Using classroom observations to
improve literacy teaching and
learning
Some thoughts
Trish Holden
February 2011
Underlying principles of
SLP
Principle one: effective teachers have developed
expertise
Principle two: Effective instructional decisions
need to be based on quality evidence and
ongoing inquiry
Principle three: effective instruction provides a
set of optimal conditions for content-area
literacy learning. These optimal conditions are
described in the guidelines.
Ways of improving
practice - Eraut
 Feedback
 Recording and reviewing
 Developing awareness of impact
 Observing
 Expanding repertoire
Why observe?
“Classroom or peer observations have to be at
the heart of extending or developing teacher
repertoires.”
[Cooper 1989 cited in Harris, A. School Improvement: What’s in it
for Schools]
“Classroom
observation gives the teachers the
opportunity to move from ‘Autonomous
Isolation’ to ‘Interactive Professionalism’.”
(Wragg1996)
How do we learn on
the job?
 What part has classroom observation played in
your learning to date?
Let’s discuss …positives, minuses, interestings
Classroom Observations
Can….
 Support reflective teaching practice
 Introduce ‘another pair of eyes’ to the classroom (it can
be hard to see or judge your own teaching objectively)
 Provide some of the evidence needed for evidencebased teaching
 Help teachers feel safe enough to take some risks
 Support the professional learning of the observer even
more than the observed
Woolf Fisher Research Centre
The University of Auckland
Clarity of purpose
Must link the impact of teacher practice on
student literacy learning
 Not about behaviour management
 Not about content learning
But could be about how explicit literacy
instruction supported content learning
Common purpose and protocols shared and
understood by all staff involved
cohesion
 What are my students’ learning needs?
 What are my learning needs in relation to
these?
 Which of the Guidelines for Effective
Adolescent Literacy Instruction would I like
feedback on?
Pre-observation
 Discuss student and teacher needs
 Discuss literacy aspects of lesson
 Agree on foci of observation –guideline[s]/focus
students
 Timetable a post observation discussion
scenario
 asTTle scores show that students in class are not
strong at skimming and scanning
 Class exercise showed students could not scan page
to find definition of keyword even though it was in bold
and boxed
 Teacher admitted that he did not know the difference
between skimming and scanning but often told the
students to do one or the other
Which of the Guidelines for Effective Instruction might you
[observer and teacher] chose to focus on?
Observer as learner -ako
 Consider doing observation in pairs
 Independently record notes
post observation discussion – what did you
notice, what would you discuss with teacher?
 Second person can give you feedback on your
discussion with teacher.
Useful for helping us to learn to analyse
classroom practice
Recording
 Have a common template [GEALI]
 Keep to the agreed foci
 Note what you see and hear
 Use clear, unemotive language – don’t
evaluate or judge
 Note points to be discussed, questions to be
asked –avoid loaded questions
Peer observations
 Working towards all teachers being able to
observe and give feedback on literacy teaching
and learning
 Easier to do this if there is an explicit literacy
learning intention
 Expert content knowledge not needed.
Rephrasing the questions
 Do you think they needed some more support
to decode the worksheet?
 Would it have been better to have done the
grouping task in pairs?
Rephrase these as open, less judgemental
questions
Reflection
It is not the observation, but the quality of the
conversation that counts.
What are the characteristics of a quality
learning conversation?
Engaging in learning talk:
the challenges
 “Teachers politely reinforce each other’s
practice regardless of their effectiveness.”
 PD conversations about teaching and learning
not situated in teachers’ own classrooms
 Conversations focus on issues peripheral to
core task of teaching
[adapted from Annan, Lai, Robinson]
Where Do You Fit? (Robinson, 2002)
High
Level of Respect
Low
non-learning
conversation
(task sacrifice)
non-learning
conversation
(laissez-faire)
Low
learning
conversation
non-learning
conversation
(person sacrifice)
High
clarity of communication
about the business issue
Learning talk
An inter-related inquiry process
 Analytical talk [based on evidence]
 Challenging talk [making changes]
 Critical talk [evaluating effectiveness]
Adapted from Annan, B., Lai, M., Robinson, V.
Teacher Talk to improve teaching practices
Learning conversations
DEER
 Describe situation and check accuracy with others
 Explain including factors and values that have
produced the situation. Check accuracy
 Evaluate situation using agreed framework
 Recommend improvements based on agreed
evaluation that will better achieve agreed goal.
Useful resource
 Improving learning for All: learning from the
Literacy Professional Development. Effective
facilitation: Understanding and Improving
Learning conversations with teachers
http://literacyonline.tki.org.nz/LiteracyOnline/Interact2/Literacy-Online-update/LPDP