Key Questions To Ask As A New Teacher About Teacher Observation
Although the idea of classroom observation is not new and it has obvious benefits to both teachers and administrators, the process can still be a bit nerve-racking. That might be even truer if you are a new teacher or have recently begun working for a new school. Therefore, in order to have a better understanding of what the goals and expectations of teacher observations are at your school and to get the most benefit from being observed, it will be quite helpful to ask the following questions before the next school year starts.
What Is The Purpose Of Teacher Observation?
For many years, it was generally accepted that the goal of observing an instructor in his or her classroom was to judge their abilities and teaching practices. However, it is easy to see that literally being judged by your co-workers not only might inspire feelings of mistrust, but could even permit teachers to unintentionally change the way they say or do certain things in order to get a better assessment.
Therefore, in recent years there has been a change to the reasons associated with teacher observation. For instance, now it is more common to do so in order to learn from the ways that others teach. Since it's easy to fall into a rut in the classroom, watching you might notice that you were able to successfully introduce a variety of teaching methods to your students. Due to the fact that there are at least eight primary types of learning styles, being able to impart that knowledge to all of your students is a terrific skill that other teachers could easily benefit from.
Will All Of The Teachers Be Observed At The Same Time And By Each Other?
One common concern for many new teachers might involve not knowing who will be providing the observation. Another concern might be whether or not their classroom is the only one being assessed. As a result, it's best to determine that in advance.
Hopefully, your school is providing the walkthroughs as an opportunity for professional growth and development amongst the teaching staff. By extension, it is logical to assume that most, if not all, of the instructors will be assessed and then a meeting will be scheduled to provide that exchange of information about all of the teachers. If your school prefers to do their walkthroughs in a different manner, it is best for you to be aware of that now.
In conclusion, classroom walkthroughs can help you to benefit from the teaching practices of other instructors, while also permitting you to gain valuable feedback about your own strengths and weakness. Since the process is common in schools of all types and waiting for it to occur can be more than a little stressful, preparing for it by asking the above questions before the next school year starts is likely to put your mind at ease.