Thursday 22 June 2017

The Significance Of Instructional Rounds

By Joyce Williams


There are countless number of practices that schools can make use of to help improve the quality of education they provide to students. One of the most important exercise that is usually recommended for learning institutions is carrying out instructional rounds. These rounds usually encompasses a team of teachers making rounds from one classroom to another to try and access or rather make observations of what is going on around in the classroom with each of the teachers making their observations and putting it down.

A teacher, who is highly thought of by other teachers is usually appointed as the lead teacher. He or she is often responsible of carrying out the exercise and overseeing it to ensure success. A team of teachers either selected or volunteering is then given a short briefing on what is supposed to be done. It is required that each teacher put down every observation made during the exercise.

It is always recommended that the number of teachers carrying out the rounds should be as small as possible. They may comprise of utmost than five including the lead teacher so as to avoid overcrowding. The teacher in charge of the classroom under observation is advised to prepare the students by making them aware of the exercise beforehand. This makes the process a lot more efficient because the students will only see it as any other day in school; therefore, the correct observations will be made.

Once the exercise is done, the teachers analyze and discuss on the observations made. They are all given equal opportunities to present what they observed during the tools. They closely evaluate all the observations all the while noting both the positive and negative details. The lead teacher just as in the making of the rounds is also in charge of the discussion.

These rounds have proven to be effective since they have aided in the improvement of a lot of issues in schools. Apart from teachers gaining a lot of information from the exercise, they have become more equipped with all the essential materials to improve their teaching techniques; thus, enhancing the quality of education provided.

In addition to bettering the teacher overall skills, the tools also promote good interactions among teachers. They get the opportunity to engage with each other and learn a lot from the experiences of one another. They are able to pick a lesson or two about how they can improve their teaching methodology. This also promotes friendly working environments, since they are all comfortable with each other and can accept corrections.

It also provides a platform where most of the problems affecting the classroom can be aired and addressed. Solutions to underlying problems are obtained during the discussion period. Strategies are also put in place on how best to handle such challenges. Brainstorming comes in handy because a variety of solutions are placed on the table and the best ones selected. This in turn produce long lasting positive outcomes.

The observation rounds have proven to be effective. A lot of positive results have been achieved from the practice. It has equipped teachers with all the essential tools to employ in their teaching practice in order to provide quality education to students.




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