Classroom observation for Mentors (not for "tormentors")

Personae  Poem  Ana  

Daughter  of  ……  Inhabitant  of  ….  

Who  was  ……            as  a  girl  And….    as  a  student  

Who  is  …….      as  a  teacher  Who  wants  to  be  a  mentor  because….  

Who  expects  to…  Hurtado  

Classroom  ObservaAon  

The  more  you  know,  the  more  you  noAce.  

NoAcing  •  NoAcing  is  a  key  element  

of  observaAon.  •  Sherlock  Holes  noAced  

small  details  and  then  put  them  all  together.  

•  Describe  without  giving  an  opinion.  

•  Previous  knowledge  about  key  methodology  concepts  are  crucial  for  being  able  to  noAce.  

Key  mentoring  skills  for  classroom  observaAons  (p.  4)  

 1.  EmpatheAc  listening  2.  Classroom  ObservaAon  3.  ReflecAve  ConversaAons  4.  Giving  and              receiving  feedback  

1.  Listening:  Seek  First  to  Understand,    Then  to  Be  Understood!”*  

 ‘listening  and  responding  with  both  heart  and  mind  to  understand  the  speaker’s  words,  intent  and  feelings’  (Covey1986:128).      ‘the  essence  of  empathic  listening  is  not  that  we  agree  with  someone;  rather  we  deeply  understand  the  other  person,  emoAonally  as  well  as  intellectually’  (Covey  1986:  148).      

* Based on the work by Stephen Covey.

Emotion Charades:  Find  a  partner.    PracAce  ‘listening  with  your  eyes”.    Choose  an  emoAon  to  try  to  express  just  with  your  face  and  body.    You  can  

not  use  words.      • Angry

• Sad

• Embarrassed

• Tired

• Happy

• Thinking

• Bored

• Impatient

• Scared

• Worried

• Relaxed

• Frustrated

• Surprised

• Stressed

• Confused

• Flattered

• Nervous

• Annoyed

• Interested

Autobiographical  filters  

WHEN  YOU  ARE  IN  A  CONVERSATION,  

 DO  YOU  LISTEN  WITH  YOUR  OWN  

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  FILTER?    

OR  DO  YOU  LISTEN  TO  ACTUALLY  UNDERSTAND  

THE  SPEAKER?      

Listening Road Blocks

Spacing Out: Your mind wanders when others

talk.

Pretend Listening: You don’t really pay attention to

the other person, but you pretend to. You say “yeah,”,

“uh-huh,” and “cool.”

Selective Listening:

You listen only to the parts that interest you.

Selfish Listening: You always bring the

conversation back to you and your life. You say things like “I

had that happen too” and “I know how you feel.”

Are you a good listener?      

Very

Good Listener

Not Such a Great Listener

How can I be a better listener?

How can I assist the Mentee to reflect and enquiry?

2.  Ethnographic  ObservaAon  

•  NoAcing  •  Being  descripAve  •  Non-­‐judgemental  •  Focus  observaAon  to  look  rather  than  watch  

•  Beware  of  “Judgementoring”  (Malderez  and  Hobson,  2013)  

Ethnographic  Recording:  Observing  without  glasses  

•  Record  as  much  as  possible  without  subjecAve  comment.  •  Record  evidence  of:  

–  What  the  teacher  says,  does  and  writes  –  What  the  students  do  and  say  –  Timing  –  SeaAng  plan(s)  

•  Record  real  Ame  every  Ame  the  teacher  changes  acAvity.  •  Give  a  copy  of  the  ethnographic  record  immediately  

alerwards.  •  Example….  

       THE  BEST  TOOL  FOR  OBSERVATION  

Ethnographic  DescripAon  as  ObjecAve  Evidence  

•  Provides  a  wealth  of  informaAon  •  A  good  starAng  point  to  help  the  teacher:  – Explore  – Discover  –  IdenAfy  strengths  and  weaknesses  – Make  an  acAon  plan  

ANY  VIDEO  SEQUENCE    CAN  BE  USEFUL  

A  lesson  transcript  as  well…    

3.  ReflecAon  

4.  How  can  we  give  effecAve  feedback?  

Describe, do not prescribe

Ana María Hurtado Maldonado

ObservaAon  and  the  three-­‐stage  model  of  helping  

Supervision cycle

Pre-Observation Meeting

The Lesson

Feedback Session

Helping Cycle (G. Egan 1984)

