Page | 1

LLEEAADDEERRSSHHIIPP OOFF CCHHAANNGGEE AA rreeccoonncceeppttuuaalliissaattiioonn ooff CCllaassssrroooomm OObbsseerrvvaattiioonn

MMaasstteerrss iinn EEdduuccaattiioonnaall LLeeaaddeerrsshhiipp

UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff BBuucckkiinngghhaamm

AAnnddrreeww RRiiccee DDiirreeccttoorr ooff SSppoorrtt LLaannccaasstteerr RRGGSS

Page | 2

CONTENTS

Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Literature Review 6 Classroom Observation- a historical perspective 6 Lesson observation as a main method of teacher appraisal 9 Teacher Effectiveness 11 Snapshot/Episodic observations 15 The validity and reliability of Classroom Observation, the grading of lessons, poor proxies of learning and inadequate observation CPD. 16 Observer and observee relationship 21 Ownership and autonomy 21 Counter-productive effects of lesson observation 22 Feedback loop 22 Impact of observation it make a difference to teaching? 24 Does formative evaluation solve all problems? 26 Leadership of change 31 Methodology and narrative 31 Cultural change 34 Evaluation 38 Recommendations 42 Implications for the future 45 Bibliography 49 Appendices 52 Appendix 1 Letter by Mike Cladingbowl 52 Appendix 2 Qualitative samples on lesson observation experience 55 Appendix 3 Appraisal and lesson observation exemplar material pre Sept 2014 63 Appendix 4 Lesson observation form September 2014 69 Appendix 5 Staff disciplinary letter 73 Appendix 6 Validity and reliability data on lesson observations 74 Appendix 7 List of observers and observes 2014/15 75 Appendix 8 LRGS Games Staffing 2014-2015 79 Appendix 9 Counter productive effects of lesson observations 81

Page | 3

Abstract

Lesson observation has a longstanding tradition in the assessment and development of new and

experienced teachers in England. Over the last two decades it has progressively emerged as an

important tool for measuring and improving professional practice in schools. A review of the

literature argues that in schools observation has become increasingly associated with performance

management systems; a dominant yet contested model has emerged that relies on a simplified

rating scale to grade professional competence and performance. This project will examine the issues

surrounding Classroom observation including its validity and reliability as a method of judging both

teacher effectiveness and learning. In analysing and challenging the existing effectiveness of Lesson

observation at Lancaster RGS (December 2013) the dissertation will look to explore how the school

could improve its current practice of graded lesson observation in aiding the development of its

teaching staff. The project will go on to explore how a reconceptualised use of Lesson observation

with a primary focus on staff development can stimulate reciprocal benefits (between observer and

observee), critical reflection and meaningful professional dialogue; creating a culture of continuous

improvement for the benefit of both staff and pupils. Finally in addition to looking to lead change

based on acquired evidence, the project will look to explore potential alternative models the school

may look to use in the future.

Page | 4

Introduction

“The long term success of the school depends to a very great extent on the quality of teaching It is

hard to see how the head teacher and other managers in schools can be fully aware of the quality of work

unless they are gaining first-hand information by systematically observing in classes.” (Marriott 2001:

3).

The aim of the project is to initiate and lead change to increase the potential of Lesson

observation to improve teaching standards and pupil outcomes at LRGS.

The existing model of Lesson observation at Lancaster RGS (December 2013) sees staff observed just

once a year and graded on their performance according to a formulaic Lesson observation template

(example attached in the appendices.) The underpinning assertion of this project is that the current

situation is of limited effectiveness in terms of making accurate judgements on standards of teaching

and promoting continuous staff development, at worst producing nothing less than “hoop” jumping.

To quote Wragg (1999, p. 3)

“Skilfully handled, classroom observation can benefit both the observer and the person being

observed, serving to inform and enhance the professional skills of both people. Badly handled,

however, it becomes counter-productive, at its worst arousing hostility, resistance and suspicion.”

In my current role as Director of Sport I am responsible for the Performance Management of my

department. However in addition to the PE department some thirty plus staff are involved in the

Games and extra-curricular programme. Some of these are specialist coaches whilst others are

willing volunteers whose core responsibility is teaching an academic subject. Given the number of

curricular and indeed extra-curricular hours such colleagues are prepared to devote to support the

pupils of the school it is important they feel valued and receive appropriate developmental

opportunities. Although the abstract to this dissertation may imply Lesson Observation as a

Page | 5

“supportive intervention” has potential shortcomings, teaching must be viewed as something that

we should continually look to improve with good coaching. Despite the complexities of classrooms,

observation used effectively has real significance in this process.

The literature provides a brief historical introduction to lesson observation before drawing out

several themes and issues associated with lesson observation. The themes that emerge in the

literature are separately categorised within the review under their own sub headings. These themes

were then used to shape both the leadership focus and methodology with the aim to affect

positive change at the school.

Statistical graphs (Hamre 2009) to support the literature on validity and reliability research and

Taylor and Tyler’s (2012) study into how lesson observation can positively impact on teaching have

been included in the review.

Page | 6

Literature Review

Classroom Observation- a historical perspective

The origins of classroom observation in England can be traced back to the middle of the 19th Century

where its emergence in state schools coincided with the government’s introduction of Her Majesty’s

Inspectorate (HMI), whose remit was to assess whether public money was being well spent in the

newly created “schools for the poor” and to identify ways in which the then governmental office of

education could help to further improve provision (Grubb 2000). Since then it has come to be largely

associated with teacher education/training and appraisal. As Lawson (20011:3) comments, “it was

first associated with pre-service training, then with initial training in a first job, then with competency

procedures, and only more latterly with inspection and quality assurance measures”. Despite this

long standing history, it is only in the last twenty years, in particular that schools in England have

witnessed the widespread use of observation on a regular basis outside of the initial teacher training

context. In this short space of time it has become the cornerstone of quality assurance (QA) and

quality improvement (QI) systems for teaching and learning (Armitage et al 2003; Wragg 1999).

During the 1970s the political landscape of England was beginning to change. The links between

education and politics were about to become more apparent as the government embarked on a

more active and interventionist role in defining and shaping the curriculum and the educational

agenda than it had done previously.

In 1976 Prime Minister James Callaghan delivered the “Great Debate” speech at Ruskin College. The

speech is commonly acknowledged as a major turning point in the history of the English Education

system and considered a catalyst for greater central government involvement in the curriculum and

ensuing educational reform.

Page | 7

A major theme of Callaghan’s speech was the need to close the perceived gap between the skills and

knowledge acquired by learners in schools, colleges and universities, and what the world of industry

demanded of them. He insisted that “it was right (and even the responsibility) of central government

to see that this was delivered by those within the education system” (Lowe 2007:3). Callaghan also

made reference to aspects of pedagogy and what he described as the “unease felt by many parents

and others about the informal new teaching methods” and what some perceived as a decline in

standards in schools (Callaghan 1976).

In many ways, Callaghan’s speech was a watershed moment for educational provision in England

and was to pave the way for unprecedented governmental intervention in the curriculum and

greater accountability for teachers.

In the case of schools in England, the process of reform was encapsulated by several key legislative

changes, which were to change the education landscape as well as the role of teachers

immeasurably. The most notable among these were: the 1988 Education Reform Act, the

introduction of a National Curriculum, the Local Management of Schools in 1991, the introduction of

the teacher appraisal scheme in 1992 and the implementation of a new inspection regime. Each of

these reforms was underpinned by an ideology of increased accountability and greater parental

choice, ultimately rendering schools more answerable to central government.

In the mid-1980’s the then Secretary of State for Education, Keith Joseph, declared that “the only

way to remove unsatisfactory teachers from a profession where they can do much harm” (Wragg et

al 1996:9) was by introducing a system of teacher appraisal, which would be based on classroom

observation. This policy became a legal requirement in 1986, yet it was not for another decade

before it became common practice for teachers to be observed. As Wragg et al (1996:141) describe:

Page | 8

“The introduction within appraisal of a formal system for observing teachers teaching was for many

teachers the first time they had been officially observed since they were trainee teachers or

probationers….until appraisal it was rare for teachers to be observed with the specific purpose that

their teaching should be analysed and commented on.”

Ofsted identified a number of weaknesses of the appraisal system, amongst which they listed

“infrequent or ineffective classroom observation” (Montgomery 2002:1). Ofsted’s Chief Inspector of

Schools at the time, Chris Woodhead, was critical of the appraisal scheme and insistent that it was

not doing enough to improve the performance level of teachers. Middlewood (2001) makes the

point that the grading of teachers’ performance during Ofsted inspections became a practice in the

late 1990s and this was “a process to which teachers inevitably paid more attention” than the

appraisal system.

From the mid-1980s in schools, teachers went through a period of “de-professionalization”. The

speed with which reforms were implemented led to a dramatic increase in the administrative

bureaucracy of teachers and a rise in levels of dissatisfaction and stress amongst the profession as a

whole. Prior to these reforms, the term “professional” had generally conferred an elevated social

status to teachers valuing their subject knowledge, pedagogic skills etc. as well as key qualities such

as trust respect and integrity, which in turn had traditionally afforded them a high degree of

autonomy (Hoyle and Wallace 2005). As a result of the reforms, the notion of professionalism was to

become reconfigured.

Since the new millennium two policy developments can be linked to the increased use of classroom

observation. The new Teacher Standards for schools which came into effect in 2012 and the

formation of the new Ofsted inspection framework.

Page | 9

Lesson observation as a main method of teacher appraisal

Wragg (1999) states “an essential ingredient of the success of any observation scheme is that the

method/approach employed should suit its purpose(s).”

As stated in recent years the use of observation has increased as the Office for Standards in

Education (Ofsted) have come to rely on it as an important means of collecting evidence about what

goes on in classrooms. Such evidence has invariably been used to inform current conceptualisations

of what makes for effective teaching and learning along with providing the basis on which

judgements about the performance and competence of teachers are made.

Whilst Wilcox and Gray (1996) refer to the dominance of observation as the main method of

collecting data about what went on in classrooms Metcalfe (1999: 454) meanwhile reflecting on his

experience of the use of observation from the perspective of both a researcher and an Ofsted inspector

states:

“What is becoming clear in schools is that classroom observation, as an aspect of monitoring and

evaluation, is felt to be most acceptable when it is part of a broader approach in which teachers work

collaboratively as opposed to a 'bolted on' approach, which is felt to be connected with 'checking up',

accountability and control.”

Metcalfe’s implications that the classroom is just part (albeit it an important part) of the teaching

picture and views on collaboration have real gravitas.

Wragg makes the point (1999: 17), 'good classroom observation can lie at the heart of both

understanding professional practice and improving its quality'. When it is used insightfully observation

can have a profound impact, which 'can lead to a more open climate, greater trust between colleagues,

and the development of strong professional relationships'

Page | 10

Wragg views lie at the very heart of my project i.e it is essential for a school to maximise the

power of observation and to do so it must be insightful in its usage.

Page | 11

Teacher Effectiveness

One of the underpinning issues traversing the different contexts and purposes of observation in

schools is the notion of teacher effectiveness.

According to Montgomery (2002, p. 18), it was not until the 1980s that discussion surrounding

notions of teacher effectiveness in schools came to the fore. Much of the ensuing discussion was

characterised by what she described as the ‘lack of a coherent and shared theory and practice of

teaching’. She emphasises the importance of defining the characteristics of teacher effectiveness if

the assessment of teachers via observation is to become a legitimate and meaningful activity. Yet

she is critical of competency-based models used for teacher appraisal that adopt a checklist

approach to observation (see LRGS observation sheet version 1), as they reduce the teacher’s role to

that of a technicist. As Kincheloe (2004, p. 60) argues, ‘teachers in the technicist paradigm are

conceived as a unit of production of an assembly line’ or ‘operatives’ who perform a set function.

