The future principals are those who
are ready to stand at the forefront in leading teachers and students to
increase their competence in the global perspective on society. Whitehead,
Boschee, and Decker (2013) asserted, “Principals who are leaders of schools in
a global society are expected to increase teacher quality and effectiveness and
must become proficient in their ability to become instructional leaders”
(p.277). In line with this, Educational
Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC)1
standards number 2.2 states that school leaders need to be able to provide
effective instructional programs. Therefore,
principals are expected to understand their role as instructional leaders. One of
the important roles as an instructional leader is supervising teachers in order
to improve professional practice and student achievement. One method of
supervising teachers is classroom observation. In this article, I will discuss:
Class Observation as a Clinical Supervision Process, Step to Observation,
Analysis of My Class Observation, and Things I Learned.
Class
Observation as a Clinical Supervision Process
Whitehead, Boschee, and Decker (2013)
wrote that the aim of in-class observation by principals is to improve
instruction. Observation is believed to be one effective approach to improve
students learning as part of their preparation for competing in the emerging
global world. There are two different purposes of conducting observations;
Wilkerson (n.d) wrote that observations are for evaluation and teaching improvement.
When classroom observation is used
for the purposes of evaluation, judgments are usually summative and the teacher
plays little, if any, role in making them.
On the other hand, when observation is conducted for the purpose of
teaching improvement, judgments are formative and the teacher is actively
involved in the assessment of teaching quality and needed improvement.
(Wilkerson, n.d)
In
this paper, I reported my observations for the purpose of teacher evaluation.
Therefore, I do not focus on giving judgments of teaching improvement for
teacher I observed.
Step to Observation
Goldhammer
(1960) in Whitehead,
Boschee, and Decker (2013) classified five steps for conducting observations
for the purpose of evaluation: 1. Pre-observation conference, 2. Recorded
written account, 3. Supervisor’s analysis and strategy, 4. The conference, 5.
Post-conference analysis. In addition, Wilkerson (n.d) divided observations
into three steps: 1. The Pre-observation conference, 2. Observation, 3.
Post-Observation conference. Meloche (2013) in her teaching material wrote that
there five cycles of observation: 1. Picking a focus and planning the
observation, 2. The planning conference, 3. The Observation, 4. Planning for
and holding the reflective conference, 6. Synthesis of Learning.
Analysis of My Class Observation
Even though the three observation steps
above basically have the similar cycle among others, I used Goldhammer’s five
observation steps to describe what I have done in the class I observed.
1. Pre-observation Conference
I observed a Math teacher in East Lansing
High School (ELH), Ms. Wati (not real name). Ms. Wati has been teaching in ELH
for six years. She teaches Algebra, Calculus, and Geometry. On March 7, 2013, I
observed her Algebra class for ninth graders. Before I observed her class, I
made an appointment with her. We discussed the goals of my observations, our mutual
expectations, and the data to be collected. We used email and text (short
message service) to arrange everything prior to my observation for her class.
In the email, Ms. Wati shared information about her teaching goals, her lesson
plans’ goal, and her students. She also asked me to focus on the area of
classroom management and student engagement.
2. Recorded Written Account
I recorded a written account of the behaviors
enacted and the words spoken in the classroom by both the teacher and her students.
The tool that I used to document Ms. Wati’s class was a note-taking sheet. I
used a pen and some note taking sheets that I devided into two columns: teacher
and students column. I write what I saw and heard from MS. Wati on the teacher
column, and put what I see and heard from students in the students’ column. I
used the template of note taking from Meloche’s (2013) note taking sheet. Here
is the summary of my recordings:
Ms.
Wati started the class by arranging the seat of the students. She wrote the
name of the students on the screen board and divided them into two rows.
“Please find your seat based on the names on the board, just for today.” Then,
the students moved to the seat based on the seat position Ms. Wati set. After
that, Ms. Wati shared the work sheet with the students and approached one
student who put her feet on the table: “Put your feet down please.” The student
seemed reluctant to put her feet down; therefore Ms. Wati talked to the student
slowly and then the student put her feet down.
“Anyone
else need calculator?” Ms. Wati asked students after one student asked her to
lend the students a calculator. Two students raised their hands, but before the
students got the calculator, Ms. Wati wrote the lending number on the white
board. While students were doing their work individually, Ms. Wati went around
the class to see whether or not the students needed her help. She also lent students
a small ruler. “This is perfect… perfect….”, “Do you see the pattern…?”, “Go
ahead and plug those…”, “Keep going if you haven’t done”. Those are some
sentences uttered by Ms. Wati while she checked the students’ work. When the
alarm was beeping, Ms. Wati started to discuss the answers of the work sheet
together with the class. One student said, ”What’s wrong today?” Then Ms. Wati
answered: “Yeah... it’s weird today, we are so silent, no body screaming or
shouting.”
“What
about number four, anyone in this side has done with number four?” Then one
student raised his hand and answered question number four. After that, the
teacher showed the students’ drawing (Joey’s, Justin’s, Olivia’s and Sam’s) on
the screen.
The
teachers asked one student a question, “What is annoying about it?” Then the
students answered, “Because I don’t like it.” Then the teacher continued to do
the questions together with all students in the class. When the teacher explained
the questions, one student came and brought something to eat. But the teacher
let the student have the meal.
There
was one student who asked a question to Ms. Wati: “How do I figure out number
one?” Then Ms. Wati re-explained question number one to the students.
After
the bell rang, Ms. Wati did not allow all students to leave the class. The
students who hadn’t finished the work had to make a line and finish their job.
After that, they had to show their work to Ms. Wati, who stood in front of the
door.
