There can be absolutely no doubt that teaching is a very demanding career. Teachers have numerous responsibilities. Their main focus, to teach, is often made very difficult by having to work with inadequate resources and numerous administrative responsibilities that claim a lot of their time. Large classes make it impossible to pay attention to the needs of individual learners. Within this demanding environment, many teachers have no time to spend on self development. Luckily, instructional rounds are there to address at least a part of this need.
This system is designed to provide a way in which a small group of teachers can learn from an experienced teacher. They do this by attending a class of the teacher under observation. The observers are expected to be unobtrusive. They are not allowed to participate in the lesson or to ask any questions. Their focus is to learn something from the teacher in action. This is always a voluntary system.
Observers always meet just before an observation session. In this meeting they set some goals for the session. Teachers selected for observation are normally deemed to be professionals that achieve excellent results. The observers therefore strive to focus on the techniques and methods used by this colleague to achieve their results. The teacher under observation is not part of this meeting.
For this system to work, it is vital that all role players fully understand that observation sessions have no element of evaluation. The observers are not judging the observed teacher and even the students are informed about the purpose of the exercise. These sessions have only one aim and that is to help the observers to improve the quality of their own teaching.
The observers meet once more directly after the observation session, while everything is still fresh in their minds. During this session that are not allowed to criticise the observed teacher but rather to discuss the ideas that they have garnered and the lessons that they have learned. Observers never submit reports or even provide informal feedback. Their discussions remain confidential.
The practice of observing colleagues in action has become widespread, even at colleges and other tertiary educational institutions. Participants generally say that they benefit from these sessions and for many busy teachers this is the only way in which to grow professionally. The system has grown to the point where observers even observe teachers at other schools. This also help teachers to create their own professional networks.
Critics have shot down the system as utterly worthless. They argue that observation sessions are artificial because the teacher under observation inevitably try to impress his colleagues rather than teach as he would normally do. Critics also think that the sessions are too short and that the lack of formal feedback renders them useless. Many critics say that formal teacher development programs are the only way in which to improve the system.
The fact remains that the entire education system is under tremendous pressure. No one will deny the fact that major steps are necessary to improve the situation. Observation sessions are easy to implement and they do not require funding. If they help to improve the quality of education then they are certainly worth a try.
This system is designed to provide a way in which a small group of teachers can learn from an experienced teacher. They do this by attending a class of the teacher under observation. The observers are expected to be unobtrusive. They are not allowed to participate in the lesson or to ask any questions. Their focus is to learn something from the teacher in action. This is always a voluntary system.
Observers always meet just before an observation session. In this meeting they set some goals for the session. Teachers selected for observation are normally deemed to be professionals that achieve excellent results. The observers therefore strive to focus on the techniques and methods used by this colleague to achieve their results. The teacher under observation is not part of this meeting.
For this system to work, it is vital that all role players fully understand that observation sessions have no element of evaluation. The observers are not judging the observed teacher and even the students are informed about the purpose of the exercise. These sessions have only one aim and that is to help the observers to improve the quality of their own teaching.
The observers meet once more directly after the observation session, while everything is still fresh in their minds. During this session that are not allowed to criticise the observed teacher but rather to discuss the ideas that they have garnered and the lessons that they have learned. Observers never submit reports or even provide informal feedback. Their discussions remain confidential.
The practice of observing colleagues in action has become widespread, even at colleges and other tertiary educational institutions. Participants generally say that they benefit from these sessions and for many busy teachers this is the only way in which to grow professionally. The system has grown to the point where observers even observe teachers at other schools. This also help teachers to create their own professional networks.
Critics have shot down the system as utterly worthless. They argue that observation sessions are artificial because the teacher under observation inevitably try to impress his colleagues rather than teach as he would normally do. Critics also think that the sessions are too short and that the lack of formal feedback renders them useless. Many critics say that formal teacher development programs are the only way in which to improve the system.
The fact remains that the entire education system is under tremendous pressure. No one will deny the fact that major steps are necessary to improve the situation. Observation sessions are easy to implement and they do not require funding. If they help to improve the quality of education then they are certainly worth a try.
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