For Montgomery (2002), competency-based systems exist only to serve ‘auditing and accounting

purposes’ (p. 19). They do little to respond to teacher behaviour that is deemed unsatisfactory or

ineffective, as the ‘how to do it’ is very often left unanswered (p. 39).

Campbell et al. (2004, p. 3) define teacher effectiveness as ‘the impact that classroom factors, such

as teaching methods, teacher expectations, classroom organisation, and use of classroom resources,

have on students’ performance’. However, they are critical of what they see as its narrow

conceptualisation in previous studies, where a ‘goal-oriented model for measuring teacher

effectiveness’ (p. 61) has been the preferred approach. For them, too much importance has been

attached to the notion of student achievement when attempting to measure teacher effectiveness.

They argue that although learning outcomes are the most common form of measurement, there is

no clear evidence to suggest that there is a cause and effect relationship between the two. Such

Page | 12

simplistic models fail to consider many variables often beyond the control of the teacher that can

affect students’ performance in any given lesson.

Despite Campbell et al comments schools tend to use a broadly defined attributes when defining

effective teaching which tend to focus on student outcomes when assessing teacher impact. (Coe,

Aloisi, Higgins and Elliot Major 2014) in “What Makes Great Teaching” outline “six common

components of great teaching”-Pedagogical content, quality of instruction, classroom climate,

classroom management, teacher beliefs and professional behaviour. One could easily get side-

tracked by the huge body of literature on teacher effectiveness given that most of it has some

degree of merit - significantly it is also open to varying degrees of interpretation. Creemers and

Kyriakides (2006/2011) Dynamic Model has gravitas because of its empirical grounding.

Refocusing on observation, Hamre (2009) see diagram below, not only highlights the complexities of

teaching and learning but emphasizes how difficult it is even for teachers to judge effectiveness. The

image below is based on the CLASS protocol (used by the MET study) based on three dimensions-

Instructional Support which includes aspects of teacher interactions within the classroom that

promote higher order conceptual thinking, giving formative feedback, use language to promote

thinking, evidence of understanding pupil misconceptions

Hamre (2009).

Page | 13

Significantly as the graph below shows despite relatively high quality scores for emotional support

and classroom organisation which tend to be essential to initial survival in a teaching career; in this

particular study instructional scores are alarmingly low! The obvious conclusion to be drawn here is

that if the “complex and challenging” bit of teaching (instructional support), is the aspect we as

teachers are all striving to improve because we acknowledge it to difficult. Then by definition this

probably means it is equally hard to be scientifically judgemental about. Even some of the best

teachers do what do intuitively and may find it hard to explain exactly what makes them good

practitioners.

Turning attention to the students Nuthall’s (2007) research is fascinating; having spent many years

listening in classrooms, he argued that there are three worlds of the classroom: the public world that

the teachers see and manage; the semiprivate world of ongoing peer relationships; and the private

world of the student’s own mind. According to Nuthall 70% of what happens between students is

not seen or known. This has significant implications for observation - if we are reflecting on only 30%

of what we think we have seen! Hattie (2012) draws reference to the huge number of students who

learn to spend a large proportion of their time in “a state of ambivalence.” These students learn the

skill of turning off whilst looking still looking engaged. Hattie argues we need to pay far more

attention to evidence about the effect that we have on students, and make adjustments to our

thinking, teaching, expectations, and actions in light of this evidence.

“The most fundamental component of teaching is imparting information to students, assessing and evaluating the students’ understanding of this information, and then matching the next teaching act to the present understanding of the student.” (Hattie 2012)

Coe et al (2014) al wisely outline we should perhaps be focusing on what we know doesn’t work!

Making pupils think hard and challenging them should certainly be a priority for any school let alone

a Grammar School where some boys might be considered bright enough to teach themselves and

the state of ambivalence might be more common than we assume.

Page | 14

Also worthy of mention is the work of Strong, M., Gargani, J., & Hacifazlioglu, O. (2011.) In “Do we

know a successful teacher when we see one? Experiments in the identification of effective teachers.”

Journal of Teacher Education, 62(4), 367–382 the authors report on three experiments where filmed

lessons of effective (value-added) and ineffective teachers were shown to School Principals and Vice-

Principals, teachers and members of the public. Their desire was to (a) test under increasingly more

favourable conditions whether judges can correctly rate teachers of known ability to raise student

achievement, (b) inquire about what criteria judges use when making their evaluations, and (c)

determine which criteria are most predictive of a teacher’s effectiveness. All three experiments

resulted in high agreement among judges but low ability to identify effective teachers! Although

certain items on the established measure that are related to instructional behaviour did reliably

predict teacher effectiveness. The authors conclude that (a) judges, no matter how experienced, are

unable to identify successful teachers; (b) certain cognitive operations may be contributing to this

outcome; (c) it is desirable and possible to develop a new measure that does produce accurate

predictions of a teacher’s ability to raise student achievement test scores. Alarmingly there was no

difference between educational experts and others. They went on to find 63% of judgements will be

wrong. Strong at al research points to the reasonable conclusion that when examining Lesson

Observation as a method of assessing teaching effectiveness it is crucial to acknowledge that there is

some evidence that an understanding of what constitutes effective pedagogy - the method and

practice of teaching-may not be so widely shared, and even where it is shared it may not actually be

right!

Page | 15

Snapshot/Episodic observations

“Using classroom visits to evaluate teaching is not just incorrect, it’s a disgrace (because) the visit

alters the teaching ... the number of visits is too small to be an accurate sample ... visitors are not

devoid of personal prejudices ... (and) nothing observed in the classroom can be used as a basis for

any conclusion about the merit of the teaching”. Scriven (1981)

The very act of being observed can alter our behaviour. This is known as the “Hawthorne Effect” and

can have positive or negative repercussions. In their two-year monitoring study of teacher appraisal in

English primary and secondary schools, Wragg et al (1996) highlighted what they described as a

'snapshot' approach to lesson observation (i.e. one-off observations) as one of the main obstacles to

identifying incompetent teachers. The reason for this was because such teachers could deliver the

'rehearsed' lesson as a one-off performance, hence avoiding detection. Marriott (2001: 8) has also

highlighted the limitations of a snapshot approach as 'the impact of teaching on learning, and therefore

progress, is harder to evaluate in the context of one lesson.' As a means of mitigating such limitations,

Wragg et al (1996) advocated the need for a series of observations to be carried out as part of a

longitudinal approach to construct a more realistic picture of a teacher's classroom competence.

However, in their research into teacher effectiveness, Campbell et al (2004: 133) maintain that 'even

successive observations of a teacher will only ever supply a collection of snapshots rather than a full

picture of teacher behaviour over the year'. If judging teacher effectiveness is deemed challenging we

must surely view Classroom Observation with due caution when trying to make assessments of

teacher effectiveness.

Page | 16

The validity and reliability of Classroom Observation, the grading of lessons, poor proxies of

learning and inadequate observation CPD.

“Even when conducted by well-trained independent evaluators, classroom observations are the least

predictive method of assessing teacher effectiveness.” (Murphy for the Sutton Trust March 2013)

Despite our apparent recent historical reliance on Classroom Observation as a method of judging

teacher effectiveness surprisingly little research has been done on the validity and reliability of

Classroom Observation as an effective method on which to base opinion. The EEF Bristol study based

on the Charlotte Danielson framework protocol (see appendices) is due to report in 2017.

Given the complexity of the classroom several inevitable questions must be posed if schools wish to

maximize the huge potential lesson observation has for teacher development: Can observers judge

the quality and effectiveness of teaching? Can/does observation and feedback from observation lead

to improvement? What are we using gradings for: Accountability and Quality Assurance? Can

Formative Observation be a more effective method of teacher development or do the same

potential problems/consequences arise? Do observation grading/ratings correspond with other

indicators of teaching quality and effectiveness-such as student learning gains, student ratings, peer

(teacher) perceptions and self-analysis?. Are they consistent-across occasions/across raters?

The pseudo-scientific art of grading seduces us into believing that observer judgements have greater

objectivity and reliability than they can actually claim to have. In the case of graded observations,

there is an assumption that the use of the Ofsted four-point scale has some kind of objective value.

Yet this is clearly a myth. They are, of course, dependent on the subjective interpretation of

observers so the application of a grade can never be wholly reliable. Whilst it cannot be denied that

suitably trained and experienced observers are often able to make informed judgements, such

judgements cannot, and indeed should not, be regarded as absolute. Wragg raises the issue of the

Page | 17

reliability of observation as a form of assessment. He remarks that ‘we often “observe” what we

want to see’ (1999, p. 7). His comment relates to the subjectivity of observation and how events are

‘inevitably filtered through the interpretive lens of the observer’ (Foster 1996, p. 14). The subjectivity

of observers’ interpretations is a common theme in the literature, particularly when discussing

notions of good practice (e.g. Fawcett 1996; Montgomery 2002; Tilstone 1998). Wragg maintains

that mostly when we talk about a “good” teacher, an “effective” strategy or a “bad” lesson, we are

referring to our own subjective perception (op. cit., p. 60). (Coe 2013) goes onto elaborate on this

theme noting that what we actually see in Classroom observation are “poor proxies for learning”

(listed below), which may or may not be connected to learning:

Coe reinforces Wragg’s point emphasizing that we absolutely know what we like when observing

colleagues and as a result have an emotional response to particular behaviours/styles that are hard

to over-rule. Despite learning being invisible we focus on observable proxies for learning and have

references for particular pedagogies that are widely shared, even when evidence/understanding of

their effectiveness is limited. There is also the dilemma or debate as to who you are actually

watching in observation. Is it the teacher where you will see pedagogy but you will be reliant on your

knowledge of pedagogy which is open to challenge and interpretation or do you look at the student

where you may see these poor proxies for learning which have no more an empirical association to

learning!

Page | 18

(Coe 2013) Poor Proxies for learning:

Students are busy: lots of work is done (especially written work)

Students are engaged, interested, motivated

Students are getting attention: feedback, explanations

Classroom is ordered, calm, under control

Curriculum has been ‘covered’ (i.e. presented to students in some form)

(At least some) students have supplied correct answers (whether or not they really understood them

or could reproduce them independently)

In effect if you observe lessons and you grade it on the learning taking place in that lesson, you are

making an assumption that you can read minds. Because learning is something that happens inside

the mind of the pupil. It is invisible. As the psychologist Robert Bjork tells us the goal of teaching a

lesson is:

“…to facilitate learning, which must be inferred at some point after instruction. Learning, however,

must be distinguished from performance, which is what can be observed and measured during

instruction or training.”

So what you actually observe in a lesson is performance, not learning. Thus what we actually do in a

lesson observation is merely try and infer learning from what we can see. We are just guessing using

a set of proxies.

Page | 19

One of the few significant pieces of research into Classroom Observation is the $50 million MET

Project. The study looked at 3,000 volunteer teachers and a variety of different ways to measure

their effectiveness, one of which was lesson observations. The frameworks used in these

observations are different to the Ofsted framework, and do not have the same number of

judgements (for example the CLASS framework discussed previously has 7 grades as opposed to

Ofsted’s 4) but the findings have real relevance given the rigour of the research. When looking at

reliability ratings between observers reliabilities for observation ratings ranged from 0.24-0.68

(Mihaly et al, 2013, p22), with correlations between observation and value-added from 0.17-0.42,

median 0.30 (p24) and correlations between observation and student ratings from 0.21-057, median

0.44 (p24).

