How School Based Instructional Rounds Benefit The Educational System
by Scott Schmidt
There can be no doubt that the entire educational system is in a crisis. There are not enough resources. Teachers have to deal with very large classes and they often have to deal with disciplinary problems. The administrative load is heavy and they have to show support for extra curricular activities. This is all apart from their primary jobs, to teach. Luckily, with <a href="https://www.instructionalrounds.com/WhatIsIR.html">school based instructional rounds</a> teachers get a chance to learn and to become better in their jobs.
An instructional round system simply means that a limited number of teachers visit the classroom of a colleague to observe him in action. It is ridiculously easy to activate such a system and it does not involve any funding. The observing teachers strive to learn from their colleague, who is mostly chosen because he is experienced and an accomplished educator. No one is forced to participate as either observer or the one being observed.
Before such an observation session, the observers have a meeting. They set some goals for the session, normally focusing on the strong points of the teachers that will be under observation. Many teachers are known for being very efficient in certain areas and this is the areas where the observers will focus and strive to learn. For example, a teacher may be known for for his ability to maintain discipline in the class and the observers will try to find out how he does it.
Some people confuse these observation sessions with evaluation exercises. This is most certainly not the case. The teacher under observation is not evaluated in any way. The only purpose of the session is to allow the observers the opportunity to see a respected colleague in action. This is made clear to all role players, including the learners. No feedback is given.
The observers meet for a second time after the observation session. This time the goal is to share the lessons that they have learnt with each other and to debate ideas on how to improve their own teaching methods by implementing those lessons. No observer is allowed to voice criticism in any form and no report, formal or informal is made to anyone. In addition, the meeting is viewed as strictly confidential.
An overwhelming majority of participants in these sessions say that they derive many benefits from them. Not only can teachers learn from their colleagues, but they also get the chance to grow professionally and interact with their colleagues, something they do not get the chance to do often enough. It is no wonder that the popularity of observation sessions have grown tremendously and that even colleges and universities have caught on.
The critics are sceptical. They think that there is little benefit to be gained in short observation sessions and that the entire systems is much too informal. In addition, they accuse teachers being observed of taking special trouble to make a good impression upon their colleagues. Formal training is the only true answer to the problem of poor educational standards, these critics allege.
The fact remains that observation sessions are extremely popular and that the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. This should therefore be encouraged, especially because it does not cost anything. Anything that helps to further educational standards should be supported.
When you are searching for information about <a href="http://www.instructionalrounds.com/WhatIsIR.html">school based instructional rounds</a>, come to our web pages today. More details are available at http://www.instructionalrounds.com/WhatIsIR.html now.
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