Why the Current Observation Ritual Needs to Change
So it's that time of the year again, lesson plan printed off, in full colour, seating plan, class data, copies of hand outs and PowerPoint slides all in a neat pile ready for your date with destiny. You're already on your third cup of coffee this morning due to the lack of sleep last night and the early start this morning to get yourself set up. You're on edge as the class file in and find their seats all under the watchful eye of the person whom will decide how you will be labelled for the rest of the term. It's showtime.
This will be a common scene played out in schools up and down the country over the coming weeks and its one of the single most detrimental mechanisms in teacher development. Ironic to think that this system designed to attempt to improve teaching and learning often actually stints whole school improvement.
So why have I got such a negative opinion on lesson observations? Well actually I don't. I genuinely welcome lesson observations and I believe if they are done correctly they can help all teachers to rapidly improve their practice. The issue I have is how schools routinely carry out observations. Let me explain further the common atrocities carried out in the name of teacher development.
1) lesson Grades
OK, how many times have we been spun the line "we're grading the lesson, not the teacher?" Now a raise of hands how many teachers whom after receiving a grade below what they wanted for their lesson, walk away without feeling like they've been labelled. Yes almost all of them. They now are destined to dissect that lesson for the rest of the term, whilst subconsciously watering the seeds of doubt. Playing havoc with their mental health, self belief and morale. Likewise how many teachers whom could be excellent classroom teachers are happy with a 'good'. The same teachers that turn up 10 minutes before the bell, collect their UPS 3 payment and are one of the first ones out the car park on an evening. The good rating in most school is nothing more than a ticket to retirement from personal development. Grading lessons only has a negative impact either on those delivering lessons below good and those receiving good. Let's spare a thought also for those receiving the convented 'outstanding' title. They now get the privellege of the most challenging classes, having to run CPD sessions and having any Tom, Dick and Harry wonder into their lesson in the pilgrimage to see good practice.
2) Observation Frequency
Most teachers get observed once a term and get given some targets to improve upon over the next term. Now how happy would your SLT be if you marked your books once a term? Not very and with good reason. In order to improve we need regular feedback, whether it be an F1 driver getting feedback from his pit crew every lap, a football team being barked orders at from the side of the pitch by their manager or a learner driver being reminded to check their mirrors for the umpteenth time. The frequency doesn't allow for cumulative and sustainable small improvements to be made. It also makes teachers more nervous on the day and therefore are less likely to be at their best.
3) Observation Scheduling
If you tell your observee in advance you can almost guarantee you aren't going to see the normal teaching of that classroom teacher. You're going to see one of a handful of lessons that the teacher has honed in anticipation of your arrival. I'm also not a fan of no notice observations or having a select period of time when you could be observed, all this does is create anxiety and can have a negative affect on morale.
So by now you're probably agreeing the current system has a lot of flaws, that we all know and we just have to live with it. Well let me propose another way for you to muse over.
At the start of the year each teacher meets with their line manager and sets targets to work on that year. From then on each teacher takes full responsibility for meeting these targets. Care needs to be taken to get these targets right. " Improve behaviour management," simply doesn't cut it. They need to be specific "Ensure all students enter the lesson in silence, register is taken in silence, all low level disruption is challenged and their are no more than x amount of sanctions logged in any one lesson" With this target in place the teacher can go away and work on it knowing objectively what is required. The teacher is then responsible for evidencing the completion of this target. This could be by inviting their line manager back on a number of occasions, videoing a number of lessons or by asking a third party to observe. The completion of these targets can then be assessed at the end of year appraisal. So let's consider how this looks in practise. The struggling teachers can build confidence and morale by knowing they are meeting their targets and making improvements. The middle ground coasters have to make a genuine effort to improve their practice. Finally the outstanding practioners get specific targets to improve further as opposed to being left to guide themselves. This system doesn't require lesson grades so negates all the negative issues associated with them. What about leadership being able to complete their SEF without grading teaching? I hear you cry, or possibly not. Well by looking at the targets being set you will be able to ascertain the grade of lesson that teacher regularly delivers. Considering the target discussed earlier relating to behaviour. This isn't going to be a target set by a teacher who regularly delivers good or outstanding lessons is it? Knowing what a teachers is currently working towards gives a much clearer idea of what teaching looks like in their lessons than observing them 3 times a year.