The MET project used four main observational protocols that require extensive training by

accredited trainers (something that doesn’t currently occur in the UK!) As the tables (see

appendices) indicate despite significantly more rigorous observation protocols than we have in

England, when applied to Ofsted criteria: if a lesson is given a top grade by one observer, there’s a

51%-78% chance a second observer will give it a different grade and if a lesson is given a bottom

grade, there’s potentially a 90% chance a second observer will give it a different grade.

As (Hamre et al 2009, p35) interestingly reports “We generally recommend that observers have

some classroom experience. However, we sometimes find that individuals with the most classroom

experience have the greatest difficulty becoming certified CLASS observers. Experienced teachers or

administrators often have strong opinions about effective teaching practice. The CLASS requires

putting those opinions aside, at least while using the CLASS, to attend to and score specific,

observable teacher-child interactions.”( p.37-8)“Becoming a certified CLASS observer requires

attending a two-day Observation Training provided by a certified CLASS trainer and passing a

reliability test. The reliability test consists of watching and coding five 15-minute classroom video

segments online … Trainings with a CLASS certified trainer result in 60-80% of trainees passing the

Page | 20

first reliability test … CLASS Observation recertification requirements include annually taking and

passing a reliability test.”

Not only do the authors emphasize how our prejudices can influence our judgement their point

about observational training is hard to refute based on such firm evidence. The diagram (Hamre

2009) shown previously (p8) can only reinforce the notion that the instructional aspect of teaching

(the bit that makes the real difference to pupils learning-feedback, questioning, understanding

misconceptions) is without doubt the hardest aspect of teaching and therefore needs to be really

understood and appreciated by observers. This therefore requires training! To labour the point in

the UK based Effective Pre-School and Primary Education Project (EPPE 3-11 study), observers had

12 days of training in internationally developed teacher observation frameworks and achieved an

inter-rater reliability of 0.7. (Sammons et al 2006, p56.). Is this really feasible for schools?

Professor Dylan Wiliam, meanwhile, says that in order for a lesson observation judgement to achieve

a reliability of 0.9 a teacher would have to be observed teaching at least six different classes by at

least five independent observers.

Page | 21

Observer and observee relationship

'The actual or perceived power relationship between observer and observed is not just a sociological

concept, but rather a reality that needs to be recognised' (Wragg, p.62).

The rules of observer-observee engagement are likely to differ according to who is observing whom,

in what context and for what purpose. Underpinning Wragg's comment and the observer-observee

relationship are the notions of power and authority. For example, if a head of department is

observing a newly qualified teacher (NQT), to what extent does the teacher feel able to challenge

their assessment? Are efforts made to ensure that the observee's voice is heard? How many

observation schemes actually choose to tackle this issue? What efforts are made, if any, to address

the distribution of power?

Ownership and autonomy

Are identified as key features of successful observation schemes in schools, which are characterised

by a move away from authoritarian models where observation is something that is 'done to

teachers' to a more egalitarian approach in which ownership of the process is devolved to teachers

(e.g. Metcalfe 1999; Tilstone 1998). Tilstone (1998: 59) advocates 'partnership observation', a term

which she uses to express a more collaborative, democratic relationship between observer and

observee. She argues that 'such partnerships will only work if the [observer] is not regarded as an

authoritarian figure and is able to take on the role of facilitator with the teacher in control of

direction of the observation and consequent actions' (p. 60).

Page | 22

Counter-productive effects of lesson observation

Observation is an important means of evaluating, reflecting on and improving the quality of teaching

and learning as well as contributing to a greater understanding of these processes. Whether this

occurs as part of QA systems or CPD programmes, the central role that observation has to play in the

professional practice of teachers seems incontestable - classrooms are after all where the main

action occurs!

Where the contestations start to emerge, however, is in relation to the stated aims behind its use,

the extent to which the outcomes match these aims and the way in which the process of

observation is operationalised. This often resulted in a poor experience for the teacher being

observed (see qualitative results). A summary of such adverse effects are found in the appendices

and developed upon in the findings section.

Feedback loop

To quote John Hattie (2012.)

“Effective school leaders, however, support teachers in their daily progress in this meaningful work, and thus set a positive feedback loop in motion.” p156.

Wider evidence on feedback suggests large positive effects are possible as indeed does evidence on

accountability and evaluation suggests summative observation having a positive overall effect. A

review by Timperley et al. details a teacher 'knowledge-building cycle ' - a feedback loop for teachers –

that is associated with improved student outcomes. Their synthesis 'assumes that what goes on in the

black box of teacher learning is fundamentally similar to student learning'. And their findings suggest

that teacher learning can have a sizeable impact on student outcomes. The observation/feedback

routine should be structured explicitly as a continuous professional learning opportunity that

enables them to work on improving student outcomes. The literature provides a challenge to the

much quoted claim that teachers typically improve over their first 3-5 years and then plateau.

Page | 23

Teachers working in schools with more supportive professional environments continued to improve

significantly after three years, while teachers in the least supportive schools actually declined in their

effectiveness.

Six principles of teacher feedback

Sustained professional learning is most likely to result when:

1. The focus is kept clearly on improving student outcomes;

2. Feedback is related to clear, specific and challenging goals for the recipient

3. Attention is on the learning rather than to the person or to comparisons with others;

4. Teachers are encouraged to be continual independent learners;

5. Feedback is mediated by a mentor in an environment of trust and support;

6. An environment of professional learning and support is promoted by the School’s leadership.

Page | 24

Impact of observation it make a difference to teaching? Does formative evaluation solve all

problems?

The same problems with validity and reliability still very much apply. ineffective

implementation of formative assessment could actually be worse as some staff see

themselves being let off the hook! Although few studies have actually been done on the

impact of observation, Taylor & Tyler’s study (2012) is worth drawing attention to. As the

graph shows in the first five years of teaching prior to observation the teachers were

performing at a certain level and thereafter there was a gradual rise in performance.

Although the effect size of 0.11 could be considered minimal and the cost of $7,500 per

observee quite expensive when it is compared against the number of pupils who benefit

from the “improved” teaching it would seem observation is very worthwhile. Hopefully the

EEF study which is based on the same framework will produce some interesting results. As

with any intervention the benefits must outweigh the costs!

Page | 25

Taylor, E. S., & Tyler, J. H. (2012). The effect of evaluation on teacher performance. The American

Economic Review, 102(7), 3628-3651.

Cincinnati Teacher Evaluation System, using Danielson’s FFT, between 2003-2010.

Observation/evaluation produces 0.11 ES gain in math test scores every year thereafter.

Page | 26

Leadership of change

Transformational change requires courage; the courage to be different, to think and do things

differently, to deviate from the norm. It also requires commitment, perseverance and trust in the

process, the very antithesis of a ‘quick-fix’ solution.

“Instructional leadership can be described as a leadership focusing on Head teachers controlling, coordinating, supervising and developing curriculum and instruction. This philosophy regards Head teachers to be: ‘the standard bearers for high quality teaching and learning.” (Day, 2003, p39) Sustainable change in the cultures of teaching and learning in a school needs time. Tackling difficult problems, and organisational problems are almost always complex, the straight-forward remedies might often bring short-term relief, acting as quick fixes, but only end up making the problem worse in the long run. Conversely, actions that yield sustainable transformation are not always successful in the short-term, hence the need to demonstrate commitment, perseverance and trust in the process itself.

Schools, like any organisation require strong leadership and it is the job of a leader to point his or

her school in the right direction and if necessary deal with dissenters. Leadership it must be noted

(as opposed to management) involves “moving” people, understanding what motivates employees

(in the case of schools: teachers and non-teaching staff.) As Kotter (1990) points out leadership is

about pressing for change and pulling people on board. Organisational stability alone cannot be

interpreted as an accurate indicator of leadership as “safe hands” get appointed and the

organisation ticks along with a competent workforce: Therefore when analysing “leadership

effectiveness” a clear distinction must therefore be made between leaders who lead and press for

Page | 27

change and “office holders” who preside and manage. I have included this recently written letter

from a HMC Headteacher (three years into post) not only because of its’ pertinence to Classroom

observation but to highlight the potential challenges of leadership when looking to enact change. In

setting out the Headteacher’s intentions for the school the letter is obviously contextual to the

school’s circumstances; with high standards of teaching and learning very much at the forefront of

the message (instructional leadership). In terms of leadership the message is a strong one.

The processes and rationale behind my project will be explored in the methodology section with

further analysis of its impact in the evaluation.

Page | 28

17 October 2014 Dear All I am writing to you all following Wednesday's HoDs' Meeting and the discussions around the Departmental Reviews. What became apparent was that (some) staff still feel that the Reviews are an Inspection tool and are there to judge the teacher and thereby have a purpose which is something other than transparent. The Objectives of the Departmental Review as expressed in the fulsome DR document sent to all HoDs last term and discussed at the subsequent meeting with them, are:

Monitor the quality of teaching and learning within and across each Department;

Assess each Department's outcomes in public examinations against cohort potential;

Identify best practice that can be shared across the School and which can be used

within the School's Self EvaluationForm;

Ensure consistency of practice within and across Departments, including the

adherence to the School's academic priorities for the year, policies and procedures;

Assess progress against Departmental Objectives(DSP);

Review the effectiveness of each Department's leadership and management;

Provide developmental feedback to the Department and identify areas for

improvement to shape future Departmental Objectives.

I am keen to alleviate the worry that some of you are feeling; I also want to put an end to some of the unhelpful speculation which is fuelling such concerns. Departmental Reviews are almost without exception conducted by HoDs and senior colleagues. The notion therefore that the Reviews have any sort of alternative agenda is puzzling, unless the sense is that HoDs conduct themselves in this manner as a general rule. I don't believe that they do. The Final Report is agreed by the whole Team for its conclusions and tone. This is to ensure that what is finally submitted is not the sole work of the Lead Reviewer (who is most often a member of the SLT )3823129 Registered Charity Number 107701

29

Real care and thought is put into who is asked to serve on which Departmental Review as I am

sensitive to Departmental and individuals' needs and anxiety; I want to ensure that the process is as

positive and useful as it can be for everyone involved.

With regards to using (school name) colleagues for the DRs, I have made an exception of PE &

Games, as this is a particularly specialist area and therefore having those qualified and experienced

in the particular demands and skills of learning and teaching in Physical Education would best deliver

against the DR Objectives.

The DRs are to assess and monitor learning, as well as several other areas of Department practice.

The primary focus of the visits to lessons is on the learning; it is learning that matters, and the

progress that is made by each student. Teaching facilitates this and enables it to happen; where

learning is excellent we look at what the teacher is doing to make it so (best practice); where learning

is not as it should be by (school name) standards, we look at what the teacher is doing to make it so

(area for improvement).

I want to confirm with you all the procedure, agreed at the HoDs' meeting on Wednesday, which we

will now adopt with regards to staff knowing when to expect a visit from one of the Review Team.

1. From now on, individual Department members will be informed which DAY they will be seen, but

not the specific lesson.

2. In the Pre-Meeting with the HoD, the Lead Reviewer will discuss the projected timetable of visits,

so that any problems or issues can be resolved at this stage (eg certain timings clash with tests/trips

out/staff planned absence etc).

3. (Employee name), who is running the bulk of the administration, will then email the HoD on the

Friday morning of the week preceding the Review, with the days of the week in a table and the

initials of the member of staff being seen on any day in a corresponding column.

4. This information will be disseminated to Department colleagues by the HoD.

A letter from me is unusual; but I am writing to you because I want you to understand that I listened

on Wednesday to your concerns, that I do take those concerns seriously, and that I will make

concessions where I can, as long as the direction that the School is going in is not compromised.

