Teachers have a very tough job. Their prime concern is to teach their students, but much of their time is taken up by administrative duties, extra curricular activities and meetings. They have to deal with students from dysfunctional homes, with poor discipline and with the absolute minimum in resources. Most teachers do not have time to attend self development courses and they work in isolation. With instructional rounds consultation they can get the chance to develop and to interact regularly with other teachers.
The idea is basic and extremely easy to implement anywhere. A small number of teachers visit a colleague to watch him at his job. They do this in order to learn from that colleague and that is why teachers being observed are normally professionals that are known for their excellent results. During these observation sessions the visiting teachers do not interact with the observed teachers or the students. They simply observe and learn.
Before every observation session, the observing teacher meet in order to set objectives for the session. These objectives will normally focus on those aspects of teaching for which the teacher under observation is very well regarded. For example, a teacher may be well known for the effective way in which he uses multimedia in his class and the objectives of the session will then focus on this aspect.
These observation sessions should never be seen as evaluation sessions. There is never any element of evaluation during these sessions. The role of the visitors are to learn not to judge and care is taken to make sure that the students understand this fact. This is one of the reason why visiting teachers never provide feedback to the teacher being observed, unless he specifically request such feedback.
After the observation session the observing teachers meet yet again. The purpose of the meeting is to compare notes and to share the lessons that each member has learned. They also generate ideas on how to use those lessons to improve their own teaching techniques. During this meeting nobody is allowed to voice any criticism and the discussions are deemed to be confidential. No report is submitted.
This easy to implement system has become all the rave. Schools now visit each other and even colleges and universities are starting to see the benefits of observation sessions. It does not require a lot of money and it offers many advantages to both teachers, teachers under observation and, of course, students. Most participants in this system report that they benefited greatly from observing and being observed.
Critics say that the system is far too informal. The do not like the idea that no feedback is given and that no reports are submitted. They also think that the observation sessions are too short to be of real value. They furthermore think that teachers being observed take special trouble with their lessons because they want to impress their colleagues. This, they say, creates a false impression of how that teacher normally acts in class.
Observation sessions are supported by numerous teachers. They say that they benefit and if the teachers benefit, those benefits are passed on to their students. The fact that participation is entirely voluntary means that only those that are enthusiastic about personal development participate.
The idea is basic and extremely easy to implement anywhere. A small number of teachers visit a colleague to watch him at his job. They do this in order to learn from that colleague and that is why teachers being observed are normally professionals that are known for their excellent results. During these observation sessions the visiting teachers do not interact with the observed teachers or the students. They simply observe and learn.
Before every observation session, the observing teacher meet in order to set objectives for the session. These objectives will normally focus on those aspects of teaching for which the teacher under observation is very well regarded. For example, a teacher may be well known for the effective way in which he uses multimedia in his class and the objectives of the session will then focus on this aspect.
These observation sessions should never be seen as evaluation sessions. There is never any element of evaluation during these sessions. The role of the visitors are to learn not to judge and care is taken to make sure that the students understand this fact. This is one of the reason why visiting teachers never provide feedback to the teacher being observed, unless he specifically request such feedback.
After the observation session the observing teachers meet yet again. The purpose of the meeting is to compare notes and to share the lessons that each member has learned. They also generate ideas on how to use those lessons to improve their own teaching techniques. During this meeting nobody is allowed to voice any criticism and the discussions are deemed to be confidential. No report is submitted.
This easy to implement system has become all the rave. Schools now visit each other and even colleges and universities are starting to see the benefits of observation sessions. It does not require a lot of money and it offers many advantages to both teachers, teachers under observation and, of course, students. Most participants in this system report that they benefited greatly from observing and being observed.
Critics say that the system is far too informal. The do not like the idea that no feedback is given and that no reports are submitted. They also think that the observation sessions are too short to be of real value. They furthermore think that teachers being observed take special trouble with their lessons because they want to impress their colleagues. This, they say, creates a false impression of how that teacher normally acts in class.
Observation sessions are supported by numerous teachers. They say that they benefit and if the teachers benefit, those benefits are passed on to their students. The fact that participation is entirely voluntary means that only those that are enthusiastic about personal development participate.
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