This system allows teachers to invite other respected teachers whom they feel comfortable with and more importantly whom they respect, into their classrooms for feedback on how to improve towards their targets. This will lead to feedback that the observee will by into and action.
Well thank you for staying with me through that, I hope you agree and see that the archaic system currently used needs change.
Stay reflective.
DandTblog
This will be a common scene played out in schools up and down the country over the coming weeks and its one of the single most detrimental mechanisms in teacher development. Ironic to think that this system designed to attempt to improve teaching and learning often actually stints whole school improvement.
So why have I got such a negative opinion on lesson observations? Well actually I don't. I genuinely welcome lesson observations and I believe if they are done correctly they can help all teachers to rapidly improve their practice. The issue I have is how schools routinely carry out observations. Let me explain further the common atrocities carried out in the name of teacher development.
1) lesson Grades
OK, how many times have we been spun the line "we're grading the lesson, not the teacher?" Now a raise of hands how many teachers whom after receiving a grade below what they wanted for their lesson, walk away without feeling like they've been labelled. Yes almost all of them. They now are destined to dissect that lesson for the rest of the term, whilst subconsciously watering the seeds of doubt. Playing havoc with their mental health, self belief and morale. Likewise how many teachers whom could be excellent classroom teachers are happy with a 'good'. The same teachers that turn up 10 minutes before the bell, collect their UPS 3 payment and are one of the first ones out the car park on an evening. The good rating in most school is nothing more than a ticket to retirement from personal development. Grading lessons only has a negative impact either on those delivering lessons below good and those receiving good. Let's spare a thought also for those receiving the convented 'outstanding' title. They now get the privellege of the most challenging classes, having to run CPD sessions and having any Tom, Dick and Harry wonder into their lesson in the pilgrimage to see good practice.
2) Observation Frequency
Most teachers get observed once a term and get given some targets to improve upon over the next term. Now how happy would your SLT be if you marked your books once a term? Not very and with good reason. In order to improve we need regular feedback, whether it be an F1 driver getting feedback from his pit crew every lap, a football team being barked orders at from the side of the pitch by their manager or a learner driver being reminded to check their mirrors for the umpteenth time. The frequency doesn't allow for cumulative and sustainable small improvements to be made. It also makes teachers more nervous on the day and therefore are less likely to be at their best.
3) Observation Scheduling
If you tell your observee in advance you can almost guarantee you aren't going to see the normal teaching of that classroom teacher. You're going to see one of a handful of lessons that the teacher has honed in anticipation of your arrival. I'm also not a fan of no notice observations or having a select period of time when you could be observed, all this does is create anxiety and can have a negative affect on morale.
So by now you're probably agreeing the current system has a lot of flaws, that we all know and we just have to live with it. Well let me propose another way for you to muse over.
At the start of the year each teacher meets with their line manager and sets targets to work on that year. From then on each teacher takes full responsibility for meeting these targets. Care needs to be taken to get these targets right. " Improve behaviour management," simply doesn't cut it. They need to be specific "Ensure all students enter the lesson in silence, register is taken in silence, all low level disruption is challenged and their are no more than x amount of sanctions logged in any one lesson" With this target in place the teacher can go away and work on it knowing objectively what is required. The teacher is then responsible for evidencing the completion of this target. This could be by inviting their line manager back on a number of occasions, videoing a number of lessons or by asking a third party to observe. The completion of these targets can then be assessed at the end of year appraisal. So let's consider how this looks in practise. The struggling teachers can build confidence and morale by knowing they are meeting their targets and making improvements. The middle ground coasters have to make a genuine effort to improve their practice. Finally the outstanding practioners get specific targets to improve further as opposed to being left to guide themselves. This system doesn't require lesson grades so negates all the negative issues associated with them. What about leadership being able to complete their SEF without grading teaching? I hear you cry, or possibly not. Well by looking at the targets being set you will be able to ascertain the grade of lesson that teacher regularly delivers. Considering the target discussed earlier relating to behaviour. This isn't going to be a target set by a teacher who regularly delivers good or outstanding lessons is it? Knowing what a teachers is currently working towards gives a much clearer idea of what teaching looks like in their lessons than observing them 3 times a year.
This system allows teachers to invite other respected teachers whom they feel comfortable with and more importantly whom they respect, into their classrooms for feedback on how to improve towards their targets. This will lead to feedback that the observee will by into and action.
Well thank you for staying with me through that, I hope you agree and see that the archaic system currently used needs change.
Stay reflective.
DandTblog
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