The Algebra class is started on 10:46 and
ended at 11.34. The objective of the class I observed was that “Students
will examine the structure of linear equations and explore symbolic and
graphical linear representations.”
3. Supervisor’s Analysis and Strategy
In this step, I scanned the raw data to
identify patterns in behavior that promoted or hindered learning for students.
Something that went well during the lesson is that Ms. Wati, who had already
known the students in grade 9 (who were always making noise in the classroom)
managed the seat rotation. She divided the class into two rows, and she displayed
the names of the students, based on their seat, on the screen before the class begun.
This strategy was really effective and I witnessed the evidence when one
student asked the class “what’s wrong today.” The student was wondering why
that day the class did not make some noise. I also noticed that, Ms. Wati did
not want to sit. She always walked around the class to see the students’ work.
She also asked the students whether or not they needed her help.
However, I also noticed from my raw data
that Ms. Wati did not really ask students to work together in a pair or group.
When I observed her class, she asked students to do their assignments
individually. I believe it would be better if Ms. Wati also considers asking
her students to work in pairs or in groups.
4. The Conference
After
I finished my observation, I asked Ms. Wati whether she had several minutes for
me to have a small conference with her. She told me that she did not mind being
asked several questions. The topic of our conference was “classroom management”
which is what we had decided before I observed the class. My first question was
“ What went well in your lesson?” Ms. Wati answered that students were on tasks
and they did not make noise like they commonly did. The students were really
enthusiastic to discuss the answers together. My second question was “How do
you think the topic went?” Ms. Wati answered, “ It seems like the students have
developed the patterns. They seem to have a general understanding of the
structure of linear equations and they explored symbolic and graphical linear
representations.”
Then I continued to ask her, “What
did you do during the lesson that promoted learning?” She answered, “I picked
variety of the students, I drew the students’ graphical linear and showed them
in front of the class as the model of the correct answers. I didn’t asked the
students to voluntarily answer the questions, because I expected everyone to do
everything, without depending on others.”
My fourth question was, “What did
you notice about your students?” Ms. Wati answered that today she noticed her
students were really quiet. Then I continued to asked her, “Besides, your
classroom management that you applied today, is there any other reasons why
your students were so quiet today?” Ms.
Wati answered, “I think because we missed some students today, some of them just
finished their tests and perhaps they were just exhausted.”
My fifth question was, “How do you
think about your lesson? Is there anything you would change?” Ms. Wati then
answered, “I am planning to change my class into being more student centered. I
will apply a pair sharing activity or group work activities. However, the
biggest challenge is that teaching math, algebra and calculus was just
different.
My last question was “How do you
feel about the debriefing?” Ms. Wati responded: “Debriefing helps me to think
back. Debriefing is my crucial think.” I closed my conversation by thanking her
for having me in her class for observation. I also congratulated her for her
success with her classroom management.
5. Post Conference Analysis
I made some notes to evaluate my own
supervisory activity: (a) It is important to discuss with the teacher before we
start doing observations. (b) In the pre-observation phase, the supervisor/observer
needs to ask the teacher what specific things the teacher needs to evaluate.
(c) The supervisor needs to consider several kinds of questions, such as
miracle questions, scaling questions, expectation seeking questions, and coping
questions to help teachers answers our questions. (d) The supervisor needs to
prepare some equipment e.g., notes, conversation transcripts, audio tape, etc.
However, the supervisor also needs to ask whether or not they can use the
equipment in the classroom. (e) The supervisor needs to write what they saw and
heard as well as the judgmental comments. However, the principals need to keep
the judgmental comments separate.
Things
I learned
Since this is my first time I did my
supervisory observation, I have some notes, which are really valuable for use
upon completion of this study.
1.
As a
future school principal, I need to be aware of my instructional leadership
role. One important thing that I need to promote in my school in Indonesia is
doing supervisory observation. I have been teaching for five years, in three
different schools. I found that my three schools have never had observations in
the classroom. Therefore, promoting classroom observation as supervisory
activity will be valuable to increase students’ achievement.
2.
In
doing observation, I need to focus on the steps of doing it. We can decide
which steps of observation we are going to use. In this observation, I used Goldhammer’s
steps of observation: 1.
Pre-observation conference, 2. Recorded written account, 3. Supervisor’s
analysis and strategy, 4. The conference, 5. Post-conference analysis.
3.
In
doing the conference, instead of giving judgmental points to the teacher, it is
better to discuss with the teacher what was going well and what was not.
In conclusion, there are some approaches
that school principals can enact for the improvement of the instruction. One of
the effective approaches is in-class observation. Class observation can help
teachers better understand their role as a pioneer in preparing students to
compete in the emerging global world. Besides, by doing observation the
teachers will not feel that they are alone. The conference step in the
observation process is really valuable to help teachers, and even the principal,
to increase their efficacy in the instructional process.
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1 ELCC
is Education Leadership Constituent Council. ELCC becomes the standards of
principal in implementing their programs. ELCC standards can be read in “The
Principal Leadership for Global Society” by Whitehead, Boschee and Decker
(2013).
Reference:
Meloche, B. (2013) The observation Cycle. MSU: Unpublished
(teaching materials).
Whitehead,
B., Bjoschee, F., Decker, R., (2013). The
principal: Leadership for a global society; Los Angeles CA., Sage.
Wilkerson, LuAnn (n.d) From
“Classroom observation: The observer as collaborator.” Retrievedfrom:http://intranet.howardcc.edu/Faculty_Resources/NewFulltimeFaculty/Classroom_Observation.htm
Dion Efrijum Ginanto
Graduate Student K12 Educational Administration
Masters in Michigan State University
1550 Spartan Village Apt.G, East Lansing
Michigan, 48823
+1-313-728-8069
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