Teachers play a vital role in the overall well being of any society. They are responsible for the education of the next generation of leaders. Yet teachers are forced to work under great pressure. They not only teach but they also have many administrative responsibilities. In addition, they are expected to be involved with extra curricular activities. There is simply no time for professional development. Thankfully, since the inception of instructional rounds teachers are given the opportunity to grow and learn.
This is by no means a complicated or expensive system. All it is is that a small group of teachers get together for the purpose of observing a senior, more experienced or even well known educator in his classroom while he is teaching. These observed teachers need to agree to be observed, however. The purpose is for less experienced teachers to learn and to find ways in which to improve their own teaching methods.
The observers have a meeting before an observation session where the sole purpose is to decide what the objective that they wish to achieve are. Observed teachers are often known for very specific successes such as getting the learners to participate in class discussions. The observers will focus on those successes and concentrate on learning how to use the same techniques in their own classrooms to obtain similar results.
Observers never evaluate the colleague that is observed. That will negate the entire idea behind these sessions. They have only one goal and that is to learn from the observed colleague. This is why the learners are informed about the reason for the visit and that is also why no feedback is ever given. The observers do not participate in the classroom activities and they do not interact with learners.
Directly after the observation session the observers meet again. This time the purpose of the meeting is to share the lessons that each participant has learned. They will discuss ways in which they can implement those lessons in their own classrooms. The observed teacher is never criticized and the observer group never submit a report about their experiences. The results of the session is also never discussed outside the group.
Observation sessions have become extremely popular in many school districts. Most participants report that they support the system not only because it gives them an opportunity to grow professional, but also to interact with their colleagues. Of course, if the teacher benefits from the system learners will also benefit. Even observed teachers benefit because they are officially acknowledged as above average educators.
There are, of course, critics. They say that the sessions are too short to be of any value. They also accuse observed teachers of taking extra trouble for these sessions instead of teaching the way they normally do. Supporters nevertheless refute these arguments by saying that they learn a lot, that they improve as educators and that the learners ultimately benefit from the system.
Nobody will argue the fact that the educational system is under pressure and that many schools produce poor results. Any system that aims to improve the situation should be supported. These observation sessions are easy to implement and they do not require funding. If it helps to improve the quality of education it should be supported at all levels of the overall educational system.
This is by no means a complicated or expensive system. All it is is that a small group of teachers get together for the purpose of observing a senior, more experienced or even well known educator in his classroom while he is teaching. These observed teachers need to agree to be observed, however. The purpose is for less experienced teachers to learn and to find ways in which to improve their own teaching methods.
The observers have a meeting before an observation session where the sole purpose is to decide what the objective that they wish to achieve are. Observed teachers are often known for very specific successes such as getting the learners to participate in class discussions. The observers will focus on those successes and concentrate on learning how to use the same techniques in their own classrooms to obtain similar results.
Observers never evaluate the colleague that is observed. That will negate the entire idea behind these sessions. They have only one goal and that is to learn from the observed colleague. This is why the learners are informed about the reason for the visit and that is also why no feedback is ever given. The observers do not participate in the classroom activities and they do not interact with learners.
Directly after the observation session the observers meet again. This time the purpose of the meeting is to share the lessons that each participant has learned. They will discuss ways in which they can implement those lessons in their own classrooms. The observed teacher is never criticized and the observer group never submit a report about their experiences. The results of the session is also never discussed outside the group.
Observation sessions have become extremely popular in many school districts. Most participants report that they support the system not only because it gives them an opportunity to grow professional, but also to interact with their colleagues. Of course, if the teacher benefits from the system learners will also benefit. Even observed teachers benefit because they are officially acknowledged as above average educators.
There are, of course, critics. They say that the sessions are too short to be of any value. They also accuse observed teachers of taking extra trouble for these sessions instead of teaching the way they normally do. Supporters nevertheless refute these arguments by saying that they learn a lot, that they improve as educators and that the learners ultimately benefit from the system.
Nobody will argue the fact that the educational system is under pressure and that many schools produce poor results. Any system that aims to improve the situation should be supported. These observation sessions are easy to implement and they do not require funding. If it helps to improve the quality of education it should be supported at all levels of the overall educational system.
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