Stage 1: Exploration

Stage 2: New Understanding

Stage 3: Action

Advisor Functions

Attending & listening

Empathetic observation

Empathetic listening: T’s account of lesson Guide teacher to new ways of seeing lesson

Help to draw up a next lesson agenda

Ana María Hurtado Maldonado

The  Typical  Life  Cycle  of  a  Teacher  Novice - Classroom survival Imitation

- Acquiring recipies Follow advice - Short term planning

Advanced Beginner

-Classrom routines automated - Episodic knowledge, strategies emerge - Shift attention away from his or her own performance… questioning

Competent -Strategies to cope – Improvisational planning -Self confidence - Context based decisions -Focus: the student – Longer term planning

Proficient -Intuition and knowledge guide performance -Problem solving - Focus increasingly on learner

Expert - Intuitive grasp of situations - Flexible planning - Anticipate - Fluid and seemingly effortless teaching

Ana María Hurtado Maldonado

                                                                   (Diagnosis)          Survival          Security                Analysis                          Dynamism  

Types  of  IntervenAon:  Feedback  Session  

A Inviting self-evaluation “How do you think the reading activity went?”

B Directing “I think you should...” “Why don’t you…?”

C Benevolent prescription Suggest, persuade, propose, advise, with the aim of helping the teacher. “I think you would get more students to volunteer if…” No consultation.

D Consultative prescription

As c), but elicit teacher’s view on proposal.

E Emphathising Putting yourself in the teacher’s place

F Self-disclosure A technique for empathising. The observer provides information about herself: “I’ve always found it hard to…”

Types  of  IntervenAon:  Feedback  Session  

G Providing alternatives “Have you tried…?

H Personal interpretation “It seemed to me that…” “From what I say, …”

I Confronting “Why didn’t you…?”

J Focusing attention “I noticed that…”

K ‘Holding up a mirror feedback

“You asked the students not to write anything.”

L Validation “I liked the way you did…”

M Feelings matter “How did you feel…?

N Teacher’s ownership of the Feedback

“Do you want me to speak about something else…”

Guide  for  Mentors,  p.  45  

•  More  examples  of  Mentor  intervenAons  

Extracts  from  a  lesson  by  Mrs.  Black  

 T:      Now,  who  would  like  to  start?  S3:  I  like  er  cook  T:      I  like  cooking  S3:  I  like  cooking  T:      What  do  you  cook?  S3:    I  cooking  breakfast  T:        I  cook  breakfast  S3:    I  cook  breakfast  T:      Uh  huh  Ok  Anyone  else?  

Extracts  from  a  lesson  by  Mrs.  White  

 T:      Now,  who  would  like  to  start?  S3:  I  like  er  cook  T:      Oh  really  –you  like  cooking?  

 -­‐  I  thought  only  women  liked  cooking!  So  what  can  you  cook?  

S3:  I  cook  breakfast  T:      My  favourite  meal!  Ok,  I’m  going  to  have  

breakfast  at  your  house.    What  do  you  usually  cook  for  breakfast?  

S3:  Eggs  T:    Do  you  scramble  them  (miming),  or  do  

you  fry  them,  or  boil  them  in  water?    S3:  Scramble  T:      Ok  let’s  all  go  to  Jaime’s  house  for  

breakfast  

Teacher’s  classroom  language  

The  kind  of  quesAons  she  asks:  

–  DISPLAY    quesAons  (the  T  already  knows  the  answer).  For  example:  What  can  you  see  here?  

–  REFERENTIAL    quesAons  (T  doesn’t  know  the  answer).  E.g.  Do  you  have  a  computer  at  home?)  

 (Richards  &  Lockhard,  1996)  

What  sort  of  quesAons  does  the  teacher  ask?    How  does  the  teacher  correct/respond  to  “errors”?    What  does  the  teacher  do  or  say  that  enables  the  students  to  figure  out  how  they  are  supposed  to  talk  and  act?  

 What’s  the  pedagogical  purpose  of  the  lesson?    

Explore  ways  in  which  we  can  refine  our  observaAon  powers  

 Classroom  ObservaAon  Tasks    (1992),  CUP  By  Ruth  Wajnryb  

Task  break:  Mentoring  Role  play    

1.  Let’s  work  with  a  script  of  an  instance  of  classroom  observaAon  (anonymity  preserved)  

2.  Roles:  mentor,  mentee,  observer  3.  Role-­‐playing  4.  Pooling  ideas  about  the  experience  

Classroom  ObservaAon  

Ana  Maria  Hurtado  for  BE  2014