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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Implementation of the Grand Rounds Model in Teacher Education: Guiding
Classroom Observations for Novice Preservice Teachers
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Abstract
This study examined the use of a Video Grand Rounds model in which
elementary preservice teachers participated in a structured video observation
approach. Preservice teachers enrolled in an early experiences course participated
in the experimental design. Data were gathered through student reflections, final
exam responses, and transcriptions of debriefing sessions. Analysis of the data
followed a qualitative approach using an emergent coding system. Findings across
both the treatment and control groups were very similar. Key refinements to the
intervention model include 1) identifying videos that are more reflective of
authentic classroom observations, 2) refining the observation protocol to
emphasize the specific video classroom environment, and 3) broadening the use
of the observation protocol as a framework for debriefing sessions. The model
examined here should be considered one that is very generic in form and is
applicable to a variety of classroom settings across the K-5 grade levels.
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Implementation of the Grand Rounds Model in Teacher Education: Guiding
Classroom Observations for Novice Preservice Teachers
The use of video clips in the teaching profession has been very effective
over time in providing teachers and preservice teachers with feedback on their
own instruction. Building on the powerfulness of using classroom instruction as a
tool for learning, during the 2012-2013 academic year, a Video Grand Rounds
model was piloted where video clips of experienced elementary (K-5) teachers
teaching in their classrooms were used for observations by preservice teachers in
conjunction with a structured classroom observation protocol instrument and
support of a faculty member. The purpose of this model is to help preservice
teachers focus their classroom observations on elements of quality instruction.
The concept for this Video Grand Rounds model was borrowed from the use of
Medical Grand Rounds which has been used for the training of doctors since the
late 19th century (Herbert & Wright, 2003). Instead of discussing a patient’s case
as in the medical model, video clips of classroom teaching are used as cases to
discuss elements of quality instruction, as well as elements of a positive learning
environment.
This Video Grand Rounds model introduces a conceptual framework for
preservice teacher observations using video clips to provide these preservice
teachers with a standardized and efficient means for guiding classroom
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
observation experiences. The grand rounds process includes having preservice
teachers view a series of lesson videos, complete structured observation protocols,
and debrief with a faculty member following each video observation. This process
allows preservice teachers the opportunity to view a classroom from a teacher’s
perspective rather than the student perspective they have experienced for their 13
plus years of education.
Prior to entering undergraduate teacher education programs, a national
accreditation requirement is for preservice teachers to enroll in a preliminary
clinical experience course in which they spend a specified number of hours (e.g.,
16 hours) in unstructured school observations in combination with guided
classroom discussions led by faculty. Considering the possible role of such classes
in teacher education, two elements are important: 1) to provide prospective
preservice teachers with exposure to representative K-5 classroom settings in a
manner that helps them determine if obtaining a teaching degree fits their future
goals, and, 2) to provide preservice teachers with a sound conceptual foundation
for their future study in the teacher education program.
Review of the Literature
The notion of Pedagogies of Practice (Grossman et al., 2009) was used to
provide the theoretical perspective for this research. Pedagogies of Practice is a
framework designed to specifically explain the teaching of practice in
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
professional education programs. Grossman and her colleagues identified three
key components for understanding the pedagogies of practice in programs of
professional education. These include representations, decomposition, and
approximations of practice.
Representation of practice alludes to the ways practice is represented and
made visible to the novice - in the case of this research - to the preservice teacher.
Decomposition refers to the breaking down of that visible practice into parts so
that the novice may learn the practice. Finally, approximation refers to the
novice’s opportunities to begin to engage in professional practices as a novice.
This research focuses on the first two components of pedagogies of practice,
representation and decomposition, through the use of video cases as a
representation of teaching in order to study and learn about teaching.
Preservice teachers spend considerable time in their university classroom
learning about theories and principles related to the learning of their future
students. In order to help the preservice teachers apply those theories and
principles to actual practice, or to the understanding of practice in the classroom,
field experiences of various natures have been hallmarks of preservice teacher
education programs. Often, these field experiences begin with observations of
actual classrooms early in the preservice teacher program.
