Observing Learning

Your experiences of observation•Have you been observed as a teacher?•Have you observed a teacher?

•What are the positive and not so positive aspects of being observed and of being the observer?

Experience and confidence in evaluation• Lesson observation

• Feeding back to staff

• Lesson observation

• Feeding back to staff

No experience

Very confidentNo confidence

Extensive experience

Why do we observe?

•For what reason do observations of lessons take place in the UK?

•How is the context of observation the same / different in the SPrED project?

Classroom observation procedures• Who completes observations?• How many observations are done in a year with each

teacher?• Types of observations?• How are observations recorded?• Who sees the written observations?• How are they used?

Evidence and impact

•Always link cause and effect•Teaching learning•Teaching behaviour / attitudes•Teaching attainment•Teaching progress

What about ‘bildung’?

•Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development•How do we ‘see’ these?

SWOT analysis

STRENGTHS OPPORTUNITIES

WEAKNESSES THREATS

What can you look at in a lesson?e.g. Student behaviour

Prompts for recording lesson observations

• Link cause and effect• Be evaluative and objective, no descriptive and

subjective• ‘Are the pupils learning?’ is the key• Look for learning and the what caused that quality of

learning – teaching strands

How do you know a student is learning?