As a School, we must continually move forward with developing our learning and teaching; we are

here to offer the very best education that we can to our students - the students that we all care very

30

much about. There is so much great and excellent learning and teaching practice that goes on across

and throughout (school name)- yet it goes on most often behind closed doors. This means that

opportunities to learn from one another are really limited; opportunities to sharebest practice, to

collaborate on new ideas and to trial new methods (Hattie's 'interventions') pass us by. And when

lessons are visited, it is seen by some as a negative imposition. This is not doing us any good as a

School and it is not in the best interest of our students, nor of ourselves as a professional body. We

need to open the doors, see one another practise, celebrate great learning and teaching and know

where we can get support and advice on how to be better still.

Opportunities to address you are few and far between and I want to ensure that I am very clear

about where we are heading with the culture of visible learning and teaching at (school name.) It is

the direction we are going in and I am going to require that we get there sooner rather than later. I

would be surprised if any colleague felt that they have nothing to learn about teaching and learning.

As John Hattie writes: “the greatest effects on student learning occur when teachers become

learners of their own teaching, and when students become their own teachers.”

Kind regards

31

Methodology and narrative

“As parents we are hardwired to want the best for our kids. No one wants to go to a failing school

and no one wants them to go to a coasting school. We are waging an all-out war on mediocrity.”

(David Cameron Feb 2015.)

In order to help people eliminate weaknesses and build on strengths, teacher performance needs to

be observed quite regularly. Unless a school has a performance management policy that ensures

that this happens, it is not only failing in its obligations to its pupils, it is also failing its teachers. How

can it reward people justly if it is not secure in its knowledge of their day-to-day performance? How

can it foster their professional development – and the satisfaction that comes from this - unless it

has mechanisms for doing so?

One of the biggest faults school leaders can make therefore is failing to address the perception of

observation to be a tool for SLTs to monitor the performance of staff. Whilst this obviously has a degree

of inevitability -we all need to be and feel accountable in our very important role (and the literature

supports the need for challenge in the process) the adverse effects of such a philosophy (see appendices

for counterproductive effects) negate any words that may mention “development” in the policy

document(s). If observation comes to be perceived as something that is “done to teachers” and

something we all have to get through, then it is probably being done badly!

To get as broad a perspective as I could, I initially sourced Lesson observation/Performance

management material from fifteen schools (the majority HMC schools). Although there was

inevitably a degree of uniformity amongst the paperwork my starting point was to establish the

“purported purpose” of Lesson observation in these schools; significantly to see how much emphasis

was placed on the development as opposed to monitoring of staff. The tone of the wording was

something I found particularly interesting (which probably said quite a lot about the person who had

32

written the policy.) At the outset of the assignment this was more of an information gathering

exercise to look at how schools were approaching observation (hence the reference to tone.) My

main aim was to see if there was a real clarity of purpose in their literature. Lesson observation can

often try to fulfil multiple aims simultaneously and as a result fail to achieve its stated objectives.

Whether “outcomes” matched “aims” was an important referencing point throughout the project.

Developing a clear appreciation and understanding of what it’s possible to make judgements about

through the medium of Classroom observation, was also an essential starting point for my

methodology. As the literature and recent research evidence shows, there are serious question

marks surrounding the validity and reliability of assessments made during observations. Particularly

there are inevitably a myriad of uncontrollable variables at play, e.g. subjectivity of interpretation

and judgement across observers (i.e. there is lots of evidence of disagreement between observers as

to what constitutes ‘effective teaching’ as mentioned), observer bias, understanding and application

of assessment criteria and rating scales (e.g. the Ofsted four- point scale) etc. Additionally, the

validity and reliability of judgements made during snapshot, episodic observations is something that

researchers have repeatedly questioned.

All of these shortcomings have to be balanced with the responsibilities all schools face in terms of

providing evidence of standards of teaching. In recent years the school has collated data from

“graded” lesson observations to produce what has been considered firm evidence of the monitoring

of teaching standards in preparation for inspection by Ofsted.

For Lancaster Royal Grammar School to replace “grading” would require real confidence in the

school’s internal processes of accessing and developing teaching. The question this project

immediately poses is failing to do so might be considered worse?

33

As Coe (2013) says “If it is true that despite the huge efforts we have made to improve education not

much has changed, there are important lessons for us to learn. One would be that effort and good

intentions are not enough; we have to work smarter, not just harder. Another would be that we

must look carefully at the strategies we have been using to improve, and replace them with some

different ones. A third lesson is that a more critical and realistic approach to evaluation may be

required. An uncritical belief that things are improving may be comforting, but is ultimately self-

deceiving and unproductive.”

34

Cultural change

“Too much of sport operates under the tyranny of the result....the core principle at Saracens is that

we gather talented people together, treat them unbelievably well and in return they try unbelievably

hard. That is it. Everything else –winning or losing matches, winning or losing Cups - are just

outcomes. They are not the primary aim. We exist to have a positive impact on as many people as

possible.”

Edward Griffiths, CEO, Saracens RFC.

The leadership challenge of the assignment was to effect positive change and influence a significant

number of people in doing so. Changing the culture and atmosphere around observation to

reconceptualise it as something other than merely a performative tool was central to achieving this

goal; in turn making the experience an enriching one for all concerned at the school.

The research methodology used was a combination of structured interview questions and qualitative

responses from emailed questionnaires. By predominantly using qualitative methods it was felt that

this would produce the best validity, reliability and richness of data. Much of the quantitative data

was provided first hand by the school i.e. information about who was allocated “to observe” in

2013/14 & 2014/15, who they were observing, length of teaching service, number of previous

schools. Thirty people have the role of observing in 2014/15 (see appendices.)

Two main questionnaires were used. The first went to all staff and once responses had been collated

a second questionnaire was sent to observers. In all interviews I looked to be consistent in my

questioning whilst being conscious of the roles and responsibilities of colleagues in terms of

observers and observees, with several transcending the two groups. My underlying focus was how

Lesson Observation currently impacted on teaching and learning, whose interests it served and

whether it had improved practice. I wanted to be clear that the focus of the project was on

35

improving the current situation, if it was deemed it could be improved, by emphasizing a reliance on

staff input to effect change for the benefit of all. Staff were informed all information would be kept

in the strictest confidence with anonymity maintained. As in many cases staff were going to be

discussing their HODs or colleagues in senior positions through their qualitative responses, I wanted

them to be as honest as possible in reporting their experiences and views of the observation

process. In also asking staff to draw reference to experiences from other schools, if they felt that

would help add to the richness of their qualitative reporting, I looked to diffuse at source the

potential for “the project” to be targeted as the cause of any lingering “professional or personal

animosity” that had grown between colleagues over the years. Drawing on experiences from other

schools also enhanced the breath of information that could be used to help formulate change. Some

colleagues felt happier giving me their responses verbally.

My aim through the questionnaires was to look to “inform” as much as possible without trying to

prejudice responses which were to be based on personal experience. There was a balancing act to

be achieved here: if staff were under informed and didn’t feel the project was going to lead to

change there was a danger of bland responses and a poor initial return. Obviously the flip side of this

was that by providing too much information, I biased and influenced responses. My intention was

for colleagues to feel real effort, research and thought had been put into carefully constructed and

considered questions along with the “supportive information” that was provided. Although I wasn’t

the Deputy Head in charge of teaching and learning, all staff were informed that the project was a

leadership in action project as part of a MEd submission and as a result if its findings provided a

mandate for change, it was going to be used by the school to inform and change current practice. I

felt issues regarding trust and anonymity were helped because the project had real credibility as a

component of the University of Buckingham MEd course; not being a member of SLT may also have

worked in the assignment’s favour. For transformational change to be effective there needs to be a

sense of collective ownership, it needs to be shaped from within, not dictated from the top and it

36

needs to fit into the wider culture and values- based philosophy of the school. From the moment

staff received the first questionnaire I wanted them to feel a genuine degree of ownership in

effecting change in an important area of their professional life. The ultimate long term target of the

project was not only to change the current cultural attitude that had evolved towards observation;

but also improve staff morale, teaching and learning and, as a consequence, learner achievement

and outcomes.

By carefully constructing my methodology based on background reading and staggering the two

main questionnaires I looked to establish grounds that hopefully would stimulate a sincerity of

interest in the observational process with the aim of generating responses from colleagues that

would then shape and justify change for the benefit of the school.

The perspectives into Classroom observation gained from the initial questionnaire (to all staff) then

helped shape the second questionnaire for “observers.” As the intention of the project was/is to

initiate a positive change, this was a crucial aspect of the methodology. Lack of observer training had

emerged as a clear issue in both the literature and the recent research with observers also

questioning the integrity of the current observation process. As a result I was careful that the

observers’ questionnaire - who by definition were more senior members of staff - highlighted this

issue by attaching two articles (Stoll.L.,Stimulating Learning Conversations and Porritt,V (2008)

Coaching to improve performance management…. and improve learning.) The observers were then

asked to answer a series of questions on observational feedback. Feedback in particular was

targeted as it had emerged in a number of responses that inadequate time had been devoted to it. A

sample response is included in the appendices. The observers were also given a comprehensive list

of potential counter-productive effects of the observation process, some of which had emerged in

the responses from staff (see appendices). My intention was two-fold: firstly for the “observers” to

appreciate not only the enormous potential of a developmental peer based approach to lesson

observation -which probably required a cultural mindset shift - and secondly to make them aware

37

through the articles that the job of observing, feeding back and then importantly providing feed

forward, required great skill, knowledge and tact. The number of responses and the time and

interest colleagues took to support the project only confirmed that Lesson observation was a topic

that had real significance for the school. Mike Cladingbowl, the former Director of Schools, kindly

gave up his time to be interviewed on the project. The interviews with colleagues and Mike also had

a focus of trying to explore alternative models of observation that could then be considered to

create optimum opportunities for staff development.

38

Evaluation

Productive Performance Management - A development tool to produce the right culture in a

school

I had decided to embark on this particular project because observation was something that I felt

strongly about; a view further strengthened by the MEd course and the refreshing approach of

Nelson Thomlinson School in Cumbria. Below is an extract from the School’s Performance

Management documentation.

The difference between NTS and “normal” schools is seldom more apparent than in discussions about lesson observation. The fact that we are obliged by our political masters to append this protocol is evidence of the national perception of observation as oppression of teachers. At NTS, we see teachers as our most valuable resource and their professional development as one of their most important needs and rights. We also see teaching as one of the most difficult and demanding of professions, requiring among other things rare practical skills that are never totally mastered. It seems obvious, therefore, that observing each other teach and learning from each other is an invaluable part of professional life. (Even Roger Federer has a coach, for goodness’ sake!) As a school, therefore we are committed to maximising the availability of opportunities for professional development through lesson observation…

In my twenty-four years of teaching, spanning six schools, I have sadly yet to experience a lesson

observation model that fulfils this genuine commitment to staff development as a primary purpose.

The fact that all staff, regardless of length of teaching service, had some experience of Lesson

observation made it a very interesting project, provoking some strong views based on personal

experience at LRGS or at previous schools. The vast majority acknowledged that observation had an

important role to play in teacher assessment and development. However, a common criticism in

responses was lesson observation had occasionally become little more than a ‘box-ticking’ exercise

39

with most colleagues capable of pulling a decent lesson “out of the bag” to fit the prescriptive

criteria. Stress, anxiety and underperformance were also reported. Most dissatisfaction, at the time

of the initial questionnaire was directed at the four point graded scale and the judgemental aspect

of lesson observations. This was identified by many respondents as being a major cause of increased

levels of stress and anxiety amongst teaching staff depending on the relationship or status of the

person who was observing.

