Change is the only thing that is constant to the point that this statement has been overused time and again. But if there was one thing that has not see a significant change in the course of centuries, it would be the educational system. There is a dire need to evolve the methods of teaching just as how society and culture has evolved.
Students are not the only ones that needs to learn new things. In every industry there is always great value in constantly learning new things. Instructional school rounds is a way of observation among teachers and school staff used to observe the different methods and approaches of each faculty member when it comes to teaching their classes. The idea was based on medical rounds and how medical professionals gather and discuss the condition of a patient.
The idea originates from the medical field where doctors, med students and other medical professionals discuss the sickness and issues of a patient. True enough, not one doctor can handle such a complex problem alone just as how not one instructor can effectively teach a class with only his own skills and knowledge alone. The teachers are observed by a panel of other teachers. But the point is not to grade them and merely just to state points according to a set of questions.
For each round or cycle, there is one concern that is being examined. This gives the observers and the one being observed a main focus to address. Some of the questions are framed after the parts and steps of how a student learns. The basic steps of teaching involves the introduction of a lesson, the ways a teacher gives out modules to make sure the knowledge is retained and then evaluation.
Individually, instructors are in the perfect avenue for introspection with regards to their methods. The observing panel are also able to evaluate and compare themselves with their colleagues in a systematic way that avoids any conflict among each other. Different processes of learning are being observed such as introduction to new topics, how well the class digests it, testing and knowledge evaluation. The group is then lead to discuss what they have seen as good and bad points.
The concept is basically made up of questions that encourage self reflection when in discussion with other educators. While this is usually at a scale limited within the school, there are some that have made it a district wide activity. This gives a broader sense and a bigger pot of knowledge that teachers can get from. They are allowing professionals from the same field to essentially help them get better at what they do. There then is a shared accountability for the effectiveness of learning is across the community.
The stagnation of skill is prevented on the side of instruction. This lets the system properly adjust to how the current generation learns which is something that the educational system has failed to do for a long time. This also makes it easier to get numbers and statistics that can give clear quantification and may reflect underlying causes to community wide issues.
The needs in terms of facilities and equipment can also be clearly seen especially in cross school rounds. This becomes easier to identify since there are other people from a different environment that gets to observe the same institution in a foreign perspective. This also assures that there is shared responsibility of the learning quality in one community.
There is always only one concern that is being tackled in every round. This prevents the risk of giving out wrong solutions to the right problems. Doing this may lead to a backlash that would significantly affect learners.
Students are not the only ones that needs to learn new things. In every industry there is always great value in constantly learning new things. Instructional school rounds is a way of observation among teachers and school staff used to observe the different methods and approaches of each faculty member when it comes to teaching their classes. The idea was based on medical rounds and how medical professionals gather and discuss the condition of a patient.
The idea originates from the medical field where doctors, med students and other medical professionals discuss the sickness and issues of a patient. True enough, not one doctor can handle such a complex problem alone just as how not one instructor can effectively teach a class with only his own skills and knowledge alone. The teachers are observed by a panel of other teachers. But the point is not to grade them and merely just to state points according to a set of questions.
For each round or cycle, there is one concern that is being examined. This gives the observers and the one being observed a main focus to address. Some of the questions are framed after the parts and steps of how a student learns. The basic steps of teaching involves the introduction of a lesson, the ways a teacher gives out modules to make sure the knowledge is retained and then evaluation.
Individually, instructors are in the perfect avenue for introspection with regards to their methods. The observing panel are also able to evaluate and compare themselves with their colleagues in a systematic way that avoids any conflict among each other. Different processes of learning are being observed such as introduction to new topics, how well the class digests it, testing and knowledge evaluation. The group is then lead to discuss what they have seen as good and bad points.
The concept is basically made up of questions that encourage self reflection when in discussion with other educators. While this is usually at a scale limited within the school, there are some that have made it a district wide activity. This gives a broader sense and a bigger pot of knowledge that teachers can get from. They are allowing professionals from the same field to essentially help them get better at what they do. There then is a shared accountability for the effectiveness of learning is across the community.
The stagnation of skill is prevented on the side of instruction. This lets the system properly adjust to how the current generation learns which is something that the educational system has failed to do for a long time. This also makes it easier to get numbers and statistics that can give clear quantification and may reflect underlying causes to community wide issues.
The needs in terms of facilities and equipment can also be clearly seen especially in cross school rounds. This becomes easier to identify since there are other people from a different environment that gets to observe the same institution in a foreign perspective. This also assures that there is shared responsibility of the learning quality in one community.
There is always only one concern that is being tackled in every round. This prevents the risk of giving out wrong solutions to the right problems. Doing this may lead to a backlash that would significantly affect learners.
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To enhance teachers' pedagogical skills, it is imperative to implement instructional school rounds. To use these valuable tools, just read more about them at http://www.instructionalrounds.com.
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