Observation
and Augmented Information
How does observation
affect our teaching methods and abilities?
Observation
is the ability to watch what happens in the classroom, which includes
listening. It is believed observation is the most effective way to see what
people do and to hear what they say. Teachers may gain more accurate
information by watching students than by asking them (Robson, C 2002 Real World
Research)
Robson
(2002) outline two ways observation can be conducted in the classroom.
1. Participant observation
2. Structured observation
Classroom observations
can provide an objective method for measuring progress towards these goals and
provide a framework for giving constructive and focused feedback that helps
teachers incorporate higher levels of desired behaviours into their interactions
with students in the classroom.
After reading
many sources, I can conclude that observations should focus on the nature and
quality of teacher practices within three broad areas:
·
Social/emotional
support
·
Management/organisation
support
·
Instructional
support
According
to Scott Thompson (2013), the teacher being the observer will check the
classroom temperature, lighting and other factors which are comfortable for
students to learn without distractions. The observer needs to note whether
positive interactions between the teacher and students occur more than negative
interactions. Lastly the observe needs to check whether the teacher uses hand
signals as communication.
With this
information, I am able to answer the opening question. Through observations
teachers are able to plan learning experiences, evaluate and improve. This means
teachers can observe the classroom environment which includes; relationships,
behaviours and learning experiences.
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