback himself. Even then the feedback will be informal and oral.
After the observation session the observers meet once more to compare notes. They share the lessons that they have learnt, the ideas that they developed and their plans on how to implement these lessons and ideas in their own class rooms. No report of this entire observation session is compiled and all discussions are deemed to be confidential. This simply makes it easier to arrange future observation sessions.
There are many benefits to be had from instructional rounds. The teacher observers experience professional growth and they are often inspired to introduce new ideas and methods in their own class rooms. The teacher that was under observation is often newly inspired because he was deemed worthy to learn from. Eventually, the whole educational system is improved, the learners benefit greatly and results are better.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about instructional rounds. Critics are of the opinion that the observation periods are too short and that the entire system is too informal. They also allege that teachers under observation do not teach as they normally would but that they make an extra effort to impress their colleagues. Supporters say that the system has proven to be beneficial. Participants say they learn a lot and they enjoy the professional contact with other teachers.
One thing is certain. The educational system is under pressure. There are not enough resources and teachers are over worked. Instructional rounds seems to be beneficial and should therefore be supported by all role players.
The system of observing other teachers in action is called instructional rounds. There is nothing complicated about it. A small group of teachers, normally inexperienced ones, attends the class of a more experienced teacher in order to learn from him. The observing teachers do not interrupt the class in any way. The learners are told what the observation session is for and to simply ignore them and behave as they normally would.
The observers get together prior to every observation session in order to set objectives for the event. In most cases, teachers asked to allow their classes to be observed are very accomplished, obtain excellent results and usually employ a variety of teaching strategies in their class rooms. The objectives of each session ordinarily focus on the known strong points of the teacher to be observed but they are not made known to him.
There is no purpose to instructional rounds other than to learn. For this reason, and to make sure that the teacher being observed is not pressurised in any way there is no evaluation component to the sessions at all. Observers do not even give feedback to the teacher they observed unless he asks for such feedback himself. Even then the feedback will be informal and oral.
After the observation session the observers meet once more to compare notes. They share the lessons that they have learnt, the ideas that they developed and their plans on how to implement these lessons and ideas in their own class rooms. No report of this entire observation session is compiled and all discussions are deemed to be confidential. This simply makes it easier to arrange future observation sessions.
There are many benefits to be had from instructional rounds. The teacher observers experience professional growth and they are often inspired to introduce new ideas and methods in their own class rooms. The teacher that was under observation is often newly inspired because he was deemed worthy to learn from. Eventually, the whole educational system is improved, the learners benefit greatly and results are better.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about instructional rounds. Critics are of the opinion that the observation periods are too short and that the entire system is too informal. They also allege that teachers under observation do not teach as they normally would but that they make an extra effort to impress their colleagues. Supporters say that the system has proven to be beneficial. Participants say they learn a lot and they enjoy the professional contact with other teachers.
One thing is certain. The educational system is under pressure. There are not enough resources and teachers are over worked. Instructional rounds seems to be beneficial and should therefore be supported by all role players.
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