Curtin Education Assistants Conversion Course Logbook… observation framework

Curtin Education Assistants Conversion Course Logbook… observation framework Reflective Practice 333 Leith Hogan Semester One 2009

Overview

1. Introduction:

2. Context:

Slide 12

3. Relationships:

Slide 14

4. Classroom Structures:

Slide 16

5. Classroom Processes:

Slide 19

a. Administrative:

Slide 20

b. Instructional :

Slide 21

6. Planning:

Slide 23

7. Curriculum content:

Slide 28

8. Classroom management 1:

Slide 30

9. Classroom management 2:

Slide 33

10. Assessment:

Slide 34

11. Instructional strategies:

Slide 39

12 . Inclusion/SAER:

Slide 41

13. Conclusion:

Slide 44

14. Marking Criteria

Leith Hogan January 2009

EDWA Competency Framework for Teachers

Dimension 1:Facilitating student learning

Dimension 2: Assessing student learning outcomes

Dimension 3: Engaging in professional learning

Dimension 4: Participating in Curriculum Policy and Program initiatives in an outcomes focussed environment.

Dimension 5: Forming partnerships within the school community

Journaling

Helps to collect your thoughts

Clarifies thinking and results in richer clearer thinking about your practice.

Keeps track of learning

Collects ideas and perspectives

Involves reflections upon your own and other’s teaching and learning.

Action learning cycle think/plan/ act /reflect…

Confidentiality

and trust!

Suggestions

Write personally

Write selectively

Write immediately

Write freely

Write to take the inquiry further

Observing for 12 - 2 hour sessions…. with a specific observation focus for each session

Questions to guide the observations….

What do I want to understand more fully

What information do I need?

What do I need to observe?

How can I get the information I need?

Who can help me?

Frameworks

Observing in a classroom

Observing the action… hunches and pure observations… the difference!!!

Observing in ‘another country’

Identifying issues in the observed action

Describing these issues…. without bias… this is the key!

Respect AND confidentiality!!!

Suggested observation timetable Leith Hogan January 2009 Week 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday AM observe observe observe PM observe observe Week 2 AM observe observe observe PM observe observe Week 3 AM observe observe observe PM observe observe

Leith Hogan January 2009 Write up your Logbook/ Visual diary / ePortfolio and submit as Assessment 1 Due on: April 14th 2009

Add diagrams, notes/ copies of teacher’s planning etc.,

Use the PowerPoint format provided for your logbook structure … under the headings of:

Context

Relationships

Structure

Processes

Planning

Curriculum

Classroom Management

Assessment

Instructional Strategies

Inclusion

Observation and Assessment framework for logbook

1. Context

2. Relationships

3. Classroom Structures

4. Classroom Processes

a. Administrative and

b. Instructional

5. Planning

6. Curriculum content

7. Classroom management 1

8. Classroom management 2

9. Assessment

10. Instructional strategies

11. Inclusion/ SAER

12. Conclusion

Context

This is: the local community’s social/ cultural practices, issues and events that may impact upon the student’s learning within the school that are different from any other community.

Observation 1: Context

Take a photo of your school.

Describe it.

Does it have a mission, vision or goal statement about what it stands for in terms of education in this community?

Describe the surrounding community.

Identify any social/ cultural issues that you think might impact upon the student’s learning within the school community. [Be aware of your own judgments here.]

Ask the teachers/ administrative staff, support staff what they think the local community ‘values’ in terms of education.

Relationships

These are: the ways that the teacher communicates to the students that they are safe that they belong and that their voice in the classroom is valued. E.g. setting expectations and rules, building a sense of community, creating a happy classroom etc.,

Observation 2: Relationships

What strategies does the teacher use to build relationships in the class ?

Can you identify them?

Make a list of them.

Do they vary the strategies?

How?

Are they always successful?

What do they do if they are not?

Which ones could you use?

Classroom Structures

These are:

The physical layout of the classroom.. What you can see feel and touch.

Note where the desks, chairs, activity centres, learning centres, quiet spaces, technology, displays, storage, pens, pencils and books…etc., are placed.