One serious drawback of these early observations is that the preservice
teacher tends to still view the classroom from a student viewpoint rather than a
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
teacher viewpoint. Several studies have noted that preservice teachers must be
guided through these early observation experiences to learn to see the classroom
from a teacher’s perspective and to help them connect their university coursework
with its application in the classroom (Author, 2009; Hult & Edens, 2001;
McDevitt, 1996).
One method that has been used in teacher education to address the
preservice teacher’s need for guidance and structure in learning observational
skills is the use of the case method. The case method was rooted in the concept of
the situative perspective in teacher education (Putnam & Borko, 2000) which is a
theory adapted for teacher education from the Theory of Situated Cognition
(Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989) and asserts that learning must occur within
authentic contexts. The case method allows preservice teachers to be involved in
authentic experiences and has been used in law, business, and medical schools for
years. As it has become more difficult for institutions of higher education to find
physical placements for the many preservice teachers they instruct, the case
method has gained ground in teacher education as well.
One of the more common ways researchers have recently studied the use
of the case method is through the use of video clips to help focus preservice
teachers on important aspects of teaching and classrooms (Brophy, 2004; Author,
2009; Marsh, Mithcell & Adamczyk, 2010). The use of video allows the teaching
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
process to be slowed down, to be discussed, and to be reflected upon in ways that
aren’t possible during a face to face observation (Santagata, Zannoni, & Stigler,
2007). Sonmez and Hakverdi (2012) used videos as an instructional tool as part of
their science teacher education program to provide what they called, “…a shared
common experience in a controlled environment…” with a goal of helping them
analyze strengths and weaknesses in a lesson. They found that their preservice
teachers showed progress in their ability to identify salient aspects of the teaching
process. Likewise, Santagata, Zannoni, and Stigler (2007) used videos for two
years in a teacher education program to teach lesson analysis and found that, by
providing a specific framework to guide their observations, the preservice
teachers’ comments of the video moved from simple descriptions of the teaching
event to describing the effects the instruction was having on the learner.
The literature is consistent in its findings that structure and guidance are
necessary for early teaching observations by preservice teachers and that the use
of video is an effective method for providing that guidance (Brophy, 2004;
Author, 2009; Hult & Edens, 2001; Marsh, Mithcell & Adamczyk, 2010;
McDevitt, 1996; Santagata, Zannoni, & Stigler, 2007; Star & Strickland, 2007).
How, then, can what is known about the importance of structure and guidance in
early field experiences and what is known about the use of video in preservice
teacher education courses be combined and enacted most effectively in university
teacher preparation programs to aid the learning of observational skills?
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Instructional Systems Design (ISD) offers one such avenue in addressing
this need (Dick, Cary & Cary, 2011). ISD models present frameworks for the
design of instruction and for establishing the effectiveness of the instruction
developed. The observation categories discussed below primarily reflect elements
addressed in ISD models as requirements that are necessary, but not sufficient for,
sound instruction.
Ideally, a conceptual framework for classroom observations by students
who are novice observers must meet several methodological requirements. First,
the requirements for observing, and then conceptually categorizing what has been
observed, must be within the cognitive/experiential capacity of the participating
students. Second, as much as is possible, the conceptual framework for the
observation task(s) should focus on systemic classroom dynamics that are
extensible for use in an increasingly detailed fashion in the teacher education
program itself. Third, each category of classroom dynamics observed should be
explainable by instructors in the form of specific procedures that teachers could
apply to accomplish the observed outcomes in a manner that represents effective
classroom practice. Overall, these standards potentially allow the introductory
clinical experiences to serve as a general introduction to important aspects of
teaching practices that provide an initial conceptual framework for students
beginning a teacher education program.
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
The ISD model provides the framework for incorporating the theoretical
perspective from which this research was designed. It allows for offering
representations of teaching and then having the preservice teacher study and learn
about teaching through structured observation tasks, thus incorporating the
decomposition practice as well. The particular instructional strategy chosen to fill
in the structure of this model is described next.
