self-development through classroom observation

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The

self

Largely drawn from Edges 1992) idea of co-operative development,

development the self-development approach was adapted by the British lecturer and

approach her Chinese counterpart. It was designed to give teachers the inner

motivation to work on something important to them through a process

of awareness-raising. The use of self-development in classroom

observation had four main aims:

- to help the teachers understand that they have a responsibility for

their own development;

- to help the teachers have a clearer understanding of their own

classroom experiences;

- to introduce the teachers to a more developmental approach to

teacher training;

- to help the teachers build a more supportive and trusting relationship

with their colleagues, and to realize the mutual benefits that would

accrue from this.

Relat ionship

The participants were in three categories: the British lecturer, the

patterns and roles

Chinese counterpart, and the Chinese teachers, which led to four

of the

patterns of relationship: British lecturer-counterpart, British lecturer-

part ic ipants

teacher, counterpart-teacher, and teacher-teacher.

The British lecturer and the Chinese counterpart worked closely

together in a compatible, supportive partnership with shared responsi-

bilities, making the best of each others strengths. This was important,

since extensive negotiation needed to be carried out before the

programme could be implemented. The partnership needed to explore

ways of taking coherent, pre-agreed action

to

make classroom

observation as effective as possible. In the second relationship, the

British lecturer had to learn to adjust her behaviour to ensure that she

was accepted not only as an expert, but also as an insider. In the third

relationship, which tended to be the most crucial, the Chinese

counterpart was required to act as a link between the British lecturer

and the Chinese teachers. This demanded particularly careful handling,

given the need to maintain a good working relationship with the peer

teachers in order to avoid being isolated by the working community. The

fourth relationship was a peer partnership. This was generally found to

be the least problematic, since the partner was chosen by the teacher

him or herself.

In the initial design, the participants were assigned two roles, as both

Speaker and Understander Edge 1992). The Speaker was the teacher

who worked on his or her development during a given session. This

person decided on the issues that would be focused on and discussed.

The Understander was expected to help the Speaker develop his or her

ideas by clarifying them and following their development. More

importantly, the Understander had to interact in a more disciplined

way than in everyday conversation by being a good listener rather than

giving opinions or assessments. Whoever was in this role therefore

needed to possess good interactive skills, and training was needed to

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help the Understander to be fully effective. For this reason special

seminars on relevant topics e.g. introducing the self-development

approach, the notion of classroom observation, listening skills, receiving

and giving feedback) were given by the British lecturer and the

counterpart before the classroom observation.

The role of the Understander was originally intended to be played by

the British lecturer and the Chinese counterpart, but as the programme

developed it was also taken by the teacher/Speaker in the form of cross-

observation. This involved the teacher/Speaker observing the observer/

Understander, a role reversal which altered the power relationship. It

should be pointed out that the British lecturer and the counterpart were

in no way seeking to present model lessons, and in fact, this change of

roles provided a good opportunity for the observers to develop first-

hand experience, and gain a close insight into problems that the teachers

had spoken of during the feedback.

was the self

The process of self-development was carried out through interaction, In

development other words, the participants discussed relevant issues within a

structured framework. The interaction often went through stages of

in c lassroom understanding, reflecting, focusing, disclosing, and planning Edge

observat ion? 1992). However, this was not a fixed sequence, since situations varied,

as can be seen in the extracts below, which were transcribed from

conversations which took place during the project S = Speaker, U =

Understander).

Understanding tended to be the most important stage. The Under-

stander tried to stay with the teachers framework of classroom

experience, understand what the teacher said, and in general to make

the teacher feel listened to, for example:

S:

I like to have my students work in pairs, not in groups, when

doing this kind of activity, because in this way the weaker

students could have more opportunity to speak.

U:

Oh, yeah, I see your point.

During the reflecting stage, the Understander either acted as a warm

and human mirror, a thoughtful and selective tape-recorder, or a

supportive comprehension checker of the Speakers ideas Edge 1992:

29-30). The aim was to help the teacher gain a clearer view of what

actually happened during the observed lesson. Reflecting had the added

function of projecting the Speakers attitude and emotion. The Under-

standers function was to provide opportunities for reflection, rather

than to provide evaluative comments, thus leaving the teacher to explore

and discover fresh insights. The following example shows that teachers

did not have to accept everything the Understander said if they thought

that their intentions had not been understood:

U: I saw that it took almost 20 minutes to do the vocab exercise.

What do you feel about it, I mean, the pace of the lesson, was it a

bit slow or just OK?

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S: Well, I dont think it was too slow. Actually, Im just not sure if

you really understand what I mean by doing so.