Take a photo of your practicum classroom Leith Hogan January 2009

Observation 3: Classroom Structures

Draw the classroom layout.

Show the reading corner

A math's activity space

Layout of the desks/chairs

Classroom displays…etc.,

List the teaching aids that you observed used

What else?

Talk to your teacher about why things go where…

Classroom Administrative Processes

These are: the organizational processes that assist the teacher to teach. For example:

Marking the roll, collecting money, organizing excursions, collating data, ringing parents etc.,.. these processes keep the classroom ’humming’.

Observation 4a: Classroom Administrative Processes

Make a list of all the administrative processes that you have observed used in the classroom today.. e.g.. Marking the roll, seating plans, medical details, excursion policy, parent notes etc.,

Describe one administrative process that you observed, in depth ... all the way through!

Classroom Instructional processes/ skills

These are: the skills that the teacher employs to engage or connect their students to their learning. e.g: gaining student attention, giving instructions, ‘wait’ time, questioning techniques, linking concepts, checking for understanding etc.

Observation 4 b: Classroom Instructional processes/ skills

Make a list of all the instructional processes or skills that the teacher has used that you have observed in the classroom today

What do you think is working well in this classroom in terms of these processes?

What is not ?

What are your observations of this?

Any ideas why?

Hunches?

Describe one process in depth…… all the way through!

Observation 5: Planning

This is: The guides that assist the teacher to think about what he/ she is going to do in the classroom to maximize student learning…

Lesson plan

Daily plan

Weekly plan

Unit/ Theme plan

Lesson Plan

Ask if you might see a copy of your Practicum teacher’s lesson planning book and choose a current lesson plan… identify the specific objective … steps in the lesson and the assessment of the objective.

Watch the teacher run the lesson

What are your observations of the lesson?

Did the children achieve the objective that the teacher aimed for?

If not why not?

What is your hunch?

Talk with your teacher about this.

Daily Work Pad

Ask if you can look at a copy of your Practicum teacher’s Daily work pad or that of other teachers in the school and choose just one day.

When does the teacher plan to teach……………..

Math's, English, Science etc.,

For how long?

Are there any patterns?

Can you identify the curriculum focus within each lesson?

Explore these and see what you discover.

Talk with your teacher about what your hunches are…

Weekly Plan

Ask if you might look at a copy of your Practicum teacher’s weekly plan ... When do they do their planning? Alone or with other teachers?

In the weekly plan ... when does the teacher plan to teach..

Math's, English, Science ? etc., over the week….

Are English/ Math's taught the same time every day?

Is the teacher using the Syllabus/Curriculum framework to guide their planning?

Explore these questions with the teacher and write what you discover.

Thematic Plan

Ask if you might look at a copy of your Practicum teacher’s planning file .

Do they plan using a theme?

When does the teacher plan to teach Math's, English, Science etc., within the theme?

How is the day divided?

What is the curriculum focus within each lesson?

Explore these and see what you discover.

What will be the culmination of the themes?

What does the teacher intend the students will gain by working through a theme?

Does it work?

What do you like / dislike about a thematic approach?

Curriculum

This is:

The information/ learning that you place before students .

The content of the work that they do and things that they learn and things that they build upon.

Observation 6: Curriculum

What indicators can you pick up in the classroom about the curriculum?

What document is the teacher using to ‘drive’ the classroom curriculum?

Are there text books/ curriculum documents being referred to?

Where are they kept?

Observe with just a curriculum focus and see what you learn. What will you be looking for?

How strong is the teachers connection to the curriculum? Talk with them about this.

Classroom Management

This is:

The way that the teacher creates a working environment.

How the teacher engages and relates to the students and manages them and also how the teacher assists them to manage their relationships with each other.

Is there a bullying policy in the school?

What is the BMIS policy for your school?

Find a copy and a have look at it!

Talk to the Deputy of the school and ask

about the policy and how they manage the

discipline within the school.

