Raising pedagogical standards through observation and feedback Peter Lucantoni

Peter Lucantoni Started teaching in 1979 in UK, MA TESOL University of Edinburgh, lived and worked in Europe and Middle East, now based in Cyprus Author, Educational Consultant & Teacher Trainer for Cambridge University Press Cambridge TKT, CELTYL, CELTA & DELTA trainer and Cambridge CELTYL assessor Examiner for Cambridge ESOL speaking examinations

Workshop overview Observation is … Purpose of observation Clinical supervision Setting it up The observation & feedback challenges Solutions Conclusions 3 3

What is observation? … the attentive watching of somebody or something; the careful watching and recording of something, as it happens; the result or record of observing something such as … and noting developments (Encarta dictionary)

The purpose of observation Discuss and make notes about the purpose of observation in our profession – why do we do it?

The purpose of observation To collect ‘evidence which enables those responsible to take decisions for further action’ (Carver, 1996)

The purpose of observation Supporting newly-qualified teachers Monitoring for staff appraisal, promotion Giving help to teacher facing challenges Assessing & identifying staff development & training needs

Clinical supervision – Wallace (1995) Refers to classroom teaching that has been observed in face-to-face contexts Supervisor and teacher or teachers Aim is to discuss and analyse teaching with a view to professional development

Clinical supervision – Wallace (1995) Categorises clinical supervision as a tendency towards either a ‘prescriptive approach’ or a ‘collaborative approach’ There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ approach, simply a tendency towards one or the other, depending on the context

Setting it up Cogan (1973) suggests an eight-phase cycle in collaborative supervision: 1 Teacher & supervisor establish relationship of mutual trust & support 2 T & S plan the lesson/s together 3 T & S agree on WHAT & HOW MUCH will be observed 4 The observation / …

Setting it up 5 T & S separately analyse the events of the lesson/s 6 T & S plan how, when & where the supervisory conference will happen 7 The supervisory conference 8 Resumption of planning, cycle begins again

Setting it up Wallace suggests that Cogan’s 8-phase cycle is somewhat idealistic because of time and financial constraints More ‘normal’ pattern might be: 1 The observation (Cogan’s Phase 4) 2 The supervisory conference (Cogan’s Phase 7)

Setting it up Bowers (1987) discusses a six-phase pattern for clinical supervision: 1 & 2: Hear and Observe 3 & 4: Record and Analyse 5 & 6: Consider and Evaluate

Wallace’s model Classic prescriptive Classic collaborative Supervisor authority figure Supervisor only source of expertise Supervisor judges Classic collaborative Supervisor is colleague Supervisor and teacher share experience Supervisor understands

Wallace’s model Classic prescriptive Classic prescriptive Supervisor applies ‘blueprint’ Supervisor talks; teacher listens Supervisor attempts to preserve authority Classic prescriptive Supervisor accepts everything Supervisor considers listening as important as talking Supervisor attempts to help teacher through self-reflection

The observation challenges Unsupported teachers Unobservant observer Overworked supervisor Supervisor has insufficient recent experience Unsystematic supervisors Individual v The system Unclear criteria Adapted from McIntyre (1988)

The feedback challenges TEACHING SKILLS A Writing a basic, appropriate lesson plan B Identifying appropriate learning outcomes C Planning for a learner centred classroom D Selecting language appropriate for the learners, the stage of the lesson and the overall lesson objectives etc …

The feedback challenges Skills  X Comments A  Your plan was logical and contained clear staging and timing … B X The learning outcomes need to be more clearly focussed on the learners … C D

The feedback challenges 1 The best thing about the lesson was: 2 Another aspect I enjoyed was: 3 The teacher really: 4 The students were: 5 There was a lot of: 6 There wasn’t enough of: 7 And I would have liked to have seen more of: 8 The hardest thing for me as an observer was: 9 The next time I observe this teacher I would like to see:

The feedback challenges What particular challenges have you experienced when giving a teacher feedback about a lesson? What issues commonly arise and which do you have to deal with? Are some teachers (and challenges) more demanding than others? Why? What do teachers say in feedback?

I don’t agree. I think the lesson was fine. The kids had a lot of fun. My grammar focus was really awful, and I forgot to highlight the form on the whiteboard, and I didn’t give the handout at the correct time … I don’t agree. I think the lesson was fine. The kids had a lot of fun. I don’t know what to say really. What did YOU think of my lesson? Goodness, it was so awful, everything went wrong, the students hated me, I shouldn’t be teaching … I think my photocopies looked fine. Yes, ok, fine, we’ll see in the next lesson.

The feedback challenges Teacher unable to self-evaluate Teacher self-evaluates but focuses on less important areas Teacher self-evaluates but fails to see strengths, only weaknesses (& v.v.) Teacher reluctant to accept supervisor’s feedback Teacher accepts feedback but fails to implement Teacher becomes over-emotional My grammar focus was really awful, and I forgot to highlight the form on the whiteboard, and I didn’t give the handout at the correct time … I don’t know what to say really. What did YOU think of my lesson? Yes, ok, fine, we’ll see in the next lesson.

The feedback challenges Teacher unable to self-evaluate Teacher self-evaluates but focuses on less important areas Teacher self-evaluates but fails to see strengths, only weaknesses (& v.v.) Teacher reluctant to accept supervisor’s feedback Teacher accepts feedback but fails to implement Teacher becomes over-emotional I don’t agree. I think the lesson was fine. The kids had a lot of fun. Goodness, it was so awful, everything went wrong, the students hated me, I shouldn’t be teaching … I think my photocopies looked fine.

Solutions Be an active listener – ‘be present psychologically, socially and emotionally’ (Egan 1994) Listen and understand the teacher in context Listen before, during and after

Solutions Also be tough-minded – recognise that teacher’s view can be distorted Create empathy – ‘that happened to me’, paraphrase, probe, reflect, summarise, offer to help

Solutions Be attentive – your body language, posture, gesture, non-verbal communication: eye contact, smiling Two-way process – be aware of teacher’s body language as well as your own, recognise anxiety

Causes of anxiety & stress What are the main causes of anxiety for teachers? What creates stress for them?

HIGH anxiety >>> LOW anxiety >>> LOW performance MEDIUM anxiety >>> HIGH performance LOW anxiety >>> LOW performance

Causes of anxiety & stress Evaluation Novelty, Unfamiliarity Ambiguity, Transparency Conspicuousness Prior history

Overall Be timely. Give feedback soon after an event and as regularly as possible . Do not give feedback at times when you or the teacher are tired or emotionally charged Be specific. Teachers want the specifics, rather than global “Overall, you are doing fine”

Overall Overall Be constructive. Help provide solutions for areas of weakness. Look at “what can be improved” rather than “what is wrong” Be in an appropriate setting. Constructive criticism should be given in private — an office or some neutral territory where you are undisturbed is ideal. Phones should be turned off!

Overall Let the teacher talk. Teachers should be given the chance to comment on the feedback and to provide explanations for their actions Focus on the positive. Avoid jokes or personal remarks (concentrate on the act or behaviour, not the person). Try not to lessen positive feedback by qualifying it: (“I was very happy with your lesson, Fatma, but . . .”)

Any questions?

peter@cup-training.org 34