U:

Do you think its necessary to look up all the vocab?

S: I think sometimes its important. They should know the words.

Focusing generally followed understanding and reflecting, so that the

discussion with the Speaker could rise above a superficial level. The

Understander could return to previous comments made by the teacher

in order to develop his or her ideas, and think about possible solutions to

particular problems. The Understander could also help the teacher to

work on his or her understanding of classroom experience in two other

ways: by guiding comments to elicit a focus, and by providing possible

direction to the feedback.

U: Just now you said that the students dont like pair work very

much. Why do you think this is?

S: Im not really sure. Maybe Ive used pair work too often.

U: Do you get a better response from them if they work in groups?

In disclosing, the Understander only disclosed his or her own experience

to the extent that it might be useful to clarify what the teacher was trying

to say, by serving as a comparison or contrast to the teachers

experience. Disclosing was perhaps the most difficult stage to handle,

so it was vital for the Understander to remain within strict limits, and to

offer the teacher a perspective rather than a prescription. The

challenging initiated by the Understander should be creative destruc-

tive Stevick 1980: 106) or a constructive exchange Freeman 1982:

25), for example:

S: I was worried during the vocabulary contest that not all the

students were speaking.

U: Yeah, I think I understand what you mean. If I had that sort of

contest in class, I wouldnt be able to predict how theyll perform,

but I know some weaker students will probably just sit there.

Planning implied the action-taking process. It was essential for the

teacher to prioriritize long or short-term goals, and in most cases it would

be better to start with a narrow goal than an ambitious, broadly

conceived one, since it was easier for the teacher to implement it in full

and evaluate it Edge 1992: 67). The Understander then made sure that

the teacher understood what his or her future priorities were by talking

through the process step-by-step. The following example shows how one

Speaker set her future agenda after the observer had made her aware of

a lack of eye contact:

S: I never realized before that I had so little eye contact with

individual students. I think maybe I should try to look at the

weaker students more often, so they might pay more attention to

my instructions.

U: Yeah. Its certainly worth trying.

A procedura l

As already mentioned, the whole process of classroom observation was

f ramework

either decided in full by the individual teacher or through negotiation

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between the teacher/Speaker and the observer/Understander as to what

to do, who was to be involved, for how long, etc. A typical procedure

was:

1 Pre-classroom observation questionnaire

2 Classroom observation process

a. pre-observation discussion

b. classroom visit s)

c. post-observation discussion

3 Post-classroom observation questionnaire

Pre- and

post- The pre- and post-classroom observation questionnaires aimed to

classroom

compare teachers past experience of observation with their impressions

observation of the current programme, discover if their perception of the usefulness

questionnaires

of classroom observation had changed as a result, find out what they had

gained from the programme, and elicit comments on the framework and

approach adopted.

Pre- and post- Aspects of teaching raised by the teacher could be discussed in advance

classroom

of the classroom observation. The lesson plan and observation tasks

observation Wajnryb 1992) could also be given to observers, and the self-assessment

discussion

worksheets Williams 1989: 88-90) to the teacher at the same time. The

most important thing about the pre-classroom observation session was

that the teachers got a clear idea about what was going to happen during

and after the observation, and thus felt more secure. The post-

observation discussions were also much appreciated by the teachers,

who were excited by the new experience of seeing themselves through

other peoples eyes, and discovering things they had never realized

before.

Feedback

All those who took part in the programme agreed that they had

benefited considerably in terms of their self-development. The

participants feedback especially from the post-classroom observation

questionnaire) was a rich source of information about their personal

experience in the collaborative activity. Some of the key issues which

emerged from their feedback were:

1 Classroom observation through the self-development approach was a

very effective aid to teacher self-development.

2 The post-classroom observation feedback session was the most

useful and enjoyable part.

3 The atmosphere was relaxed, personal, and informal, and the

observers were friendly, and sincerely interested in helping.

4 The participants were listened to, and while the changes in the

subsequent teaching were made with the help of the observers

feedback, the decisions were taken by the participants alone.

5 The feedback from the observers was relevant, constructive, and

supportive.

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I feel it is useful to pick up on subconscious habits and find ways to

improve . . .

It made me think about what I do in the lesson.

Beforehand, I lost my motivation to plan lessons, but gained it back by

doing classroom observation. I also enjoyed seeing the style of my co-

teachers and taking things I like from them.

This is an opportunity to get to know some feedback on my teaching

as well as learn new techniques from others.

