In the beginning, we all used our own tools Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense

We didn’t have a common language Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense

We needed a standard that everyone could use Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense

We developed a framework…

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense And used it.

Domain 1:Planning and Preparation Component Areas for Growth BasicProficientDistinguished Designing Coherent Instruction (1a)  Instructor states goals for the class, and explains how activities relate to those goals.  Asks students probing questions about their level of understanding, about linkage between activities and learning outcomes.  Introduces and concludes class.  Use of course outcomes explicitly in class meeting Instructional goals do not match instructional design/methods. Class session has no established structure. Goals not clearly stated Goals and methods match each other periodically, but not throughout class meeting. Some evidence of class structure. Goals and methods match throughout class. Structure evident. Goals and methods match at a higher level— linking with student/course learning outcomes, related to student levels. Structure evident throughout class session. Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense It looked like this

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense We got faculty feedback

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense NEW!!! IMPROVED!!!!

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense It looked like this

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense It was supported by a very detailed explanation

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense 2 categories, not 4 Emphasis on narrative, not on ranking

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense How does classroom observation work at your institution?

Innovations 2009 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense Assessor, assess thyself

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense In 2010, 17 observers visited 344 classrooms. We marked “needs attention” 394 times. The top six categories rated as needing improvement: The instructor motivates the students (38) Students are asked to actively apply the concepts to new or contemporary situations (32) Goals for the day’s class are linked with the course outcomes (33) Active listening is consistently practiced (22) The instructor uses available and appropriate resources (22) Concepts are presented to appeal to multiple learning styles (21) We looked at the numbers

We also held a norming session. Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense

We had two different understandings of what “active listening” meant. We couldn’t measure what we couldn’t see. We all agreed to ask three questions before doing an observation. We changed the order of the form to give positive feedback first. We learned this…

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense Next The top three categories remained the same. There were some changes in the rank order and in the top six categories.

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense In 2010, 17 observers visited 344 classrooms. We marked “needs attention” 394 times. The top six categories rated as needing improvement: The instructor motivates the students (38) Students are asked to actively apply the concepts to new or contemporary situations (32) Goals for the day’s class are linked with the course outcomes (33) Active listening is consistently practiced (22) The instructor uses available and appropriate resources (22) Concepts are presented to appeal to multiple learning styles (21) In 2011, 13 observers visited 310 classrooms. We marked “needs attention” 389 times. The top six categories rated as needing improvement: The instructor motivates students (32) Goals for the day’s class are linked with course outcomes (30) Students are asked to actively apply the concepts to new or contemporary situations (29) Pacing is adjusted to assure student’s understanding (28) Concepts are presented to appeal to multiple learning styles (24) Most students are engaged / Instructor uses available resources (21)

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense We changed our understanding of “active listening”….and it dropped from the top six. But a new category entered the top six: “most students are engaged” We think the new category captures the old issue.

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense “Pacing” became part of the online conversation.

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense Are observers prepared with practical ideas and suggestions to address with these commonly identified issues? Do we have professional development offerings that match our observed needs? What would individual or institutional improvement look like?

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense Was there anything about this data, this form, or this process that stood out as helpful to you? What ideas do you have to help others doing observations?

Innovations 2012 ♦ Northampton Community College ♦ Bortz & Pense Tools author’s collection Tower of Babel Plumb Line Tape Measures author’s collection Feedback Forms Book with Pages Prison Panopticon Prague Astronomical Clock Nicola Tesla Conversation Silhouette Calendar Pages Seasons Changing Marathon Man Hard Questions Arrow on Target Image Credits