Modern Lesson Observation In A Modern World
Teaching has always been the vocation for some people but in recent years the popularity of teaching as a career has soared. Applications for teacher training places in England for 2010/2011 have risen by 36%. Teach First, which only recruits the best qualified graduates, is now the 4th largest graduate recruiter in the UK after Deloitte, PWC and the Army. You may speculate about the impact of the economic downturn but an additional factor is also likely to be the growing status of the profession. ''Those who can, teach''. If this is the case, it is good news as research has shown that effective education systems clearly depend on effective teaching delivered by a high quality profession and recruiting the best graduates is the first step in that process.
Teaching offers rewards beyond the financial. Research quoted in the influential McKinsey Report suggests that a teacher's salaries in some of the most effective systems is less important than the status of the teacher within the community. Teachers have the satisfaction of knowing that they can make a profound difference to the lives of young people and to society itself. Teachers make a huge difference in helping young people realise their potential. From personal experience, we all know the impact of a good teacher. Teaching requires passion, commitment and excellence. As the key asset to the education system, it is essential that teachers have the highest quality of initial teacher training and ongoing professional development.
The routes into teaching are varied; undergraduate postgraduate (PGCE) and education based training (GTP, RTP) are still the most common but recently there has been a focus on recruiting through non-traditional avenues via organisations such as Teach First and by developing new opportunities for those who wish to join the profession later. Whether our future educators are recruited from traditional or non-traditional routes the quality of training will play a key factor on their success as teachers.
It is, however, ironic that teacher training and professional development is often based on outdated models of training and does not fully exploit the key experience based components of adult training such as modelling, lesson observation and professional dialogue.
A major factor in effective teacher training and professional development has to be lesson observation. In recent years many schools have attempted to move away from outdated models for professional development but evidence to the House of Commons Committee reviewing the ''Training of Teachers'' showed an over reliance upon traditional methods such as attending courses which were not within the context of real classrooms and involve real time lesson observations. Lesson observations provide contextualised experiential learning opportunities enabling teachers to truly discover the 'language of the classroom' and embed theory into actual practical situations.
Following the Education White Paper, the Donaldson Report, the McKinsey Report and research into effective teacher training, there is a growing emphasis upon work based learning, communities of practice and collaborative working which all depend upon ''open classroom cultures'' enabling teachers to discover, develop and share knowledge and skills. ''Lesson Observation is proven to be the most effective practice in teacher education and development. Teachers learn best from other professionals and an ''open classroom culture'' is vital: observing teaching and being observed.'' Schools White Paper, 2010.
Lesson observation is effective for NQT's. New and interesting situations will arise during lessons that won't have been taught at University. Student teachers will deal with many of these effectively and instantaneously, however, there will be moments where they will be better equipped if they are able to draw upon the experience having observed a colleague dealing with a similar situation. Seeking support and guidance from more experienced teachers will be helpful; by watching what they do through peer lesson observations will contextualise learning, mould theory and practice and thus impact on teaching outcomes.
Teacher Professional Development is an ongoing process and only through continually being involved in lesson observations, self reflection, having feedback from peers and supporting others will the teacher maintain and develop their skills.
The internet, web 2.0 and experiential learning technologies are enabling 'anytime anywhere learning'. The pressure on time can often restrict the amount of lesson observations teachers can actually take part in. By fusing mobile camera technology and secure online teacher learning communities, lesson observation has gone from an infrequent and uncomfortable process to one which empowers teachers to actively reflect upon their own development, undertake strong informed dialogue with peers and leaders and share their learning within a community.
Online experiential learning platforms have taken video observations to the next level providing teachers with observational recording data, including timers, counters and observational forms whilst the ability to apply time linked commentary into the timeline of videos imparting greater insight into teaching practice.
These solutions provide a cost effective and scalable model when addressing lesson observations, teacher professional development and school improvement.
About the Author:
Iris Connect offers lesson observation to let you improve your teaching performance.
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