Teachers have a tough time. Teaching conditions are difficult because of very large classes, many disciplinary problems, a huge administrative burden and extremely limited resources. On top of this, the very heavy work load carried by tea hers makes it very difficult to attend courses and to interact with other professionals in their field. This can easily lead to stagnation. However, with a system of instructional rounds teachers can be motivated anew.
The concept is easy to understand and to implement. All it means is that small groups of teachers visit other teachers, normally very experienced ones, in their own classrooms and observe how they go about their teaching tasks. An experienced teacher is in charge of the group of observers. These observers simply attend the class and do not interfere or take part in any manner.
Each observation session has very clear goals. The observers meet prior to the session and agree to those goals. The goal may be, for example, to see how the teacher being observed uses visual aids during the lesson. The purpose of these sessions is for the observers to learn new techniques and approaches, so they would normally focus on the known strengths of the teacher under observation.
It is important to understand that observation sessions are not meant to evaluate the teacher under observation. In fact, the entire purpose is to learn from that teacher. That is why observed teachers are normally chosen because they have particular strengths and a reputation for excellence. Such a teacher may have a reputation for using humour in the classroom, for example, or to have a knack to motivate students to participate in discussions.
Directly after each session, the observers meet in private. The purpose of this meeting is not to comment on the teaching methods of the teacher concerned. Instead, the focus is upon the lessons learned from that teacher. The observers compare notes and they discuss ways in which they can use those lessons to improve their own teaching efforts. No report is submitted and the meetings are deemed to be confidential.
There are numerous benefits to these sessions. The teacher being observed is honoured because he or she gets the message that they are seen as someone that is worth learning from. The teachers attending the sessions benefit because the get a chance to improve their own teaching skills. In the process, the whole system benefits because the quality of teaching improves and the principal players are more motivated.
Detractors of this system say that it does not achieve anything because the observation sessions are too short, because the teachers being observed make a special effort to impress their colleagues and because the entire system does not make provision for official feedback. However, teachers seem to love the idea and they normally partake gladly. Students too, seems to like observation sessions.
There can be no argument against any effort to improve the standard of education. If observation sessions improve the quality of education and if it helps to motivate teachers and students then it must be encouraged. Results have shown that this is indeed the case.
The concept is easy to understand and to implement. All it means is that small groups of teachers visit other teachers, normally very experienced ones, in their own classrooms and observe how they go about their teaching tasks. An experienced teacher is in charge of the group of observers. These observers simply attend the class and do not interfere or take part in any manner.
Each observation session has very clear goals. The observers meet prior to the session and agree to those goals. The goal may be, for example, to see how the teacher being observed uses visual aids during the lesson. The purpose of these sessions is for the observers to learn new techniques and approaches, so they would normally focus on the known strengths of the teacher under observation.
It is important to understand that observation sessions are not meant to evaluate the teacher under observation. In fact, the entire purpose is to learn from that teacher. That is why observed teachers are normally chosen because they have particular strengths and a reputation for excellence. Such a teacher may have a reputation for using humour in the classroom, for example, or to have a knack to motivate students to participate in discussions.
Directly after each session, the observers meet in private. The purpose of this meeting is not to comment on the teaching methods of the teacher concerned. Instead, the focus is upon the lessons learned from that teacher. The observers compare notes and they discuss ways in which they can use those lessons to improve their own teaching efforts. No report is submitted and the meetings are deemed to be confidential.
There are numerous benefits to these sessions. The teacher being observed is honoured because he or she gets the message that they are seen as someone that is worth learning from. The teachers attending the sessions benefit because the get a chance to improve their own teaching skills. In the process, the whole system benefits because the quality of teaching improves and the principal players are more motivated.
Detractors of this system say that it does not achieve anything because the observation sessions are too short, because the teachers being observed make a special effort to impress their colleagues and because the entire system does not make provision for official feedback. However, teachers seem to love the idea and they normally partake gladly. Students too, seems to like observation sessions.
There can be no argument against any effort to improve the standard of education. If observation sessions improve the quality of education and if it helps to motivate teachers and students then it must be encouraged. Results have shown that this is indeed the case.
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