Grand Rounds is an instructional strategy that is being used in teacher
education as an idea that was borrowed from the medical profession (Thompson,
S., & Cooner, D.D., 2001) and, one that addresses the key components of ISD. In
this strategy, preservice teachers observe master teachers and participate in a
debriefing session after the instruction. This mirrors the process used by medical
interns in teaching hospitals where an intern works with a doctor and they discuss
patients, conditions, and treatment plans on a case by case basis, thus helping the
intern learn the practice of medicine.
The idea of an instructional rounds approach to teacher education was first
posited by Del Prete (1997) and included the three components of orientation,
observation, and reflection. Since that time, this strategy has been adapted and
used in various areas of teacher education. It has been most currently used as a
model of professional development for student interns at the University of South
Carolina in a live observation format (Zenger, 2003).
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
The use of video as a strategy for observational training in teacher
education programs meets multiple criteria for effective teacher education. It
honors the importance of keeping the preservice teachers’ learning situated within
authentic contexts (Putnam & Borko, 2000), while also providing an avenue for
their learning to be structured, guided, and discussed by and with their university
professor. Furthermore, it allows for the representation and decomposition of
teaching practices that Grossman et al (2009) defined as necessary in the teaching
of practice.
This research, framed by the theory of Pedagogies of Practice, seeks to
combine what is known about how to guide and structure observations for
preservice teachers with the key components of effective novice observations
under Instructional Systems Design. Using the Grand Rounds approach, this
combination is achieved through the use of video clips as a representation of
teaching, and through the decomposition of the teaching and learning viewed in
those video clips, thus extending the work in the area of instructional grand
rounds as most of the research done has involved live observations.
Method
Participants
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
All preservice teachers in this research were enrolled in a one credit early
experience elementary education course requiring 16 hours of classroom
observation. Preservice teachers enrolled in the early experience course were
limited in their prior knowledge of both curricular context and instructional
strategies. During the 2012-2013 academic year, 294 sophomore level preservice
teachers participated in the Video Grand Rounds model study. One hundred
ninety of those preservice teachers were in the control group and 104 preservice
teachers were enrolled in the treatment group.
Procedures
All preservice teachers enrolled in the early experience course were
assigned to either a treatment or control group. Preservice teachers enrolled in the
treatment group used a structured observation protocol as a guide for viewing
video clips prior to engaging in school-based classroom observations. Preservice
teachers enrolled in the control group engaged only in classroom observations
without the use of observation protocols or debriefing sessions.
The Video Grand Rounds group (the treatment group) participated in
observations, protocol completion and teacher-led debriefing discussions about
what was observed in the video clips. In order to complete the 16 required hours
of observations, the preservice teachers in the treatment groups observed four
videos of classroom instruction, completed an observation protocol in conjunction
with each observation, and participated in classroom debriefing sessions to meet
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
12 of the 16 required observation hours. They then completed an additional four
hours of school-based classroom observations and completed another observation
protocol to fulfill the remaining requirement.
The figure below outlines the classroom observation process for the Video
Grand Rounds model in the early experience course. As shown in Figure 1, the
use of representative classroom video clips would precede the sequence of
classroom observation and follow-up discussion.
Data Collection
Documents collected throughout the study included: 1) observation
protocol forms detailing the preservice teachers’ observation experiences 2)
transcriptions of recorded debriefing discussions about the observation
experiences; 3) an open-ended description of a novel classroom instructional
video as a component of their final exam, and; 4) a reflective essay about the
overall practicum experience focused on what they learned from their
observations.
Data Analysis
Analysis of the data followed a qualitative approach involving the use of
the constant comparative method (Glaser & Straus, 1967) using an emergent
coding system. The initial step of data analysis involved a preliminary
examination of the data sets in which a checklist of initial categories was created.
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
This checklist of categories was then used in order to code the contents of each
data set. Once the responses were coded, five major categories emerged from the
data. The preservice teachers’ individual comments were then assigned to
appropriate categories using the coding scheme that was developed in the first
round of analysis. Finally, the final round of analysis involved the use of
descriptive statistics in order to provide an overall summary of the findings and
the observations made from the qualitative description of the data.
