1. Students as Learning Partners
@ Berkeley Vale Campus

2. About today’s sessions
About the session
Session 1
About the program at BVC; Expectations, Perspectives and skills
Session 2
Ethics and the language of feedback
Session 3
Time to observe, reflect and give feedback
Session 4
Reflection and Evaluation

3. Session 1
About the program

4. Session 1: About the program at Berkeley Vale High
Aim of the Program
Students as learning partners supporting and providing appropriate feedback for increased classroom success.
The program is about the learning not the teaching!

5. Students as learning partners Model
Student as an observer
Teacher

6. Session 1: About the program at Berkeley Vale High
Benefits for you of the Program
Develops independent thinking
Students become more engaged learners because they thinking about the learning process
Build reflection skills and this enhances learning
Enrich communication and trust in a learning partnership
Empathise and visualise perspectives in the learning process

7. Students as lesson observers is a Six stage process:
1. Training.
2. Agreement.
3. Focus (teacher led).
4. Agreement of date/class.
5. Observation.
6. Feedback.

8. What we would like achieved
“Students consult with teachers on a learning focus and then they are invited into the classroom to observe the learning, based around the focus”
“A non-judgmental dialogue takes place between staff and student and possible ways forward are considered”

9. Expectations as Lesson Observers
What would be the expectations of students as lesson observers?

10. Expectations as Lesson Observers
Some of the expectations of students as lesson observers?
Be a partner in the learning process
Organise a pre-meeting with your class teacher to discuss the lesson or learning focus
Be yourself in your lesson as the learning observer and be positive
Display confidentiality
Be able to provide verbal feedback

11. The barriers to the program
What may be some of the barriers to such a program?

12. The barriers to the program
Some of the barriers to such a program?
Lack of confidentiality
Poor listening
Lack of privacy
Poor time management
Lack of organisation
Issues with honesty
Lack of formal language in feedback

13. ICE BREAKER ACTIVITES:
Ice breaker activity:
Two truths and a tale (humour)
Each person is to makes three statements about themselves- one statement is false. Others in the groups are to guess the tale

14. Ice Breaker Activity: Mix and meet
Each person is to take a small handful of m&m's. They are not to eat them.
Assign a different meaning to each colour, blue= family, green=school, yellow=friends...
However many m&ms they have in their hands corresponds to how many facts they have to tell.
ie. if they have 3 blue, they would have to say three facts about their family.

15. Ice breaker Activity: Teeth:
Everyone sits in a circle. Each player chooses a fruit or vegetable. Player A says their fruit/veggie, then the player's fruit/vegie that they want to pass it on to... ie Player A says "Strawberry strawberry, broccoli broccoli" player B says "broccoli broccoli, carrot carrot"... and so on.
What makes this game interesting is that you can't show your teeth at any point(which you do by pulling your lips over your teeth). If you do happen to show your teeth and get caught by anyone, you alert the group by screaming "teeth teeth" and flapping your arms at the player like wings (making sure you don't show your teeth in the process!). Depending on how you want to play, you can do elimination or points lost when teeth are shown.
If this gets too easy, get them to grab their tongue or something else to make it harder.

16. Back to the training! Perspectives and empathy:
How might Teachers feel being observed?

17. Back to the training! Perspectives and empathy:
How might Teachers feel being observed?
Anxious
Intimidated
At ease
Comfortable
Scrutinised
intrusive

18. How may you feel discussing the lesson observation with staff?

19. How may you feel discussing the lesson observation with staff?
Nervous
Not wanting to offend
Being wrong
Honest
Anxious mature

20. What makes a good lesson?
Think of a time in class when the lesson worked for you…….you felt good about your learning and you enjoyed the lesson….
Discuss in groups what makes a good lesson or learning environment.
Record your answers

21. High level of relevance to the work in the classroom
Rank the following desirable qualities found in a classroom - 1 through to 11.
A sense of humour
A high level of teacher and student interaction
Equality in the classroom
Constructive feedback to students – class and individual
The opportunity to create individual work
Listening to interesting stories and examples
Learn how to construct an answer
A greater level of student involvement in the lesson
The teacher reworking student answers
Exam question practice
High level of relevance to the work in the classroom

22. Turning each ‘quality’ into an observation focus
Sense of humour
How often there is humour
The findings

23. Skills needed as lesson observers
As a lesson observer, what are the skills that you will need to apply?

24. Skills needed as lesson observers
As a lesson observer, what are the skills that you will need to apply?
Be a good listener
Show confidence
Show empathy
Display mutual respect and trust
Be responsible
Be positive attitude
Be able to conceptualise and reflect
Display a mature and insightful student voice

25. Session 2
Ethics and the language of feedback

26. Full group Ice breaker Activity:
Line yourselves up in:
Order of birth months and dates from January 1st through to December 31st
Reflect on the positive and negatives of the group performance…….

27. Language of feedback
Give feedback to the person next to you about how the group performed in the icebreaker activity
Share your thoughts with the whole group
Now give feedback using the following sentence beginners
I liked the way……………………
It might have helped……………….

