Using classroom observations to improve literacy teaching and

learning

Some thoughts

Trish Holden

February 2011

Underlying principles of SLP

Principle one: effective teachers have developed expertise

Principle two: Effective instructional decisions need to be based on quality evidence and ongoing inquiry

Principle three: effective instruction provides a set of optimal conditions for content-area literacy learning. These optimal conditions are described in the guidelines.

Ways of improving practice - Eraut

Feedback Recording and reviewing Developing awareness of impact Observing Expanding repertoire

Why observe?

“Classroom or peer observations have to be at the heart of extending or developing teacher repertoires.”

[Cooper 1989 cited in Harris, A. School Improvement: What’s in it for Schools]

“Classroom observation gives the teachers the opportunity to move from ‘Autonomous Isolation’ to ‘Interactive Professionalism’.”

(Wragg1996)

How do we learn on the job?

What part has classroom observation played in your learning to date?

Let’s discuss …positives, minuses, interestings

Woolf Fisher Research CentreThe University of Auckland

Classroom Observations Can….

Support reflective teaching practice Introduce ‘another pair of eyes’ to the classroom

(it can be hard to see or judge your own teaching objectively)

Provide some of the evidence needed for evidence-based teaching

Help teachers feel safe enough to take some risks

Support the professional learning of the observer even more than the observed

Clarity of purpose

Must link the impact of teacher practice on student literacy learning

Not about behaviour management Not about content learning

But could be about how explicit literacy instruction supported content learning

Common purpose and protocols shared and understood by all staff involved

cohesion

What are my students’ learning needs?

What are my learning needs in relation to

these?

Which of the Guidelines for Effective Adolescent Literacy Instruction would I like feedback on?

Pre-observation

Discuss student and teacher needs Discuss literacy aspects of lesson Agree on foci of observation –

guideline[s]/focus students Timetable a post observation discussion

scenario

asTTle scores show that students in class are not strong at skimming and scanning

Class exercise showed students could not scan page to find definition of keyword even though it was in bold and boxed

Teacher admitted that he did not know the difference between skimming and scanning but often told the students to do one or the other

Which of the Guidelines for Effective Instruction might you [observer and teacher] chose to focus on?

Observer as learner -ako

Consider doing observation in pairs Independently record notes

post observation discussion – what did you notice, what would you discuss with teacher?

Second person can give you feedback on your discussion with teacher.

Useful for helping us to learn to analyse classroom practice

Recording

Have a common template [GEALI] Keep to the agreed foci Note what you see and hear Use clear, unemotive language – don’t

evaluate or judge Note points to be discussed, questions to

be asked –avoid loaded questions

Peer observations

Working towards all teachers being able to observe and give feedback on literacy teaching and learning

Easier to do this if there is an explicit literacy learning intention

Expert content knowledge not needed.

Rephrasing the questions

Do you think they needed some more support to decode the worksheet?

Would it have been better to have done the grouping task in pairs?

Rephrase these as open, less judgemental questions

Reflection

It is not the observation, but the quality of the conversation that counts.

What are the characteristics of a quality learning conversation?

Engaging in learning talk: the challenges

“Teachers politely reinforce each other’s practice regardless of their effectiveness.”

PD conversations about teaching and learning not situated in teachers’ own classrooms

Conversations focus on issues peripheral to core task of teaching

[adapted from Annan, Lai, Robinson]

Level of Respect

High

Low

non-learningconversation(task sacrifice)

non-learning conversation (laissez-faire)

learning conversation

non-learning conversation(person sacrifice)

Low High

clarity of communication about the business issue

Where Do You Fit? (Robinson, 2002)

Learning talk

An inter-related inquiry process Analytical talk [based on evidence] Challenging talk [making changes] Critical talk [evaluating effectiveness] Adapted from Annan, B., Lai, M., Robinson, V.

Teacher Talk to improve teaching practices

Learning conversations

DEER Describe situation and check accuracy with

others

Explain including factors and values that have produced the situation. Check accuracy

Evaluate situation using agreed framework

Recommend improvements based on agreed evaluation that will better achieve agreed goal.

Useful resource

Improving learning for All: learning from the Literacy Professional Development. Effective facilitation: Understanding and Improving Learning conversations with teachers

http://literacyonline.tki.org.nz/Literacy-Online/Interact2/Literacy-Online-update/LPDP