Classroom Observation as a Tool for Professional Development

Abstract

The study indicates that classroom observation is potentially a useful tool for teachers’ professional development and works best when the personal capacity of a teacher, an observer, and school provide a base for the effective use and outcome for teachers.

A brief summary of major findings and lessons learnt from the project, process, learning of teachers and my own learning is presented as follows;

i) Teachers found the pre and post-observation sessions very useful for their professional development. These sessions also help the observer to understand the roots of the teacher's classroom problems.

ii) Cyclical observations provide the courage and intellectual capacity to the teachers to turn their focus upon improved actions and they also developed their professional skills.

iii) Teachers perceived my role as a helper, facilitator and a resource person who could provide suggestions and alternatives, where needed. 

I feel the need to further explore, how reflective conversations between a teacher and an observer affect individual teacher's attitudes and behaviour. This will highlight what needs to be done further to improve individual competencies. However, I feel that a co-teaching experience can also provide a valuable basis for collaborative inquiry. It might raise a range of interesting issues and questions for using reflective conversation in planning, teaching, and improving this strategy.