Rethink Classroom Observation

【Abstract】The thesis takes the open class of a first year English teacher as a case to rethink the practice of classroom observation. More specific suggestions are put forward for schools management to improve the effectiveness of the classroom observation， which facilitates the professional development of teachers.

【Key words】Classroom observation； Professional development； Evaluation

【作者簡介】傅国琴，浙江大学外国语言文化与国际交流学院，教育硕士，绍兴市职教中心英语教师。

1.The Introduction of Classroom Observation

1.1The Definition of Classroom Observation

Classroom observation is defined as a process by which the observer sits in a classroom ， records the teachers teaching practices and student actions， and then meets with the teacher to discuss the observations （ Daniel Weisberg， Susan Sexton， Jennifer Mulhern， and David Keeling，2009）.Generally speaking ，classroom observation is conducted through three stages： pre-observation meeting， observation， and post-observation. The purpose of pre-observation meeting is to share information that facilitates both the teacher and the observer to prepare for the observation. The observation stage is about data-collection ，which include the teachers and students doing and saying， and the interaction of them. The post-observation is a descriptive stage where the observer describes the lesson from different perspectives and the teacher is also asked to reflect on his/her teaching.

1.2The Purposes of Classroom Observation

To the teacher who is observed， the main purpose is to allow the teacher to get feedback from the observer. They believe that the classroom observation contribute greatly to the professional development of teachers.

To schools administration， the classroom observation is a kind of examination of teaching ability . To a large extent， classroom observations is also used to evaluate teachers.

2. A Case of a First Year English Teacher

2.1 The Background Information of Teaching Material and Students

In Shaoxing Vocational Education Center ，it is the rule that every newly recruited teacher should give a lesson per semester during his first three years in school . After the lesson ， other experienced teachers will discuss together and comment on the lesson. They praise the highlights of the lesson and point out the shortcomings at the same time . In this way ， young teachers will enhance their teaching abilities greatly.

This thesis mainly focuses on a new English teacher ，who has been in school for only one year. Her lesson focuses on the reading and writing part of Unit 5 Its time to change from the text book English base Module 2 published by Higher Education Press . This part mainly talks about healthy and unhealthy living habits. Since living habits are closely related to students lives， it is easy to arouse students interest. Students who attend the class major in guiding ， so they are confident and outgoing. As to English ，they are usually good at speaking and listening， while their reading and wiring abilities are often quite poor.

2.2 The Teaching Process of the Lesson

The first step was leading -in. The new teacher used pictures to introduce new words and phrases to students. The second part was passage skimming. The teacher asked students to underline the words and phrases that they didnt know. The third part was intensive reading. The teacher explained key words， phrases， sentences and important grammar points. The last step was summary .Obviously ，the lesson was not a successful one . As a graduate of Normal university ， She had learned how to deal with a reading passage in an English class. However， she found that transferring learning from training to the classroom was difficult. The variables of the classroom， including students， content， added the complexity of implementation of the lesson （Emily Dolci Grimm， Trent Kaufman and Dave Doty，2014） .After a series of frustrations ，she took the way that her high school teacher used， that is ， cramming. Thanks to the classroom observation， the new English teacher realized her teaching problems. Otherwise， she would take this teaching method for granted.

3. Improvement of Classroom Observation in Shaoxing Vocational Education Center

Many teachers have the problem that professional development experiences fail to work in the real classroom. Many of them think that they need another colleague to help them examine what they are doing in their classroom. That is why we need classroom observation urgently.

3.1 Add Pre-observation Meeting Stage of the Classroom Observation

During the pre-observation stage ，the observed teacher identifies the focus of the observation. However， the situation of classroom observation in Shaoxing Vocational Educational Center is a little different. Without pre-observation stage， the observers are leading roles. They enter the observed class with no specific aim and decide their focuses of the observation on the basis of their personal preferences. For example， some observers pay close attention to the observed teachers classroom language while others concern about students actions and responses. Though the results from these classroom observation are useful ， they usually dont meet the specific need of the observed teacher . If the pre-observation stage can be added， the classroom observation will be much more purposeful.

3.2 The Objective and Experienced Observers Rather Than Traditional Supervisors

In our school， the observers are always the traditional supervisors who usually sit at the back and document the classroom events. The purpose of the observation is perceived by the teacher as a mean to judge their quality of teaching instead of offering advice for future enhancement ，which makes teachers much more anxious and stressful.Frankly Speaking ， an objective and experienced observer can provide more useful suggestion than a supervisor .Meanwhile，the aim of classroom observation should be the teaching ability improvement rather evaluation.

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