Wragg (1999, p. 4) ‘the purpose, timing and context of an observation should largely determine its

methods’

The starting point of my research had been to establish the purported aims and purpose of

observation across a range of schools. As the Headteacher’s letter to her staff shows context must

be always be considered when looking at schools (where they are in their journey), just as it should

when examining varying individual staff circumstances (see attached disciplinary letter in

appendices.) However the dominant response when colleagues were questioned about the “purpose

of observation” was the feeling that its use, whether at LRGS or other schools they had worked in,

was ultimately as a tool to assess the capabilities of teachers. This would suggest that schools

including LRGS need to prioritise attempts to redefine the culture that surrounds observation to

maximise the enormous developmental benefits it can offer.

Although nearly all the paperwork I acquired from schools mentioned “staff development” as a key

objective of lesson observation the evidence would suggest that the ubiquitous nature of lesson

observation, means its purpose can often become somewhat blurred and contested. This conflict is

epitomised by the way in which the developmental needs of staff and the requirements of

performance management systems are forced to compete as they are often conflated into a ‘one-

size-fits-all’ model of observation in schools with the latter overshadowing the former. The MET

study and research by Strong et al would suggest the use of observation as a performative QA

40

instrument would seem to have limitations in terms of what it can tell us about the standards of

teaching and learning in classrooms and ultimately its ability to improve standards. The school’s

acknowledgement of the limitations of its “existing model of lesson observation” (pre Sept 2014)

was the initial leadership challenge; but for the project to have made a real difference, viable

alternatives through growing staff collaboration will need to become embedded practice at the

school in the future. Examples of peer-based models of observation, such as lesson study, may offer

the potential to enhance pedagogic understanding and will need to be explored.

There was a degree of good fortune in the timing of this project when Mike Cladingbowl announced

in June that future observations in the Midlands would not be grade lessons as part of a pilot study

(see letter in the appendices.) This gave the project huge impetus, as allied with the responses

collated we felt in a strong position to justify abandoning the grading system in September 2014.

Many of the concerns reported in the first questionnaire about lesson observations had actually

centred on the topic of assessment, in particular the key principles of validity and reliability of

observation as a method of assessment. In other words, a viewpoint expressed by several of the

staff was that it was neither valid nor reliable to make a conclusive judgement about someone’s

professional competence based on ‘snapshots’ or isolated, episodic performances. Their responses

were in all likelihood also shaped by the information I provided based on the MET study and

Professor Rob Coe’s simulations using the data from both the MET and EPPE studies. There was a

groundswell of support for the view that judgements about teaching needed to be inclusive of other

key performance indicators (KPIs) such as VA examination results, student evaluations, self-

evaluations, peer reviews etc. Again this information was used to amend the existing Lesson

observation form.

When presented with alternative models of observation which research suggested to be more

beneficial than others, particularly peer-based models with a focus on enhancing professional

learning and development, many staff seemed receptive to exploring options. Responses however

41

showed a surprising lack of experience or exposure to such peer based models. A series of twilight

sessions on collaboration are to be led by departments in 2015. To this end staff seemed very

accepting of the need to explore alternative approaches.

42

Recommendations

Having trained and qualified observers is essential if one wants to aim at a consistently high-quality

professional exchange. Such preparation provides reciprocal benefits for both observer and

observee. Even if people have been trained as observers under a graded scheme (which in the main

they hadn’t been), retraining will be necessary because the focus is different. The observer moves

from judging the lesson, to writing as objective and factual an account of what happened as

possible, which is then used as a basis for the teacher to reflect on students’ learning and the impact

of their teaching on it.

Facilitating reflection is another element in the training process and key to experiential and action

learning. Giving non-judgemental feedback, fostering professional dialogue and peer learning, as

well as focusing on the feed-forward stage are equally important.

Instead of observation being the end of a process, it needs to be reconceptualised and re-positioned

at the beginning. A regular response had been the lack of time devoted to quality feedback with

observation acting in a vacuum. Ideally, it should trigger future action research, further reading,

participation on courses, peer observations and peer coaching. This deep level of professional

exchange and learning requires the school to develop an action learning mindset itself and that

involves having a different attitude to risk-taking and making mistakes. Mistakes are an essential

part of the learning process. Just as we encourage our learners to take risks, so too should we seek

to foster such risk-taking among staff and, in so doing, move away from a culture of constant

accountability to a culture of learning.

The policy of graded lesson observation in place prior to September 2014 had significant

shortcomings which in the worst case scenario meant both the needs of staff and learners were

ignored. The grading of lessons had often represented an obstacle to substantive professional

43

dialogue and had led to counter-productive effects in many cases. Therefore by removing grading

from the observation process the school was showing the utmost confidence and commitment in its

internal processes of monitoring and developing teaching in the future.

The findings of the project suggest that the following recommendations should be considered based

on the evidence provided. Some of these have been implemented (February 2015.)

1) Observers are trained and qualified in the key competences of effective observation, self-

reflection, feedback and feed-forward. There is at least as much attention given to feed-forward as

there is to feedback and this is formally acknowledged in the time allocated to the process.

2) The emphasis is on developing staff with the goal of improving teaching and learning outcomes

for students rather than generating performance management data.

3) There is greater autonomy for staff to negotiate and decide the observation focus.

4) There is a differentiated approach to observation that reflects the individual strengths and areas

of improvement of each member of staff.

5) Observation is not simply seen as an assessment tool to be used episodically but a method of

inquiry that contributes to on-going professional dialogue based on self- reflection, action research,

feedback, peer coaching and experiential learning.

6) Consistency of observational recording through a narrative approach and Socratic questioning.

7) Pre observation meetings become normal practice.

8) Removal of grading (September 2014.)

44

9) Re-writing of existing observation form to allow a greater breath of information e.g. student

feedback (September 2014.)

10) Exploration of alternative models of observation e.g. differentiated observation

11) Increased observations to encourage collaboration.

12) To avoid at all costs a situation where the school introduces ungraded lesson observations but

still has a graded system running alongside.

45

Implications for the future

In July 2007 I had to deal with the tragic death of an 18 year old pupil when he was killed by a drink

driver on the last night of a school rugby tour in Argentina. James’ tragic death had a significant

impact on the whole school community with inevitable personal toll for all involved.

Many of the decisions made in Argentina had to made very quickly and under extreme stress with

the family’s best interests of primary concern. The language, the process of contacting James’

parents, the danger of corruption (the driver was a policeman), a consideration of the speed with

which news would spread via internet, the South American judicial system, the repatriation process,

the well-being of the rest of boys and staff were all challenges that had to be overcome very quickly-

to give the briefest of synopsis. From a leadership perspective it is very unlikely that I will ever have

to directly deal which such a challenging situation again.

The relevance of this tragic experience allows me to put into perspective the actual significance of

the day to day issues and stresses with which we all have to deal, making the clarity needed for

effective leadership an easier process.

I decided to choose observation as a topic for this “leadership of change” project because it was a

whole school issue and therefore it would be something that didn’t fall under my job description but

rather the Deputy i/c Teaching and Learning. I wanted to look at an area of school life that would

make a long term difference to the whole school and would take me out of my usual sphere of

influence. Although this presented a few challenges, none were insurmountable not least of all

because it proved to be a topic of interest to staff and I was supported wholeheartedly by the Head

and the new internally appointed Deputy.

In the main my teaching career has been in a leadership capacity running sport, predominantly in

HMC schools, meaning I have always had to work with colleagues outside of my own department.

46

This has involved proactively recruiting, supporting, cajoling, directing and even occasionally

disciplining staff. This undoubtedly helped achieve returns in a timely fashion. In many ways it was

easy for staff to write a few lines about their experience of lesson observation the bigger challenge

was the observers “buying into” the importance of their role. Spending the time preparing my

methodology went a long way to achieving this. The information given to staff on the counter-

productive effects of observation, the power of effective coaching, learning conversations and the

importance of high quality reflective dialogue provided balance to the research topic and were

significant in stimulating genuine interest and enthusiasm.

Exceptions of “good practice” in observation will and do exist as they did in several individual cases

at LRGS. However, it would not be unreasonable to conclude that in many schools the strong

association the observational process has with the monitoring of standards and teacher

accountability has been at the expense of the huge potential for the “process” to stimulate genuine

teacher development. There is a universal acceptance that poor teaching is not something that

should be tolerated and after appropriate support every effort should be made to eradicate it. Poor

teachers who don’t respond to support (and it must be provided) need to be moved on, as occurred

with a teacher last year whose results and attendance had been poor.

…At Nelson Thomlinson, the principle on which performance management is based is that of supported individual accountability. (All teachers are individually responsible for the progress of their pupils, but, equally, each teacher has a right to expect an appropriate level of training and support in the discharging of that responsibility.) This is why professional development is given such high importance in the school…

47

When analysed from a leadership point of view, it is essential for a Headteacher to have an effective

and systematic means of monitoring the professional behaviours of the people they purport to lead.

If the right conditions and culture are created with a real emphasis on professional trust and

development, Classroom observation remains a hugely important area for leaders to explore for the

benefit of their schools.

It is also crucially important to acknowledge virtue. Several responses mentioned the positive

emotions they felt following a successful observation. Teaching is not an exact science. It is a

complex and challenging activity and teachers gain great fulfilment seeing their pupils achieve

success - our job is important. Conscientious and committed teachers will continuously look for ways

in which to improve their professional practice and effective observation remains a most important

tool for developing pedagogic and subject specific skills. Recognising the efforts that go into

supporting pupils to reach their potential is an absolute necessity for school leaders.

Headteachers cannot realistically performance manage all their staff, so the process has to be

delegated to HOD’s. Therefore for the process to be effective all staff need to feel the process as real

authenticity, integrity and developmental value based on supportive coaching. The culture needs to

be right. This requires real investment in the process aligning observation with the school’s core

values. This will need to be continually worked on until it becomes a natural part of “what we do.”

To this end if alternative models (like lesson study) are to be considered to make a meaningful

contribution the school will need to create and encourage the necessary conditions for their

implementation. As this final excerpt from the Nelson Thomlinson policy implies the purpose behind

Classroom observation should be one that is firmly based around the desire to encourage teachers

to be the best they can possibly be and in turn encourage their learners to continuously strive for

success.

48

The success of this school has resulted from its staff’s willingness to obey the moral imperatives that flow from membership of an honourable profession rather than merely complying with legal or contractual requirements. We have always recognised the moral force of the question “Would it do for your child?” We are teachers and, as such, we see ourselves as morally-bound to aim to compel learning – thereby making important differences to the lives of our pupils. Yet teaching is a difficult activity: it’s easier to do it badly than to do it well. So what clearly follows from this is the necessity of us having in place an effective system for the monitoring of the performance and the professional development of our staff.

Unfortunately in the last three months LRGS has had to embark on a redundancy process as it looks

to save £150,000 in staff costs which will inevitably affect the atmosphere in the school until the

process is complete.

Despite the current situation that the school finds itself in, my fundamental hope (post Sept 2014) is

that this project will have gone a long way to reconceptualising how staff now engage with

observation, enriching the experience for all concerned. The recommendations will be implemented

in 2015 following a series of twilight sessions with the aim of bringing real long term benefits for the

staff and pupils of the school.

49

Barber, M.and b

Bibliography Barber, M., et al., Capturing the Leadership Premium. (McKinsey and Co., 2010.) Bjork, R A, Dunlosky, J and Kornell, N (2013) “Self-regulated learning: beliefs, techniques, and illusions”, Annual Review of Psychology, 64: Black, P. and William D. (1998) Inside the black box and working inside the black box (www. Nfer- nelson.co.uk) Blankstein, A.M. ,Houston, P.D. and Cole, R. W. (2008) Sustaining professional learning communities. (London, SAGE Ltd) Bolam, R. McMahon, A. Stoll, L. et al.(2005) Creating and sustaining effective professional learning communities Research report: RR637,(University if Bristol, Bath and London, DfES, GTCe and NCSL) Clement, M. and Vandenberghe, R. Leading Teachers’ Professional Development (2001) in Leading People and Teams in Education.