In qualitative studies, the concept of triangulation replaces the notions of
reliability and validity to ensure viable results (Creswell , 2013). Triangulation of
the data was achieved through the use of methodological triangulation. Multiple
sources of data were collected and analyzed. Data sources included student
reflections, exams, and transcribed debriefing sessions. Additionally, findings
from each data set were used to compare to each other to locate either patterns or
inconsistencies within the data as the research questions were answered.
Data were analyzed in order to answer the following research questions:
1) How does the use of a structured observation approach using observation
protocols and debriefing sessions affect the self-reported observations of early
experience preservice teachers observing a video, and, 2) How does the use of a
structured observation approach using observation protocols and debriefing
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
sessions affect the self-reported learning experiences of early experience
preservice teachers observing in a classroom?
The data from the exams and debriefing sessions were used to answer the
first research question related to the observations preservice teachers made after
observing a video clip. The data from the final reflections were used to answer
the second research question related to their self-reported learning experiences.
Findings
Exams
Results indicate that the preservice teachers’ observations on their exams
focused on five main categories: 1) the teacher in which observations included
personal or affective comments about the teacher and/ or appraisal of the teacher’s
work; 2) teaching strategies in which lesson steps, instructional strategies, or
other things the teacher did throughout the lesson were observed; 3) classroom
management strategies involving teacher implemented strategies used to manage
the classroom; 4) the students which included students’ affective reactions to
instruction, their behaviors , diverse needs; and, 5) student/teacher interactions
which included observations related to respect between the students or between
the students and their teacher, cooperation, and other comments related to the
classroom environment.
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Analysis of the exams revealed that, overall, there were no differences
between the treatment and control groups across the academic year, 2012-2013,
related to what each group noticed and what they noticed the most. Each group
made the same types of observations regardless of treatment. For example, both
groups noticed teaching strategies more than anything else they observed, and
they made observations about the teacher the least. The only notable difference
was that a higher percentage of students in the control group noticed teaching
strategies (+6 %) more often than those in the treatment group. This increase in
observations of teaching strategies by the control group coincided with a
reduction in the amount of teacher/student interactions observed by the control
group. The treatment group noticed teacher/student interactions and other factors
associated with the learning environment at a higher incidence (+4%) than the
control group and they made observations about the teacher (+3%) more than the
control group. Observations related to classroom management were identical
across the control and treatment groups, as were observations about students (an
increase of only 1% for the control group). See Table 1.
Each of these major categories was further subdivided into smaller
categories the preservice teachers tended to notice the most. See Table 2. There
were several subcategories in which differences in rates of observations were
greater than 10% between the treatment and control groups. Overall, the control
group reported higher observations in the categories of instructional strategies,
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
use of visuals, student diversity and peer interactions. The treatment group
reported higher observations in the categories of directions, physical arrangement
of the classroom, management techniques, students’ behavior, and respect.
For example, within the teaching strategies category, the control group
noticed content methods and instructional strategies more than the treatment
group (+18%), as well as teacher-given directions and stated objectives (+11%)
and the use of visuals and music to teach content (14%). In the category of
classroom management, the treatment group noticed the physical arrangement of
the room more than the control group (+27%), as well as behavior management
techniques (+90%).
No major differences existed between the groups in observations related to
the teacher; however, differences in rates of observations related to the students
were found between the two groups. The treatment group noticed the students’
behavior at an increased rate over the control group (+18%), but the control group
notice the diversity among the students more than the treatment group (+25%).
Finally, in the last category of student/teacher interactions, the control group
noticed student and peer to peer interactions more than the treatment group
(+12%), while the treatment group noticed issues related to classroom
environment such as trust and respectful relationships more than the control group
(+44%).