28. Language of feedback Feedback is more than saying the lesson was good
Feedback should be constructive, identify strengths, areas for improvement and encourage questions to aid reflection
How to give feedback “try the sandwich technique”

29. The language of feedback
Using the right language to construct meaningful feedback is crucial – why?
What words or phrases are suitable to use?
What words or phrases are not suitable to use?
‘constructive feedback’ and
‘improvements’ and ‘reflection’

30. The language of feedback – try these sentence beginners……
I think…..
………….was effective because…….
A positive feature was…………….
I like the way……………
I wonder what would have happened if…………..
You could target/try…………..
It might have helped to……………..
What would you do differently next time………..

31. The Language of Feedback
2.1: Now write your feedback on a sticky note for the(slide 21,22)
What is appropriate
What is not appropriate

32. Ethics using cards Activity using the ETHICS cards!
Work in pairs or small groups to discuss the ethic statements
Place the cards in their order of importance

33. Ethics
Code of conduct, why?

34. Code of conduct
Write down your agreed statements to form your code of conduct for your research observations
How will the code of conduct affect your observations?

35. Session 3 Time to observe, reflect and give feedback
Role play and Film

36. Role Play Design
In groups of 5 design a script for a role play, which you will act out in front of the other group. One person will need to be the teacher and the others will be the students. The aim is to incorporate PRAISE into your script as much as possible. See the table below for the various types of praise that can be used in the classroom.

37. Observation in practice – Role Play
Activity:
Working together, observe the role-play lesson
Use observation sheet
The focus of the observation is ‘Use of Praise’

38. Observation in Practice – Role Play
Activity:
Now spend five minutes with a partner discussing how best to feedback your perspective to the teacher using appropriate language.
Share your ideas with the group

39. Observation – Questioning Techniques
Do you know the difference between a open and closed question?

40. Close-Ended Questions If you can answer a question with only a "yes" or "no" response, then you are answering a close-ended type of question.
Examples of close-ended questions are:
Are you feeling better today?
May I use the bathroom?
Is the prime rib a special tonight?
Should I date him?
Will you please do me a favour?
Have you already completed your homework?
Is that your final answer?
Were you planning on becoming a fireman?
Should I call her and sort things out?
Is it wrong to want to live on my own at this age?
Shall we make dinner together tonight?
Could I possibly be a messier house guest?
Did that man walk by the house before?
Can I help you with that?
May I please have a bite of that pie?
Would you like to go to the movies tonight?
Is math your favourite subject?
Does four plus four equal eight?
Is that haunted house really scary?
Will you be going to Grandmother's house for Christmas?
Did Dad make the cake today?
Are you pregnant?
Are you happy?
Is he dead?

41. Open-Ended Questions Open-ended questions are ones that require more than one word answers. The answers could come in the form of a list, a few sentences or something longer such as a speech, paragraph or essay.
Here are some examples of open-ended questions:
What were the most important wars fought in the history of the United States?
What are you planning to buy today at the supermarket?
How exactly did the fight between the two of you start?
What is your favourite memory from childhood?
How will you help the company if you are hired to work for us?
What do you plan to do immediately following graduation from college?
What types of decorations do you plan to have for your friend's birthday party?
What was your high school experience like?
How did you and your best friend meet?
What sites do you expect to see on your vacation?
How do you go about booking tickets for a flight?
What were the major effects of World War II for the United States?
How do you go about purchasing a home?
What is it like to live in the capital of Morocco?
What is the quickest way to get to the pet store in town?
Why is it that every time I talk with you, you seem irritated?
In what way do you feel I should present myself?
How do you manage to raise those children alone?
What is the matter with the people in that class?
Where are you going to find the time to write all those letters?
Why can't I come along with you?
What makes the leaves change colour?
How exactly does one replace the screen to a cellular phone?

42. Observation in Practice - Film
Observe the lesson in the video clip. The focus of the observation is: Use of questions
Record your observations
In groups of 3, role play the feedback session which might follow such a lesson

43. The work of a lesson observer!

44. Session 4
Reflection and Evaluation

45. Icebreaker activity 5: Say the colour not the word
This activity will highlight your skills in reflecting and evaluating

46. Full group Ice breaker Activity 6:
Celebrity Heads mania:
Grab a whole bunch of sticky labels or masking tape and write the names of celebrities on the non-sticky side. Then, without showing them the name, stick a label on the back of each person in your youth group.
Get everyone to mingle around and ask other players "yes or no" questions about who they are - so something like celebrity heads. Only 1 question can be asked to another player at a time. It's basically an easy way to get kids to mingle with each other.
Once a player thinks they have solved it, they can tell anyone who they think they are and if they are correct they can remove their sticky label and go and relax on the side. First player to guess their person wins!

47. Reflection
Reflect on the day’s training
Share your ideas

48. Evaluation: Returning to the aims
To understand the students as learning partners model in order to observe and feedback on the learning process
To identify principles and ethics which underpin this program
To recognise and use the appropriate language for feedback
To actively practice observation

49. Where to from here? What will happen now the training is complete?
Abide by your code of conduct
Recognise and use the appropriate language in feedback
Agree on a focus for a lesson observation
Meet with teacher and decide on a lesson to observe
Meet after the lesson for feedback

50. Evaluation
Tell us what you liked about today and what you would change next time.