Brookfield, S. D. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Campbell, J., Kyriakides, L., Muijs, D & Robinson, W. (2004) Assessing Teacher Effectiveness - Developing a

Differentiated Model. London:Routledge Falmer. Coe, R. (2013) Improving Education: A triumph of hope over experience. Inaugural Lecture of Professor Robert Coe,

Durham University, 18 June 2013. Essay version available at

http://www.cem.org/attachments/publications/ImprovingEducation2013.pdf

Coffield, F. (2012) To grade or not to grade. Adults Learning, Summer 2012, pp. 38-39, NIACE.

Available at: http://www.niace.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/adults- learning/AdultsLearning_2012_04-

pages38-39.pdf

Cope, P., Bruce, A., McNally, J. & Wilson, G. (2003) 'Grading the practice of teaching: an unholy union of

incompatibles'. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 28(6), 673 — 684. Day, C. ,Sammons, P. ,Hopkins, D et al (2007/10) 7/10 Strong claims about successful School leadership. (National College for School leadership. Nottingham.)

Dudley, P. (2008) Lesson Study Development in England: practice to policy, paper

presented at the World Association of Lesson Studies Annual Conference, Hong

Kong, December 2008. Available at:

http://www.tlrp- archive.org/tlrp/upload/assets/1231760840_PDWALS08.pdf Fidler, B. Addressing the Tensions: Culture and Values in Fidler et al. (eds) Choices for Self-Managing Schools (London: PCP, 1997.)

Foster, P. (1996) Observing Schools - A Methodological Guide. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Fullan, M. (2001) in Strategic Leadership and Educational Improvement (Penguin 1972) Fullan, M. (2003) The moral Imperative of School leadership, (Corwin Press) Gardner, H. Frames of Mind. (New York: Basic Books, 1983.) Goleman , D. (1996) Emotional Intellegence. Why it can matter more than IQ. (London, Bloomsbury Publishing)

Gosling, D. (2002) Models of Peer Observation of Teaching. London: LTSN Generic Centre. Hallinger, P. and Heck, R.H. (1999) Can School leadership enhance School effectiveness? In School improvement? Educational Management Administration and Leadership 38 (3)

50

Hallinger, P. and Heck, R.H. (2010) Leadership for learning: Does collaborative learning make a difference? Hamre, B.K., Goffin, S.G. & Kraft-Sayre, M. (2009) Classroom Assessment Scoring System Implementation Guide: Measuring and Improving Classroom Interactions in Early Classroom Settings (see image below.) http://www.teachstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/CLASSImplementationGuide.pdf Handy, C. The Age of Paradox. (Harvard Business School Press, 1994.) Hargreaves, D.H. Helping Practitioners Explore Their School’s Culture in Prosser, J. (ed.) School Culture. (London: PCP, 1999.) Hattie, J. (2009) Visible learning: A synthesis of 800+ meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge. Hattie, J. (2012) Visible learning for Teachers: Maximizing impact on Learning. London: Routledge. HayGroup Raising Achievement in our Schools: Models of Excellence for Headteachers in Different Settings. (DfES Publications, 2000.) Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007) ‘The Power of Feedback’, Review of Educational Research, 77, 1, pp. 81-112.

Honey, P. and Mumford, A. The Manual of Learning Styles. (Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications, 1986.) Hord, S. and Hirsch, S. (2008) Sustaining Professional Learning Communities. (Corwin Press)

Joyce, B., et al. The Self Renewing School. (Alexandria, VA. ABCD, 1993)

Kahneman, Daniel Thinking, Fast and Slow. (Penguin, 2011.)

Kincheloe, J. L. (2004) The Knowledges of Teacher Education: Developing a Critical Complex Epistemology,

Teacher Education Quarterly, 31(1), 49-66.

Kotter, J. What Leaders Really Do. (Harvard Business Review, 1990.) Leading Change. (Harvard Business School Press, 1996.) Leithwood, K., et al., 7 Strong Claims About Successful School Leadership. (NCSL, 2006.) Lewis, P. and Murphy, R. Review of the Landscape: Leadership and Leadership Development. (NCSL, 2008.)

Lieberman, J. (2009) Reinventing teacher professional norms and identities: The role

of lesson study and learning communities. Professional Development in Education, 35(1), 83-99.

Lowe, R. (2007) The Death of Progressive Education: How teachers lost control of the classroom. Oxford: Routledge. MacBeath, J. and Dempster, M. Connecting Leadership and Learning. (Routledge, 2008.)

Marriott, G. (2001) Observing Teachers at Work. Oxford: Heinemann. Matthews, P.(2009) How do School leaders successfully lead learning? (National College for School Leadership: Nottingham)

Metcalfe, C. (1999.) Developmental Classroom Observation as a Component of

Monitoring and Evaluating the Work of Subject Departments in Secondary Schools.

Journal of In-service Education, 25(3), 447-459. McDaniel, M A, and Callender, A A (2008) “Cognition, memory, and education”, in Roediger, H L, ed, Cognitive Psychology of Memory, vol 2 of Learning and Memory: a comprehensive reference (Elsevier). Middleton, D. (eds) Managing People in Education. (London: PCP, 1997.) Mihaly, K., McCaffrey D. F., Staiger D. O., and Lockwood J. R. (2013) A Composite Estimator of Effective Teaching:

Report for the Measures of Effective Teaching Project, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Available at

51

http://www.metproject.org/downloads/MET_Composite_Estimator_of_Effective_Teaching_Research_Paper.pdf

Montgomery, D. (2002) Helping Teachers Develop through Classroom Observation - Second Edition. London:

David Fulton Publishers

Mortimore, P. and MacBeath, J. School Effectiveness and Improvement in S.L.E.I. Mourshed, M., et al. How the World‟s Most Improved Education Systems Keep Getting Better. (McKinsey and Co., 2010.) Newton, C. and Tarrant, T. (1992) Managing change in a School environment: a practical handbook. (London Routledge) NCSL The Role and Purpose of Middle Leaders in Schools. (2003) PricewaterhouseCoopers Independent Study into School Leadership. (DfES, 2007.) Sammons, P., Taggart, B., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Barreau, S. and Manni, L. (2006) Variations in teacher and pupil behaviour in Year 5 classes. Effective Pre-School and Primary Education 3-11 Project (EPPE 3-11). London: Institute of Education http://eppe.ioe.ac.uk/eppe3-11/eppe3-11%20pdfs/eppepapers/Tier%203%20full%20report%20-%20Final.pdf

Schein, E.H. Organisational Culture and Leadership. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985.) Schon, D. The Reflective Practitioner. (Basic Books, 1983.) Senge, P.M. The Fifth Discipline: The arts and practice of the learning organinsation. (2006) (London Random House) Stoll, L. and Fink, D. Changing our Schools. (London: O.U.P.,1996.) Strong, M., Gargani, J., & Hacifazlioglu, O. (2011). Do we know a successful teacher when we see one?

Experiments in the identification of effective teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(4), 367–382. Swaffield, S and MacBeath, J. Embedding Learning. How to learn in School policy: The challenge for leadership (National college for School Leadership. Nottingham) West- Burnham, J. Leadership for professional learning (National college for School Leadership. Nottingham 2008/2010) Taylor, E. S., & Tyler, J. H. (2012). The effect of evaluation on teacher performance. The American Economic Review, 102(7), 3628-3651.

Tilstone, C. (1998) Observing Teaching and Learning - Principles and Practice. London: David Fulton.

Wilcox, B. and Gray, J. (1996) Inspecting schools: holding schools to account and helping schools to improve.

Buckingham: Open University Press.

Wragg, E.C. (1999) An Introduction to Classroom Observation - 2nd Edition. London: Routledge.

Observation protocols:

CLASS http://metproject.org/resources/CLASS_10_29_10.pdf

FFT http://metproject.org/resources/Danielson%20FFT_10_29_10.pdf

MQI http://metproject.org/resources/MQI_10_29_10.pdf

PLATO http://metproject.org/resources/PLATO_10_29_10.pdf

52

Appendices

Appendix 1 Letter by Mike Cladingbowl

Why I want to try inspecting without grading teaching in each individual lesson

Like many others, I have strong views about inspection and the role of inspector observation in it. I

believe, for example, that inspectors must always visit classrooms and see teachers and children

working. Classrooms, after all, are where the main business of a school is transacted. It is also

important to remember that we can give a different grade for teaching than we do for overall

achievement, particularly where a school is improving but test or examination results have not

caught up.

But none of this means that inspectors need to ascribe a numerical grade to the teaching they see in

each classroom they visit. Nor does it mean aggregating individual teaching grades to arrive at an

overall view of teaching. Far from it. Evaluating teaching in a school should include looking across a

range of children’s work, establishing how well children acquire knowledge, understanding the

teachers’ own views, observing direct practice, and checking on the views of children and parents.

Although I hope all this is now better understood by schools than it was, I am still concerned that

ineffective and unnecessary lesson observation is going on in too many of our schools.

I won’t pretend that some of this is not the result of Ofsted inspection. But when I speak to

headteachers I am adamant that it is for them to decide how to assess teaching – and what style of

teaching they want – in their school. It’s not for Ofsted or anyone else to do that. I am equally

adamant that neither schools nor individuals should use inspection to justify their own particular

view. Too often, teachers tell me that teaching is evaluated narrowly or they are told to plan lessons

53

in a particular way, or even to adopt a specific way of teaching, because ‘that’s what Ofsted wants’.

Well, it usually isn’t.

I know there are a few out there who continue to peddle this myth of ‘that’s what Ofsted wants’. But

teachers and schools must be allowed to teach as they see fit. After all, they know what works for

them and what works for their children. Teaching has always been a responsible profession, which is

why children are entrusted to teachers, and they should be able to exercise their craft without

undue intervention.

So inspection should take a pragmatic view. Teachers should be encouraged to adopt the methods

that work best for their children. It’s equally unhelpful in my view to advocate traditional methods

only as it is to favour only progressive ones. Traditional versus progressive, false dichotomies or

otherwise, might make for an interesting debate when it’s underpinned by evidence but in most

classrooms teachers do a bit of both these days. Put another way, children need facts but also need

to develop the skills to use those facts.

So what has any of this to do with grading teaching in individual lessons? I think the time has come

to try something different. While I am confident that most inspectors have got the message, I fear it

is not yet established firmly enough in schools. I suspect that many in the profession still think that

teaching can be assessed well by observing, episodically, a few aspects of an individual’s work for

only a short period of time.

So in a pilot from 9 June 2014 onwards, across the Midlands region, inspectors will not enter a grade

for teaching on each individual lesson observation form. Instead, they will record their observations

about what is going well, and what is going less well, and use this to feed back to teachers (if

teachers want this) or even groups of teachers. But inspectors will not feedback a specific teaching

grade or use grades to arrive at an overall judgment.

54

They will summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching they encounter, along with

plentiful other evidence from the scrutiny of books, discussions with teachers and children, the

school’s own view of teaching and so on. Taken together, this will provide a catalyst for discussion

and allow inspectors to form a view about teaching overall.

I also want the range of comments made about teaching by inspectors and by those in schools to

widen. Like others, I don’t favour individual lesson check-lists that are aligned to specific behaviours.

This does little to encourage good teachers or increase professional reflection on what is effective

practice.

Of course, inspectors and schools do focus on many of the right things when they look at teaching –

for example is the work hard enough and do the children work hard at it? But comment on teaching

is often focused on the same issues – the length of the introduction, the activities set, the match to

the needs of children, the quality of questioning and comment on the marking of books. In some

instances, it can focus on explaining why the grade was awarded rather than adding fresh insight.