Observation 7: Classroom Management Leith Hogan January 2009

Classroom Management 1: Observation 7

What’s working well in this classroom in terms of student’s behavior?

What does the teacher do with their :

eyes

routines

Hands

collaboration

Voice

competition

praise

rewards

incentives

cooperation

Is the Classroom Management policy on display?

Do the students know it? Does the teacher refer to it?

What are the success factors/ rewards used in this class?

What is the teacher thinking about her/ his behavior management?

Ask them !

Observation 8: Classroom Management 2

Focus upon a Classroom Management issue that is problematic .

Observe for an hour or so.. observations not hunches…What’s happening?

Clarify the issue.

Analyze causal factors

What might make a difference do you think?

Plan a strategy to try that you might try if it was your classroom.

Which theorist is giving you some new ideas…

Try your idea out in the classroom when you next take a lesson!

What happened when you did this?

Observation 9: Assessment

This is:

The judgments teachers make about student learning…formative and summative…and the way they record these judgments.

Assessment

What are the assessment practices that the teacher uses?

How does he/ she collect information on student performance?

List the strategies that they use.

Are they all working well?

Do the assessments line up with the specific objectives?

Is there a gap?

What does the teacher do when they don’t get the outcome that they want from their lesson?

What are the adjustments that the teacher makes when this happens?

Assessment and Reporting

How does the teacher make judgments on student work at the school?

How does he/she report on their work to the parents/ Principal ?

Is this information reported regularly? How?

Is there a school Performa for reporting?

Collect a copy of this… Is it different from class to class?

Have a look at some student reports…are they giving good information to parents and students about student performance? Are there gaps? Write about this…

Find out what the NAPLAN testing is and what teachers are thinking about it…

Student Work

What does the teacher do with completed work?

Store it?

Record it?

Display it?

Report on it?

Put it in a scrapbook/ Portfolio?

Use it to show student’s their skills?

Other?

Student, teacher and the work… Can you see the classroom connections? Write about this… Leith Hogan January 2009 Student Teacher Work

Teaching/ Instructional Strategies

These are:

Peer tutoring

Direct teaching

Direct instruction

Individual tasks

Computer assisted leaning

Cooperative learning tasks etc.,

Observation 10: Teaching Strategies

Reflect upon the ways that the student’s engaged in learning activities …list what you observed.

Which learning activities kept the student’s focused the best?

Which activities seemed to produce the best learning outcomes?

What were the strategies that the teacher used to enhance engagement?

Inclusion

This is:

What a teacher does to ensure that all children belong. e.g giving students encouragement and opportunities to work cooperatively together so that they are all equally accountable and responsible.

Observation 11: Inclusion

How inclusive is this classroom?

Are there students who are visually impaired, learning impaired or have a physical disability in the classroom?

How many students with special needs are there in this class?

Can you identify them just by observing?

What are some adjustments that the teacher makes for these students that you observe?

How do you know and how can you tell?

How does the teacher use the Education Assistant to support student learning?

How would you do this if it was your classroom?

Intervention Plans for Special Needs Students.

What Intervention plans are in place for Special needs students in the class?

Where are they kept?

Does the Teacher/ Assistant refer to them?

Are they useful?

What is the format of these?

Are there regular conversations with parents about the student’s progress

Observation 12: Conclusion

What has been your experience in this classroom in terms of our own learning?

How have the observations that you have collected and your journaling assisted you on your teaching journey?

Reflective practice 325:

KEY QUESTION…..

Discuss the place of assessment and evaluation in the teaching and learning process within an outcomes focused environment.

Assessment Rubric for Marking Logbook Leith Hogan January 2009 Introduction: 2% Context: 2% Relationships: 3% Structures: 3% Administrative processes: 2% Instructional skills/ processes 2% Planning 3% Curriculum content 3% Classroom management 1 2% Classroom Management 2 2% Assessment 3% Instructional strategies 3% Inclusion 2% Conclusion: Summing up: 3% Total: 35% Key question: The place of assessment and evaluation in the Teaching and learning process. Total :15% Total mark: / 50%