Let’s Listen to the ClassroomAmanda Caplan

ETAI Summer ConferenceJuly 2013" ג תשע אב

“Continuing professional development seeks to formalise what most professionals are already doing, enabling development to be structured in a way that meets both their own needs and the requirements of their employer”.

Chartered Insurance Institute

ObservationOn the one hand…..

How do you feel about being observed? Love it Tolerate it Neutral Slightly uncomfortable about it Hate it, dread it

ObservationOn the other hand…..

How do you feel about observing other teachers?

Love it Tolerate it Neutral Slightly uncomfortable about it Hate it, dread it

What’s the point of observations?

• Higher teaching standards

• Quality assurance

• Professional development

Types of Observations

• Management observation (QA)• Peer observation (2-way)• Self-observation (camera)

Why have an observation task?

• Focuses in one or two aspects of the lesson

• Lends objectivity to the observation

Reflective teacher

“Here I am with my lens to look at you and your actions. But

as I look at you with my lens, I consider you a mirror. I

hope to see myself in you and through my teaching. When

I see myself, I find it hard to get distance for my teaching.

I hear my voice, see my face and clothes, and fail to see

my teaching. Seeing you allows me to see myself

differently and to explore the variables we both use.”

Fanselow 1990

Task 1 Questions During the lesson

• write down about 20 questions that the teacher asks, what answer you expect and the subsequent exchange

• categorise the questions according to expected response– classroom management questions– yes / no– retrieval questions– open-ended questions– imaginative questions

Task 1 Questions After the lesson

• What pattern(s) do you see from the categorisation?

• Rank the questions according to difficulty for the student.

• Is there any correlation between type of question and complexity of response?

What lessons can you learn about your own use of questions in the classroom?

Thinking about this task

• Would you use this task to observe a teacher?• Would you like to be observed using this task?

Task 2 Feedback / Error Correction

Positive / encouraging or negative/ discouraging?

Supplementary support (board, gesture, visual)

Feedback on error

Teacher question

Student response

Teacher feedback

Student response to feedback

Prepare a number of charts like this:

Task 2 Feedback After the lesson

Did the teacher provide:• explicit information about error?• information for learner to self-correct?• information to increase learner’s understanding?Was the information given:• supported with non-verbal media?• appropriate or over-loaded? Was the teacher encouraging or discouraging? How

did this affect the learner’s motivation?

Thinking about this task

• Would you use this task to observe a teacher?• Would you like to be observed using this task?

What lessons can you learn about your own methods of feedback in the classroom?

Task 3 Openings and Closures

Prepare the following chart:Interactive

patternTeacher language

analysedNon-

verbal signals

Teacher language

T-S

T-SS

T-C

T enters, chats to S

T chats to SS

T greets whole class

Opening

T-C

T-C

T-C

T asks SS to stop

T recaps lesson aims

T reminds SS about homework

Closure

Task 3 Openings and ClosuresAfter the lesson

• Are there differences between T-S, T-SS or T-C?• How much natural language is used?• Are previous and future lessons linked to this

lesson? Does this matter?• Is there a review of the past lesson? Does this

matter?• Does the teacher tell the students what will

happen today? Does she recap at the end?

Thinking about this task

• Would you use this task to observe a teacher?• Would you like to be observed using this task?

What lessons can you learn about your own class openings and closures?

Task 4 Lesson Breakdowns• Lesson interruptions• Deviation from lesson plan• Students don’t understand taski.e. anything that stops smooth flow of lesson as planned

• Why did breakdown occur?• How was it resolved?• By whom was it resolved?• What language was used to resolve it?

Task 4 Breakdown Chart

Seriousness of breakdown

Language used for repair and negotiation

Source / trigger of breakdown

What happened?

Task 4 BreakdownsAfter the lesson

• Could the breakdown have been avoided?• What type of language was used to repair it?• Could it have been repaired more efficiently to

minimalise the effect of the interruption?

Thinking about this task

• Would you use this task to observe a teacher?• Would you like to be observed using this task?

What lessons can you learn about how you deal with breakdowns in your class?

Observations on this Presentation!

General Reflection on Observation

In this lesson I found what I…..• already knew, and have now confirmed it• suspected but hadn’t really considered• had not considered before• would like to pursue further

Useful Sites / Bibliography

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-abWqXlkFY&list=PL30F220400C97CD58

• Waynryb, R. (1992) Classroom Observation Tasks. CUP