CLASSROOM OBSERVATION PRIORITIES PREPARED & PRESENTED S. SUPERVISOR HELENA MOHAMMAD Ministry of Education ELT General Supervision

“Of all the factors that contribute to student learning, the quality of teaching is the single most important. If we want to really understand complex subject matter, or to find it interesting and engaging, there is no substitute for high- quality teaching. Furthermore, the one system in place in most schools to ensure the quality of teaching is the teacher evaluation system.” Charlotte Danielson, 2006

WHY IS CLASS OBSERVATION IMPORTANT? Tool for professional development Outline the difficult practical issues that challenge teachers Appraise programs or new methods Find out differences between school performance and to compare them among schools. Feedback reports lead to improvement of teaching practices.

A Framework for Teaching Components of Professional Practice Professional Responsibilities a.Reflecting on teaching b.Maintaining accurate records c.Communicating with families d.Participating in a professional community e.Growing and developing professionally f.Demonstrating professionalism Instruction a.Communicating with students b.Using questioning and discussion techniques c.Engaging students in learning d.Using Assessment in Instruction e.Demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness Planning and Preparation a.Demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy b.Demonstrating knowledge of students c.Selecting instructional outcomes d.Demonstrating knowledge of resources e.Designing coherent instruction f.Designing student assessment The Classroom Environment a.Creating an environment of respect and rapport b.Establishing a culture for learning c.Managing classroom procedures d.Managing student behavior e.Organizing physical space PLANTEACHREFLECTAPPLY 4

EVIDENCE Evidence is a factual reporting of events. It may include teacher and student actions and/or behaviors. It may also include artifacts prepared by the teacher, students, or others. It is not clouded with personal opinion or biases. It is selected using professional judgment by the observer and / or the teacher.

TYPES OF OBSERVATION EVIDENCE Verbatim scripting of teacher or student comments: “Bring your white boards, markers and erasers to the carpet and sit on your square.” Non-evaluative statements of observed teacher or student behavior: Teacher presented the content from the front of room. Numeric information about time, student participation, resource use, etc.: [9:14 – 9:29] Warm-up. 8 of 22 Ss finished at 9:20, sat still until 9:29 An observed aspect of the environment: Desks were arranged in groups of four with room to walk between each group.

21 ST CENTURY LEARNER Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

21TH CENTURY EDUCATOR

TRADITIONAL VS. EMERGING LEARNING Traditional EnvironmentsEmerging Learning Landscape Teacher-directed, memory-focusedStudent-centered, performance / task- focused or based Limited media, single-sense stimulationMedia-rich, multisensory stimulation Isolated workCollaborative work Factual, literal thinking for competenceCreative thinking for innovation Traditional literacy and communication skillDigital literacies and communication skills Primary focus on local communityExpanded focus on digital global citizenship

THINGS TO CONSIDER ….  Fairness  Bias  Reliability  Validity  Wording : - communicates clearly, manages time effectively, rapport,variety of instructional strategies,, range of assessment tools, ss engaged in learning, on task, classroom functions as a learning environment, inconsistent performance, creates an intellectually stimulating environment, organize and utilize available resources, diligent, enthusiastic, knowledgeable …..