What about teachers’ subject knowledge, the children’s sense of routine, the ability to turn direction

mid-sentence, a common sense approach to differentiation, the sense of humour, the infectiousness

of the explanation? I see too little of this kind of comment about teaching. I hope we see more

reporting of it during the pilot.

None of this runs contrary to the key inspection guidance available to inspectors. Nor will it give

preferment to schools where the new approach is tried out. But I do hope it will lead to better

inspection and more good teaching in schools.

Mike Cladingbowl, Ofsted’s National Director, Schools.

55

Appendix 2 Qualitative samples on lesson observation experience

Sample of comments on lesson observation

I don’t like being observed as it is not a true reflection of my day to day teaching. Anyone can be good just for one lesson. I often try and produce an all singing all dancing lesson just because I am being observed. I get nervous when I am being observed and I miss behaviour that I would normally tackle as I feel pressure to perform Accountability is understandable but the judgemental aspect of lesson observation seems to the overriding purpose of lesson observation-it should be about developing teaching practice? I resent the disproportionate amount of time that I spent on form filling for a thirty-five minute lesson observation for a non-subject specialist to then watch me teach. I wouldn’t expect to sit in judgement on a science lesson. The time we have spent watching each other in departments has been incredibly useful and has helped inform our practice however we get no time allowance for it Insufficient time is often allocated to the feedback process. Sometimes things happen and you don’t sit down for days meaning you have forgotten what happened. This is supposed to be a process but it seems to be observation, then feedback- when we can both fit it in. To be honest I just want to get it out of the way. I’ve had one really good observational experience and several average ones-perhaps we are too busy to devote the time we should to this. I think this is a really interesting issue within schools and it seems this is the first time anyone is really getting to grips with it. I bet you get a few interesting replies! Feedback is supposed to stimulate CPD which requires more form filling followed by a no sorry we haven’t got any money. If the process seemed to lead somewhere I would be a lot less cynical about it. We have a superb Head of Department. She is highly respected and is supportive of our development, as a result observation doesn’t feel a threatening process. Before observations we always have a lengthy pre-observation meeting where issues with a particular class are discussed. To be honest we are always discussing pupil issues at department meetings anyway. By discussing issues a particular class has we can decide an observation focus for the lesson which maybe unique to our subject. I’m not sure the current pro forma isn’t a bit artificial. I think our approach to observation needs an overhaul. Observing a lesson in isolation gives little perspective on what has gone on before and this genuinely dictates what and how you teach. Genuinely a subject specialist or HOD can appreciate this given their subject expertise but for a non-subject specialist it is far harder and you don’t have time to talk about every student in the class. I am not sure what learning walks are trying to achieve The emphasis should be on staff development rather than judgement

56

I think the process is too exposed to subjective interpretation and as a result can easily lead to disagreement. A decent teacher knows his class really well and whilst we should all aim to improve someone coming in to watch a class who doesn’t know the kids will have no idea of the baggage certain boys are carrying particularly when they are not at the chalk face. It has become a bit of a hoop jumping exercise. A radical overhaul is needed. Well done. I get the sheet out and tailor my lesson appropriately. It doesn’t necessarily make it a good lesson but we all have to do it I suppose. Has it helped me improve? It makes me think about a lesson a lot more than I would normally do –quality of feedback depends on who is observing. Sending us on more subject specific delivery courses would be of more use Stressful Too much unnecessary paperwork, too little constructive developmental feedback. I would like to see a real emphasis on support as opposed to judgement. Lesson observations in our department have a collaborative emphasis. Teaching isn’t always straightforward and as we know every class and pupil is different. I still get confused. Is the observer watching me teach or the learning that is supposed to be going on? When I am being watched I always have to ask. When I am observing a lesson I find it incredibly difficult to make judgements because I am always thinking about what I would do. The evidence you suggest indicates we can’t make valid judgements which makes me feel a lot better. Now we can actually accept that I think we have a chance to completely review how we approach observation to make it much better. I’ve found this really interesting reading. I worry about giving a grade. Twenty years ago we didn’t have lesson observations we were trusted professionals, who learnt on the job. There seems to be constant scrutiny in all schools now-even the good ones. I’ve got a good department. They mark their books, prepare their lessons and we get pretty good results. Appraisal is an understandable necessity for every school. Staff will embrace performance management if they can see the merit in it. I feel it is important to develop the mind set that our actions should always stem back to whether they are in the long term interests of the students. Developing a culture in which staff suitably challenged and are happy to try new things (taking risks) and learning from them will keep staff engaged and excited about teaching. Observing can make me feel critical but also worried, as I don't want to be a cause of stress to my colleagues. Being observed makes me feel tense, but I also like having the opportunity to be praised.

57

What is it for? I think observations are for quality control, monitoring and that they should be promoted as a good thing, something we should all do. Paired observation is a good thing. Observations are also an opportunity to praise and appreciate the good things people are doing in the department. This should be lead by the Head and SLT who should be examples of good practice in observation and coaching. I think that a well run and implemented system of appraisal should be a motivating force for staff. It should also be a source of confidence as good teachers will be able to use it as confirmation of their skills and a reliable source of inspiration for developing and improving their skills. Lesson observation is a crucial part of this When giving feedback to my colleagues I have found that I need to develop my ability and moral courage in giving feedback, to my colleagues in order to make sure that I give them feedback which is honest and accurate, as well as positive and giving praise where it is due. I think appraisal is a very important whole school issue and the success of the system within each department will depend very much upon how it is treated and viewed across the school. If it is seen as a measure of control and a means for accusation, then it will be seen negatively and staff members are likely to resist it. However if the senior management of the school works to promote the process as one of development and improvement in the classroom then I think it would be viewed much more positively within the body of the staff. Staff will embrace performance management if they can see the merit in it. I feel it is important to develop the mind set that our actions should always stem back to whether they are in the long term interests of the students. Developing a culture in which staff suitably challenged and are happy to try new things (taking risks) and learning from them will keep staff engaged and excited about teaching. Observing can make me feel critical but also worried, as I don't want to be a cause of stress to my colleagues. Being observed makes me feel tense, but I also like having the opportunity to be praised. What is it for? I think observations are for quality control, monitoring and that they should be promoted as a good thing, something we should all do. Paired observation is a good thing. Observations are also an opportunity to praise and appreciate the good things people are doing in the department. This should be lead by the Head and SLT who should be examples of good practice in observation and coaching. I think that a well run and implemented system of appraisal should be a motivating force for staff. It should also be a source of confidence as good teachers will be able to use it as confirmation of their skills and a reliable source of inspiration for developing and improving their skills. Lesson observation is a crucial part of this When giving feedback to my colleagues I have found that I need to develop my ability and moral courage in giving feedback, to my colleagues in order to make sure that I give them feedback which is honest and accurate, as well as positive and giving praise where it is due.

58

I think appraisal is a very important whole school issue and the success of the system within each department will depend very much upon how it is treated and viewed across the school. If it is seen as a measure of control and a means for accusation, then it will be seen negatively and staff members are likely to resist it. However if the senior management of the school works to promote the process as one of development and improvement in the classroom then I think it would be viewed much more positively within the body of the staff.

59

A sample of Qualitative perspectives on the Narrative Method of lesson observation

From a whole school perspective, the narrative method of lesson observation seems particularly effective when observing lessons in other departments. By refraining from applying any judgement throughout the observation, it means when it is discussed the person who has been observed is likely to feel less threatened and therefore more open about ideas in discussion. The narrative method of lesson observation does result in far more detail in the lesson observation notes and therefore the appraisee could raise issues I might not have. Using the narrative method of lesson observation did actually get me focusing on student behaviour more, rather than just what the teacher was doing which I believe to be a good thing as ultimately we should be judging the quality of a lesson based on students meeting learning objectives. I have felt more comfortable using the narrative lesson observation format and have felt that this works well in opening up a non-judgmental conversation after a lesson observation. The colleagues that I observed were also positive about this format. However, it does need both parties to still be fully aware of the features of good and outstanding lessons, even if they are no longer actual boxes to be ticked on the observation sheet. A narrative lesson observation opens discussion allowing a teacher to think about the choices that they made in their lesson as well as explore alternatives.

60

A sample of Qualitative perspectives on the Coaching Method of lesson observation

In conversations with my appraisees, they identified good and bad aspects to the coaching method of appraisal. Yes, it was nice for them to steer the conversation and to have time to do so. I certainly think that lessons learnt by the appraisee will be retained better by virtue of being identified by themselves. However, there are occasions when it is challenging to cover some important issues in the time given for appraisal sessions. (I.e. they take longer than direct feedback.) I am keen to keep using the method but will probably find more focused areas for discussion during the feedback session which will help develop areas of weakness for the appraisee. In conducting appraisals, the member of staff is likely to be more responsive to coached sessions in which they feel they are working together with the HoD to develop professionally instead of seeing it as a judgement exercise. Post lesson coaching dialogue’ is a better phrase to use than feedback. Coaching implies continued and shared improvement towards excellence rather than a closing discussion. Coaching is a two way process shared between colleagues where the HoD is helping them learn and enabling them. ‘If you were to consider x what would that look like for you? What else?’ Issue belongs to them and so does the solution; it is not about how the HoD would fix it. Surface the issues. If you put your idea on top and you stop them from rising upwards. The person who is being coached should do nearly all the talking, which should be action orientated. The focus should be on what to do about the problem, rather then focusing on what has gone wrong. I can be reluctant to engage in difficult conversations that could lead to confrontation but the coaching model has given me a basis on which to build. The coaching model feels much more collaborative, and I think this approach will work particularly well with those drawn to PSHE teaching. Rather than dictate ‘improvements’ the notion of empowering the colleague that you are coaching and asking them to identify features of their practice is something that I feel more comfortable doing. but I am also beginning to understand that coaching can be a more open process and a truly collaborative learning conversation is one where we are both open to new ideas and honest about our approaches. I am unsure as to how successfully the coaching model would be, and how successfully I could employ it, with a less enthusiastic colleague. The structure does seem to rely on willingness, positivity and motivation and whilst this is to be expected on the teaching staff it is not always the case. A colleague who was disaffected or felt bitter and over-worked may resent the onus being placed back on to them and may expect solutions from middle-management. Whilst this is not ideal for the middle manager and may eventually lead to further capability/disciplinary procedures, I may try to employ other strategies alongside coaching in this instance.

61

A sample of Qualitative perspectives on Learning conversation

I do think that to have a successful learning conversation, the environment needs to be right. I would be more reluctant to criticise a stranger or new colleague. However, if the relationship with them is more established, then this process should be easier. This could either be as a result of friendship, acquired professional respect or, from a managerial perspective, having had plenty of opportunity to praise the colleague prior to the learning conversation. If teachers genuinely share the common goal of improving then these can be highly productive conversations. Historically these have not happened across departments as people were perhaps afraid of offending each other. However, by combining the depersonalised narrative approach to lesson observation where people have established relationships and take criticism well, learning conversations school wide could have a very big impact on the school as a whole.

Staff response to Stoll L. ‘Stimulating Learning Conversations’ Professional Development Today.

Stoll’s article allowed me to consider the many requirements for an effective learning conversation and the benefits of taking the time to consider them and put them into place. I found her ideas about teachers as social learners very interesting. Teachers do love to talk, and that talk is often about teaching and learning, even in their free time and more casual situations. In fact in my own experience more interesting ideas have come from conversations had over coffee, than from formal meeting situations. Finding a way to combine the creativity of these more relaxed conversations with the focus and depth found in more formal conversations could lead to really effective learning conversations with impressive results. Stoll points out that these conversations should be about looking for ‘better ways to […] enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for all students’. This seems to be paramount, as in all work in schools; the outcomes for the students must be at the heart of everything that is done. I think that this is often lost sight of in meetings and discussions; Stoll’s ideas could help to formalize this focus to ensure that it is not removed from its place at the heart of the issue. Stoll talks about ‘harnessing’ people’s natural desire to collaborate, an idea which is easy to see in our Staff Common Room where people are keen to work in teams and support each other in their endeavors. To be able to focus this desire would seem to be one the keys to a really efficient and forward thinking institution.