The post-lesson feedback was helpful for both encouragement and to

bring to light possible problem areas and how to improve them. The

attitude of the observers was very friendly. Overall, very positive

feedback was given which gives the teachers encouragement and

confidence. Critical comments were given in a supportive/contempla-

tive rather than a judgmental manner. I think the observers can

suggest what areas might be helpful for teachers to focus on for future

observations. It would be up to the teachers to follow the suggestions

or not.

These positive comments do not tell the whole story. Observing the

performance of the native-speaker teachers in China, where they are

often regarded as the authority on the target language, needed great

sensitivity, and at times training them seemed a rather daring

endeavour. Some difficulty was found in providing them with feedback.

Quite why this was so was difficult to determine, since they had asked for

criticism of their lessons, but the feedback had to be handled with even

greater care than before to avoid confrontation. This could be accounted

for by cultural differences, or the fact that the British lecturer was a

friend of the American teachers, which altered the power relationship,

or perhaps by the fact that some people are naturally more defensive

than others. It could also be that because the two American teachers

were relatively inexperienced, they were more defensive. We feel that

this area needs further exploration.

Although the participants gave overwhelmingly positive feedback of the

classroom observation experience, they had some criticisms of both

classroom observation and the self-development approach. One

problem was the time taken up by the post-classroom observation

feedback sessions, another the fact that observers tended not to focus on

particular teachers needs. They also made many valuable suggestions

for further improvement of the classroom observation approach and the

classroom observation procedures, such as recommmending that class-

room observation should be carried out on a regular basis, and that

more teachers should be involved.

Conclus ion

The concept of teacher development in China today is new to many

Chinese teachers, and for most of them traditional classroom observa-

tion still prevails. Within this context, what was done in this project was a

successful attempt to make classroom observation a workable means for

teachers self-development. The perception of classroom observation

had been altered within the department, and a valuable contribution had

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been made to the teacher-training programme at Qingdao University. It

was also found that teachers in the department had become more willing

to admit strangers into the classroom, and that more observations were

being carried out independently. The result was a greater sharing of

ideas and debate concerning classroom issues, which could only be

positive. Moreover, the use of the observation tasks had enabled

teachers to develop their classroom observation skills, and work

independently of the programme. A large collection of self-access

training materials was created, from which teachers may select the task

they wish to do, and then observe their colleagues. Perhaps more

importantly, the programme has fostered an atmosphere of greater

enquiry generated from the teachers themselves, and improved the

interpersonal relationships among the classroom observation partici-

pants. The eventual aim is to expand the programme so that more

teachers can benefit, to fine-tune the self-development approach, and to

adapt the observation tasks to suit particular teaching situations. In the

meantime, the teachers are encouraged to continue to observe and

create their own observation worksheets as and when the need arises.

The final note of this article is one of warning. Despite the encouraging

results from the programme discussed above, some difficulties will

always arise in teacher development. Two things, at least, are necessary

for potential success and sustainability. One is the support of the

administrators, the other is the enthusiasm and devotion of the people in

charge of the programme, together with the understanding and

commitment of the majority of teachers. Without these two basic

premises, teacher development is in danger of becoming an expensive

leisure activity, or in Sunderlands words doing what Romans dont do

1990: 241). H owever, there are reasons to be cheerful. Although

collaborative observation/feedback and the broader notion of teacher

development are quite alien in the Chinese context, the success of this

project could be seen as an indicator that teacher development will

gradually take root in China. In the meantime, it is hoped, it will help to

illuminate similar situations outside China where more traditional

observation practices still prevail.

Received July 1997

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J. 1992. Co operat i ve Development . Harlow:

Longman.

1982. Observing teachers: three

approaches for in-service training and develop-

ment.

TESOL Quarterly

16/1: 21-8.

E. W. 1980. Learning Languages: A Way

and Ways.

Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

1990. Doing what the Romans

dont do: advanced teacher training course in

China in Y.E. Dzau eds.). 1990. English in

China. Hong Kong: APL Press.

b R. 1992.

Classroom Observation Tasks.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Q. 1993. Adding one more ingredient:

teacher development in an ESP project in the

Peoples Republic of China. Unpublished MA

thesis, Aston University.

Williams M. A. 1989. A developmental view of

classroom observations. ELT Journal 43/2: 85 91.

The authors

Qun

Wang

is an associate professor at the Language

Centre, Qingdao University, Peoples Republic of

China. She was a counterpart in the ESP project

jointed conducted by the British Council and

Qingdao University 1991-95). She has an MSc in

TESP from Aston University, and is currently

studying for her PhD at the University College of

St Mark and St John. Her research interests involve

teacher training and development.

E-mail:

Nicola Seth was the British lecturer on the ESP

project at Qingdao University 1994-5) and is

currently working in the Peoples Republic of

China.

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self-development through classroom observation

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