Resource information
Leaders can use the Looking at Classroom Practice resource guide to support you to understand and undertake effective classroom observation in your school.
Start by reading the profiles
Read by yourself and then with colleagues – the profiles provide a basis for self-reflection and conversations about classroom practice.
Increasing expertise in classroom practice is an ongoing process over time. This professional growth is supported and influenced by reflection upon experience, feedback and individual or group professional learning experiences. Use Conversations with Colleagues about the Continuum to guide your discussions (page 41 of Looking at Classroom Practice).
Develop observation protocols that will suit your school context
Agreed protocols ensure there is a shared understanding of the areas on which feedback will be provided, the format in which the feedback will be given, and how the feedback will be used to improve practice. Use Developing Observation Protocols to guide your discussions (pages 60-62 of Looking at Classroom Practice).
Ensure classroom observations are supported by pre and post observation conversations
Pre and post observation conferences can provide participants with an opportunity to learn more about classroom practice and its impact on students. The Continuum informs post observation conversations and action planning. See Orientation and Debriefing for the Classroom Observation to find out more about effective pre and post observation conversations (page 67 of Looking at Classroom Practice).
Observe the students learning as well as watching the teacher teach
The practical element of classroom observation focuses on what is observable - what the teacher and students are saying, making, doing, and writing. Professor Richard Elmore (Harvard University) developed an ‘open observation method’ where observers describe what they see and hear in the classroom in the first instance. Second and third order questions provide a greater focus on the students in classroom - the nature of academic work and the conditions of learning (pages 64-65 of Looking at Classroom Practice).