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Reflections
In the reflections, two additional themes emerged from the data in addition
to the ones that emerged from the exams. These new categories were Self and
Unexpected Events. In the reflections, the preservice teachers were asked to
reflect on their learning experiences overall, so they naturally spoke most often of
themselves and what they learned. The Self category included comments related
to the things the preservice teachers felt they learned; things they need to work on;
things they got to do in the classroom; ideas for their future classroom; learning to
see the classroom from a teacher viewpoint; affective feelings about teaching
including being excited, loving it, helping kids, impacting the children in some
way; and confirming their decision to teach. The comments mentioned the most,
by far, in self-reported learning experiences were that the face to face
observations confirmed their decision to choose teaching as a career, with 45% of
the preservice teachers mentioning this. Additionally, 40% of the preservice
teachers mentioned they gained ideas for their future classroom.
Because they were also discussing their experiences in a physical
classroom as opposed to just a video case, as in the exams, a category of
unexpected events emerged including the unexpected happenings that occur daily
in an elementary school classroom. This category of unexpected events included
such things as fights breaking out between students, children becoming ill, fire
drills, lesson plans that must be changed due to unexpected events in the
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
classroom, and things the preservice teachers felt they observed that couldn’t be
learned in a college classroom.
Finally, the five categories that emerged from the exam data set also
emerged from the reflections. The Teacher category included comments related to
affective traits necessary to be a teacher such as calm, patient, flexible, and loving
and professional traits required to be a teacher such as being organized and being
a leader. The student category again included comments related to student
behavior and diverse needs; the classroom management category again contained
comments related to the physical arrangement of the classroom, transitions, and
management strategies for student behavior; and, again, the interaction category
included observations of respectful relationships and types of interactions
between students and students and students and teachers. And, finally, the
strategies category included comments related to questioning, use of grouping,
statement of objectives, and contents and methods observed.
Overall, there were no differences between the treatment and control
groups related to what each group noticed and what they noticed the most. Each
group made the same types of observations at approximately the same rate of
observation regardless of treatment. For example, both groups discussed things
related to themselves the most in their reflections, and they made observations
about the teachers, interactions, and unexpected events the least. See Table 3.
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Debriefing Sessions
Table 4 below indicates points of discussion in each debriefing session
and includes comments of observations made by the students, as well as
comments from the professors asking the students about the videos. It is of
interest to note that these points of discussion align with the observations the
students made in their exams. From these findings, it appears that what the
professor draws the preservice teachers’ attention to during the guided video
observation may impact the observations they make when they independently
view a lesson.
For example, Professor A’s discussions included many more comments
about positive teacher/student relationships, respect, classroom environment, etc.
and this is reflected in the preservice teachers’ observation comments. See Table
4. In the categories and subcategories charts for both the exams and the
reflections, the data show that the preservice teachers in the treatment groups
made more observations related to the classroom environment and interactions
than those in the control group. In the exam analysis, the data show a 4% higher
rate of observations related to classroom environment and interactions. In the
reflections, the response rate is only 2% higher than the control group; however,
this is one of only two categories in which the treatment group made a higher rate
of response with Teacher being the other category with a rate of +4% over the
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
control group. Additionally, within the category of interactions, 72% of the
treatment group noted observations related to respectful relationships and trust,
while only 28% of the control group did. Since Professor A taught almost all the
treatment groups, those points of discussions may have impacted the preservice
teachers’ independent observations later.
Discussion and Conclusions
Findings across both the treatment and control groups were very similar. A
possible reason for this may be the need for a more tailored observation and
debriefing guide in the future that focuses on specific aspects of the video lesson
to which the preservice teachers’ attention should be drawn during the guided
observations. It appears from the findings that the discussions led by the professor
in the debriefing session may have impacted the preservice teachers’ later
observations; therefore, it may be likely that a structured observation and
debriefing guide specifically aligned with the video in which the preservice
teachers are told to observe for specific lesson components, and then guided in
viewing those components, would similarly focus their later independent
observations.
Furthermore, repeated viewings of the same video clip in which the
preservice teachers’ attention is drawn to various aspects of the lesson each time
may also create more of an impact. For example, the video may be viewed the
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
first time for classroom management strategies, again for teaching strategies, and
a third time for student interactions or behavior, etc. This repeated viewing would
allow the preservice teacher to see the lesson in more depth and view the
complexity of each lesson in more detail, possibly allowing them to transfer those
same skills to face to face observations.
