1. Observation Skills

2. Supervisory Assumptions
Teaching is amenable to intellectual analysis
Instructional improvement requires considerable time and effort
No one changes another person’s behavior
Goal directed behavior is more effective than that which is not focused
Objectivity beats subjectivity every time
Participatory supervision is the key

3. Supervision Problem #6 – Determining what goes on in the classroom

4. Classrooms are incredibly busy places
Phillip Jackson - over 1,000 interpersonal interactions in a single day

5. Calls for Targeted Observation Skills

6. Heisenberg Effect …
If you measure it…you may be changing it.

7. The Hawthorne Effect
Change often improves the situation, no matter what the change is!

8. Two Assumptions….
No matter how wonderful a lesson it is…it can be improved upon
No matter how poorly a lesson goes, something good happened

9. Find the Pony!

10. Problem Filter

11. Supervision Problem #7
Seeing and Perceiving

12. SULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-
SULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS

13. SULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-
SULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS

14. Perception difficulties?

15.   G-E-O Triangle Goal Experienced Observed
Teacher recalls a rotten lesson; observer recognizes a pretty good one lesson
Experienced

16. Types of Data That Can Be Gathered
Valued
Reproduced
Descriptive
Selected

17. High Inference Data WONDERFUL TEACHER, VERY CAPABLE, PRINCIPAL’S PET,
EXTREMELY BORING, BASICALLY
A USELESS PIECE OF FLESH

18. Valued Data involve the judgment of an observer
The Teacher didn’t move around enough
She didn’t help the students who needed help.
He spent too much time with René.
She didn’t respond to requests for help.

19. Valued Data involve the judgment of an observer
Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate
Question Length to Topic to Student
Y Y N
Y N N
Y Y Y
N N N
Y Y Y
Y Y Y
…..

20. Valued Data involve the judgment of an observer
Are useful only to the extent that that the person being observed trusts the value judgments of the observer.

21. Supervisory Assumptions
Teaching is amenable to intellectual analysis
Instructional improvement requires considerable time and effort
No one changes another person’s behavior
Goal directed behavior is more effective than that which is not focused
Objectivity beats subjectivity every time
Participatory supervision is the key

22. Low(er) Inference Data
All kids on task 80% of time, calls on boys
70% of time, catches all kids being good 90%,
asks low-order questions, asks probing questions
75% of the time, …

23. Types of Data That Can Be Gathered
Valued
Reproduced
Descriptive
Selected

24. Questionable Usefulness
Reproduced Data
Data that are made available when an event is reproduced in video, audio or total transcript form
Include not only the targeted behavior but all other behaviors that occurred
Questionable Usefulness

25. Types of Data That Can Be Gathered
Valued
Reproduced
Descriptive
Selected

26. Descriptive have been organized, categorized, or quantified by an observer but do involve value judgments
She helped 16 students…
Mike F. was helped seven times in 30 minutes
It took him 11 minutes to notice that Student 5 had his hand up.
She asked 33 questions during the observation

27. Determining Verbal Flow

28. Determining Verbal Flow

29. Determining
Movement

30. Descriptive or Valued? The teacher is reprimanding the child.
The girl is staring out the window while resting her hand on her hand.
The boy in the last row is really bored.
The teacher has her back to the class 80% of the time.
The girl in front doesn’t understand the teacher’s explanations.
The teacher was in a bad mood for a week before this incident.

31. Descriptive or Valued?
The teacher talked to 14 students during the lesson.
The teacher didn’t move around the room enough.
The teacher was just too harsh with Michael.
The student went to the table, picked up a pair of scissors and returned to her desk.
The teacher didn’t ask any questions.
No student wanted to be the first to answer.

32. Types of Data That Can Be Gathered
Valued
Reproduced
Descriptive
Selected

33. Selected Data objectively record a specific event without valuing or categorizing the event
Decide who will be observed (teacher, all students, a student…)
Decide on the kind of verbal data (questions, responses, control, student talk…)
Write out the actual words

34. Selected Data objectively record a specific event without valuing or categorizing the event
What cities might have developed due to railroads?
What are some of the reasons that the Seattle area developed?
What are some possible reasons why cities die?
What kind of city would die of crime?
What about large towns?
Does anyone else have any other reasons?
Where was the land that they lived?

35. Verbatim Transcripts
Selected
Verbatim
Techniques

36. The Problem Child

37. Combined With Selected Verbatim Data…

38. All forms of data are useful…
_____ 1. 5 of the 7 questions asked were appropriate
_____ 2. 5 of the 7 questions were knowledge level
_____ 3. 5 of the 7 questions were followed with a probing question
_____ 4. “Sima, close that mouth of yours!”
_____ 5. The pace of the lesson was just too slow.

39. Good & Brophy & Borich on Classroom Management
What is known about effective classroom management that seating charts would permit matching teacher actions with research findings?
Borich, Chapter 6
Good and Brophy, Chapters 4,5

40. Now… how to determine what kind of data gathering will take place?

41. Special Thanks to Dr. Jones

42. Dr. Butler, may
I be excused?
My brain is full.