62

Staff response to Porritt, V (2008) Coaching to improve performance management ……. and improve learning.’ Professional Development Today.

This article gave a very recognizable reflection of the performance management process as it stands in schools I have worked at, especially the staff response to it. I think it is the case in many situations that staff are unable to see the relationship between performance management and teaching and learning improvement. It can be seen as a tick box procedure which is carried out begrudgingly and because it has to be done.

Porritt points out that the language used to describe performance management is negative-we can all relate to this. I am sure I am likely to have used the term ‘done’ to describe my performance management meetings and Porritt’s interpretation of the term ‘target’ as relating to being ‘shot at’ is thought provoking.

Porritt poses key questions about staff attitude to performance management, which may form an excellent basis for evaluating the current state of a performance management structure within school. I think it would be particularly interesting to examine the role that performance management plays in the relationships between colleagues and managers in a department and in a school. I think it can be something that plays into a feeling of separation between teachers and managers, which relates to the idea of being managed, rather than working together to improve and develop the learning experience for students and teachers.

In my previous School, I gained a lot personally from observing my colleagues from a range of subjects. It was a very useful exercise in observation but also in teaching and learning as I was reminded of a range of excellent teaching techniques and refreshed my own classroom management skills. I think this is something that teachers should do more often in order to learn from each other and develop an atmosphere of shared learning. It was a great experience also to remind myself of the many different subjects and teaching styles that the students travel through in one day. It was a useful pedagogical reminder that, although I had been teaching English and Drama all day, my students may have just come from DT or Maths, and this must always be considered in my teaching.

63

Appendix 3 Appraisal and lesson observation exemplar material pre Sept 2014

64

65

66

67

68

69

Appendix 4 Lesson observation form September 2014

Lancaster Royal Grammar School

Lesson Observation Form

Teacher

Class Date and period

Observer

Lesson Topic Number of pupils

Context: e.g. reason for observation; areas for development from previous observations

Comments

70

Comments on student responses and teacher feedback (including written work and

marking if seen)

Key strengths

Areas for development

71

“Outstanding” grade descriptors: Ofsted School Inspection Handbook 2014

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/school-inspection-

handbook

Quality of teaching in the school

Much teaching over time in all key stages and most subjects is outstanding and never less than consistently good. As a result, almost all pupils currently on roll in the school, including

disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils and the most able, are making sustained progress that leads to outstanding achievement.

All teachers have consistently high expectations of all pupils. They plan and teach lessons that

enable pupils to learn exceptionally well across the curriculum. Teachers systematically and effectively check pupils’ understanding throughout lessons,

anticipating where they may need to intervene and doing so with notable impact on the quality of learning.

The teaching of reading, writing, communication and mathematics is highly effective and cohesively planned and implemented across the curriculum.

Teachers and other adults authoritatively impart knowledge to ensure that pupils are engaged

in learning and generate high levels of commitment to learning across the school. Consistently high quality marking and constructive feedback from teachers ensure that pupils

make significant and sustained gains in their learning. Teachers use well-judged teaching strategies, including setting appropriate homework that,

together with clearly directed and timely support and intervention, match pupils’ needs

accurately.

The behaviour and safety of pupils at the school (extract)

Pupils consistently display a thirst for knowledge and understanding and a love of learning, including when being taught as a whole class or working on their own or in small groups. This

has a very strong impact on their progress in lessons. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are of an equally high standard across subjects, years and classes

and with different staff. Incidences of low-level disruption in lessons are extremely rare.

Achievement of pupils at the school (extract)

Pupils make substantial and sustained progress throughout year groups across many subjects,

including English and mathematics, and learn exceptionally well. The attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils at least match or are rapidly approaching

those of other pupils nationally and in the school.

Pupils read widely and often across all subjects to a high standard. Pupils acquire knowledge and develop and apply a wide range of skills to great effect in

reading, writing, communication and mathematics. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education, training or employment.

The learning of groups of pupils, particularly those who are disabled, those who have special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils and the most able, is consistently good or better.

Effectiveness of sixth form provision (extract)

Teaching over time is outstanding and never less than consistently good. It contributes to outstanding learning and achievement, significant growth in knowledge, skills and

understanding and excellent attitudes to learning. All groups of pupils make outstanding progress, including disabled learners, those with special educational needs, disadvantaged

students and the most able. Teachers’ subject knowledge and expertise ensures that the needs

of all students are met precisely and, as a result, all groups of students achieve highly. All

72

students follow study programmes that build on their prior achievement and ensure

progression to higher levels. Students are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education, training or employment.

Students show excellent attitudes to their learning. They make best use of independent study

time so that they are very well prepared for lessons and other activities.

73

Appendix 5 Staff disciplinary letter

74

Appendix 6 Validity and reliability data on lesson observations

Reliability

Probability that the 2nd rater disagrees

1st rater gives % Best case r=0.7 Worst case r =0.24

Outstanding 12% 51% 78%

Good 55% 31% 43%

Requires Improvement 29% 46% 64%

Inadequate 4% 62% 90%

Overall 39% 55

Reliability

Inter-rater reliability is the level of agreement between different observers who observe the exact

same lesson (e.g. a video recording).

Best case estimate is from Sammons et al (2006): after 12 days training, inter-rater reliability was 0.7

Worst case is from Strong et al (2011, p372, Expt 1): untrained raters using their own criteria

achieved inter-rater reliability of 0.24

Reliabilities of observation instruments used in the MET study (Mihaly et al, 2013, Table 2, p22)

range from 0.24 to 0.68.

Validity

1st rater gives % Best case r=0.4 Worst case r =0.3

Outstanding 12% 71% 96%

Good 55% 40% 45%

Requires Improvement 29% 59% 79%

Inadequate 4% 83% >99%

Overall 51% 63%

Validity indicates the level of agreement between an observation rating and other measures of

teaching effectiveness, such as progress on assessments.

Best case is from the MET study (Mihaly et al, 2013, Table 3, p24). Correlations range from 0.17 to

0.42 between classroom observation measures and value-added.

Worst case is from Strong et al (2011, p372). They report that 40% of observer judgements

classifying lessons into ‘good’ or ‘poor’ (with equal numbers in each, according to value-added) were

correct. Since even pure guesses by chance would have got 50% correct, this indicates a negative

relationship between lesson observation ratings and learning gains measured by value-added. An

accuracy rate of 40% in this context corresponds with a point-biserial correlation of approximately -

0.3.

75

Appendix 7 List of observers and observes 2014/15

TEACHING STAFF APPRAISAL PLANNER: 2014/2015

The appraisals should be completed during gained time in the summer term and passed to the Headmaster by 31

st October 2015. In addition a summary sheet for each teacher including exam

results should be appended to the departmental analysis in September.

Appraiser Appraisee Appraiser Appraisee

C Pyle I D Whitehouse

M I Chambers

J Hallsworth

S Hirst

D Rowe

R Gittins

R Thomas

S Knight

I D Whitehouse +RG

K Page

S Young

C W Atkinson

A D King

J Millatt

M Ryan

C Moghadam

M Sinclair

M I Chambers

H J Castle

S Clarke

S Langhorn

C Mossop

A Talks

R Wareing

J Denwood

D Gibbon

J Hallsworth M Jenkinson

E Lamb

R Lemon

R Mellon

R Petit

B Armstrong

S Hirst C Bagnold

S Haigh

N Marriott

S Mitchell

A Halladay

D Rowe P Jago

S Bell

I Balshaw

K Gilpin

M Ashby

76

C Haywood H Creed

E Simmill

R Mellon

R Furlong-Brown

D Reeve

G Introna

S Blackwell

A Burns

S Mitchell D Ashbridge

J Hurrell

D Novell

N Thorn

R Lemon

D Saul

D Rouse

D Hunt

S Haigh S Boak

S Gorse

L Lightbody

J McKenzie

A Yelland

J McKenzie

P Pennarocha

77

Appraiser Appraisee Appraiser Appraisee

R Petit I Balshaw A V Humble

C Walker

D Hargreaves

A Wilkinson

C Wynn-Jones

S Bell M English

C Ellwood

A Shawcross

J Holmes

M Ryan D Yates

T C Matthew

C Rushton

N Gardner

R Wareing S Coldwell

I Ralston

J Reynolds J Hayler

S Langhorn E Hodkinson

M Crombie

C R Bagnold C France

A M Talks I W Ledward

RG Thompson

H J Castle M E Davies

J Reynolds

A D King + MS B Calvert

T Nelson

N Dodd

G Sinclair

A Shawcross + MS

S Day

T Moorby

J Millatt + MS J Viney

H Johnes

S Coates

A Rice/S Clarke J M Curran

T Glover

I P Sunderland

E Stewart

78

E Lamb S Edmondson K Page M Glover

K Gilpin G Thompson M Jenkinson

P Mitchell

S Kitching

S Jones

D Love

L Norman

S Johnston

79

Appendix 8 LRGS Games Staffing 2014-2015

5/6 ¾ 2 1(Tues) 1(Fri)

1 ADR ADR CWA BA BA

2 IPS SAC BA JMC AB

3 AEW JRM JMC SAC SAC

4 AY IDWw RS AB JPJ

5 JRW

RFB RES

RS IWL

6 IDWS RS JPJ IWL BJC

W

7 RTMW

/MICS EGI

W JRM RES MA

8 JMC CJM IWL BJC RES (wk A)

9 RW JPJ SAC JPJ RS

10 SRB RGT MA IPS

11 JPJ DEY

12 RGT JTV

13 MED JMC

14 DJN AY

15 IWL AEW

16 TCM SAY

17 SG MICW

18 AMT IWL

19 CWA RES

20 SAC RW

21 ACS BA

22 SAY IR

23 RES SGW

24 SGH DDR

25 RS

26 DEY

27 JTV

28 APH

80

29 BA

+APH on Mon, Fri when not needed for cover

ADR (18/12/14)

81

Counterproductive effects of observations

Observation as a form of assessment Observer issues Observation as a formative tool

Punitive effect/use of observations (especially graded) are seen as a 'stick' with which to beat staff instead of a tool for CPD/not very helpful or developmental

Graded observation s are regarded as 'box ticking'/'jumping through hoops' exercises

High levels of stress and anxiety caused by current graded observation regimes

Unannounced observations causing increased stress

Too much emphasis on judging and measuring

performance rather than concrete support on how to improve Teaching and Learning (T & L)

Lack of trust in professionalism of teaching staff

Time spent preparing for formal, graded observations is incommensurate with the perceived benefits/impact

Focus of observations driven by latest Ofsted priorities rather than genuine interest in excellence in T & L

Unfair to judge practitioners' capabilities on snapshot observations; they should be more inclusive of other key indicators such as student achievement rates, student evaluations, peer review etc

Concerns regarding the validity and reliability of judgement through lesson observation

Inauthenticity of observations makes them unreliable instruments for judging practitioners' capabilities and Identifying underperforming staff

Importance of subject specialist observers

Need for observers to demonstrate outstanding, current practice to have professional credibility

Observers need to be fully trained and update their skills continuously

Inconsistency (some good & bad) and subjectivity of observer judgements

Lack of prioritisation and timeliness of the feedback given by some observers

Importance of observation as a ‘learning tool’ especially the benefits of ungraded feedback given by ‘critical friend’

Value of peer observations

Appendix 9 counter productive effects of lesson observations

82