Due to the similarity of findings across both the treatment and control
groups, key refinements to the intervention model are suggested. These include:
1) identifying videos that are more reflective of authentic classroom observations,
2) refining the observation protocol to emphasize observation of general
classroom environment conditions, 3) broadening the use of the observation
protocol as a framework for debriefing sessions, and, 4) adding a debriefing
session after the school observations.
The model proposed here should be considered one that is very generic in
form. That is, it is applicable to a variety of classroom settings across the K-5
grade levels. However, there are a number of perspectives and considerations that
do have possible implications for the model presented. As noted previously,
preservice teachers in the early experience course are limited in their prior
knowledge of both curricular context and instructional strategies. As a result, they
are not prepared to evaluate the appropriateness of either context. However, they
can certainly denote the content and instructional strategy observed in the
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
classrooms they observe and visit in a manner that can be addressed in follow-up
discussions.
In conclusion, this research examined implementations of guided
observational practices that were informed by the theory of Pedagogies of
Practice (Grosman et al., 2009) using an Instructional Systems Design framework
(Dick, Cary & Cary, 2011). Preservice teachers were provided with professional
representations of teaching practice through the use of video clips and then
afforded the opportunity to analyze that professional practice through the use of
observation protocols and debriefing sessions. It is through such practices that this
elementary education program hopes to build the foundation of conceptual
understandings of professional practices for these preservice teachers early in
their program of study so that when they move on to their supervised fieldwork,
they will be ready to participate in the final phase of Grosman’s theory,
approximations of practice, most effectively.
References
Author (2009, May). Multimedia observations: Examining the roles and learning
outcomes of traditional, CD-ROM based, and videoconference observations in
preservice teacher education. Current Issues in Education [Online], 11(3).
Available: http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume11/number3/
Brown, J.S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989, Jan/Feb). Situated cognition and the
culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 32-42.
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Brophy, J. (Ed). (2004). Using video in teacher education. Elsevier: Amsterdam
Creswell, J.W. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing
Among Five Traditions. Sage Publications: Los Angeles, CA.
Del Prete, T. (1997, Fall). The “rounds” model of professional development.
From the Inside, Fall(1), 72-73.
Dick, W., Cary, L. & Carey, J.O. (2011). The systematic design of instruction (7th
edition). Pearson: Columbus, OH.
Glaser, B.G. & Strauss, A.L .(1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory:
Strategies for Qualitative Research. Aldine Publishing Company: Chicago, IL.
Grossman, P., Compton, C., Igra, D., Ronfeldt, M., Shahan, E., & Williamson,
P.W. (2009, September). Teaching Practice: A Cross-Professional Perspective.
Teachers College Record, 11(9), 2055-2100.
Hebert, R.S. & Wright, Scott M. (2003). Re-examining the value of medical grand
rounds. Academic Medicine, 78(12), 1248-1252.
Hult. R.E., & Edens, K.M. (2001). Videoconferencing: Linking university and
public school classroom experiences. Paper presented at the annual meeting of
the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA.
Marsh, B., Mitchell, N., & Adamczyk, P. (2010). Interactive video technology:
Enhancing professional learning in initial teacher education. Computers &
Education, 54, 742-748.
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IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
McDevitt, M. (1996). A virtual view: Classroom observations at a distance.
Journal of Teacher Education, 47(3), 191-195.
Putnam, R.T., & Borko, H. (2000). What do new views of knowledge and
thinking have to say about research on teacher learning? Educational
Researcher, 29(1), 4-15.
Sonmez, D., & Hakverdi-Can, M. (2012). Videos as an instructional tool in preservice
science teacher education. Egitim Arastirmalart-Eurasian Journal of
Educational Research, 46, 141-158.
Star, J.R., & Strickland, S.K. (2008). Learning to observe: Using video to
improve preservice mathematics teachers’ ability to notice. Journal of
Mathematics Teacher Educator, 11, 107-125.
Thompson, S., & Cooner, D.D. (2001). Grand rounds: Not just for doctors. Action
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Zenger, J.F. (2003). USC “Rounds”: Enhancing the clinical experience Fall 2002Spring 2003. Teacher Quality Collaborative [Online], Available:
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Table 1
Final Exam Results
Category
Teaching Strategies
Classroom Management
Student/Teacher
Interactions
Students
Teacher
Treatment Group
36%
21%
20%
Control Group
42%
21%
16%
13%
10%
14%
7%
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Table 2
Subcategories of Observations in Exams
Categories
Strategies
Content methods/instructional strategies
Involving/calling on all students
Lesson steps
Visuals/music
Examples/models
Clear directions/states objective
Questions
Integration
Circulating/monitoring/assessing
Classroom management
Stretch break/breathing
Claps/transitions
Drum roll
Physical arrangement
Redirection
Management techniques-sticks/hands/eyes on me
Time limits
Teacher
Great job/great teacher
Positive/nice/smiling/encouraging
Organized/good manager
Effective/knowledgeable
Student
Diverse
Excited/engaged
Well behaved
Bright/smart
Uniforms
Interactions
Positive reinforcement/feedback
Comments/kudos/peer interactions
Classroom environment
Student voice/freedom
Respect/positive attitude/trust/relationships
Treatment
Control
51%
20%
9%
69%
54%
47%
41%
5%
18%
69%
22%
12%
83%
54%
36%
42%
11%
14%
40%
33%
14%
49%
20%
97%
1%
43%
33%
20%
22%
15%
7%
1%
41%
35%
18%
7%
37%
28%
11%
7%
4%
52%
31%
7%
2%
29%
56%
13%
5%
5%
45%
31%
35%
11%
72%
36%
43%
39%
18%
28%
27
IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Table 3
Reflections Results
Category
Self
Strategies
Classroom management
Students
Interactions
Teacher
Unexpected events
Treatment
31%
18%
18%
13%
12%
7%
3%
Control
36%
20%
19%
14%
10%
3%
1%
28
IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Table 4
Points of Discussion in Debriefing Sessions
Professor Professor Professor Professor Professor Professor Professor
A
A
A
A
A
B
B
Clear goals/directions/
X
X
X
X
X
objectives
Technology
X
X
Visuals
X
X
X
Examples
X
X
X
X
Organization
X
X
X
X
X
Meaningful/relevance
X
X
X
X
Differentiation
X
Physical arrangement of
X
X
X
the classroom
Questions
X
X
X
X
X
X
Kids engaged/active/
X
X
X
X
X
X
interacting
Fun
X
Mgt tech-routines,
X
X
X
X
X
expectations, transitions*
Acknowledges
X
X
responses/positive
feedback
Classroom environment
X
X
Teacher & student
X
X
X
X
relationship/respect
Teacher is
X
X
X
positive/animated/ caring
Teacher is effective
X
X
Prior knowledge
X
X
X
Content methods/
X
X
X
X
X
instructional strategies
Monitor/circulate/assess
X
X
X
Redirection
X
Lesson steps
X
Note. *Mgt = Management.
29
IMPLEMENTATION OF GRAND ROUNDS: NOVICE OBSERVATIONS
Clas sroom Obs ervation Pro to col f or VGR Projec t
Classroom
Observation Elements
--------------General
--------------Organization
-- ----
Student Engagement
-- ----
Deepening Student
Thinking
-- ----
Affective Classroom
Quality
--------------Subject-Specific
Pedagogy
Focused observation of
representative K -5 classrooms
Focused
observation of
representative
K-5 classroom
video snippets
(with faculty
guidance)
Clinical
judgements
Re:
Classroom
characteristics
observed
Follow-Up
discussion
Re:
Classroom
observations
Evaluative
responses of
participating
students
Note- ( Subject-Specific Pedagogy ): Lesson Goals, Introduction,Instruction, Check for Understanding,
Guided P ractice, Independent Practice, Closure
Figure 1. This figure represents the Video Grand Rounds process in an early
experience course.