{"id":7762,"date":"2017-03-26T16:15:28","date_gmt":"2017-03-26T15:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/?p=7762"},"modified":"2017-03-26T16:15:28","modified_gmt":"2017-03-26T15:15:28","slug":"7762","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2017\/03\/26\/7762\/","title":{"rendered":"Classroom Observations &#8211; how to use best to improve our teaching -Summary of #ELTchat on February 15th, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>This is a\u00a0brief summary (mostly a glorified cleaned up transcript) of the #ELTchat on February 15th, 2017<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Summary contributed<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaxims.com\/2017\/03\/11\/another-eltchat-on-observation\/\"> by Mathew Noble on his blog<\/a><\/strong> &#8211; reproduced here with his kind permission<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">or so we hope&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">~ : ~<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=258&amp;h=255\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=258&amp;h=255 258w, https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=516&amp;h=510 516w, https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=150&amp;h=148 150w, https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=300&amp;h=297 300w\" alt=\"taek a look\" width=\"327\" height=\"323\" data-attachment-id=\"5075\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaxims.com\/2017\/03\/11\/another-eltchat-on-observation\/taek-a-look\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=258&amp;h=255\" data-orig-size=\"542,536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"taek a look\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=258&amp;h=255?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/taek-a-look.png?w=258&amp;h=255?w=542\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The February 16th <a href=\"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/\">#ELTchat<\/a> was on the topic \u201cclassroom observations and how we can use them (both as observer and observed) to improve our teaching\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The chat kicked off with <strong>Sue Annan<\/strong> saying what I know most of us were thinking: observation is a really good topic! Because of this, <strong>Angelos<\/strong> reminded us, that we\u2019ve chatted about it four times in the past.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QkbbDxkbBM\">Here\u2019s a Padlet<\/a> with those previous #ELTchats on the topic of observation (thanks <strong>Marisa<\/strong>!)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nutrich<\/strong> then mentioned John Hughes\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oO8GFqN7h8\">recent survey<\/a> on the topic of self-observation. A promising start.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Here\u2019s the bulk of what was then discussed\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAYS OF OBSERVING LEARNERS\/FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How about observing from the learner\u2019s point of view? How engaged they all were, unspotted errors, etc (<strong>Fiona<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>How many times each <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KevvVfnQlq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">student talked or categories of student talk <\/a>(<strong>Marisa<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Tally sheets for this kind of observation;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IGcM3K3Zfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">very revealing<\/a> (<strong>Ambartosik<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li><em>&#8220;I recorded learners\u2019 pairwork on DELTA Module 2 and was shocked. Nothing I\u2019d assumed would happen happened!&#8221;<\/em> (<strong>Olya<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAYS OF TRANSCRIBING &amp; ANALYZING<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Transcribe a random 5 or 10 minutes and subject to classroom discourse analysis (<strong>Marisa)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAYS OF RECORDING\/LIVESTREAMING FOR OBSERVATION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Interested in recording observation \u2013 never done it. Maybe self-observation, too (<strong>Fiona<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>I think recording one\u2019s lessons is <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pPYO5RlT6u\">the most powerful tool for reflection and improvement<\/a> (<strong>Angelos<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Or livestream it. Just let in a very few people on your livestream channel. Livestream is great if you have a good fast connection and no uploading needed (<strong>Marisa)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Skyping an observation? If you turned it into a @touchcast it would be an <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XCUwSbLK9C\">interactive asynchronous observation with opportunities to comment<\/a> (<strong>Ambartosik<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li><em>&#8220;I think videotaped and demo lessons go a long way towards getting teachers to polish their classroom skills to a higher level.&#8221;<\/em> (<strong>Marisa<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Yes \u2013 unlisted videos or private with password are easy to do \u2013 but take time to upload. Looking for an alternative. (<strong>Marisa<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li><em>&#8220;Do you use an iPad and upload to YouTube? How do you do it? I like the sound of YouTube unlisted&#8217;.<\/em> (<strong>Fiona<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>With recorded observations, the school might also start collecting short snippets of successful activities. Teachers are happy to share. (<strong>Olya<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAYS OF PEER OBSERVERATION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We used to do pair observation. You could ask them to concentration on something which you needed help with. Useful. (<strong>SueAnnan<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>[You can use] the last observation action points as focus points for current observation. Simple, but I think most effective. (<strong>Fiona<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>We\u2019ve just started a new idea of CPD observations: mini SIGs, which you join to suit you. Your own reflective practice, observation of others, sharing findings. It\u2019s fab. The teachers are all on board because they can choose what they want to concentrate on. (<strong>SueAnnan<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>OTHER WAYS OF OBSERVATION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A friend of mine has started doing \u201cfishbowl\u201d classes at conferences (teaches a group, conference attendees observe), then discuss. Scary! (<strong>Olya<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<li>Unseen observations (via @ChrisMoyse) in UKed is a neat framework. Would love to implement it. (MattStott)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We talked about how not all teachers are comfortable being observed, but that perhaps it\u2019s important to feel that discomfort and get on with it\u2026with the ultimate benefits in mind.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Glenys<\/strong> talked about seeking out observations and watching her peers back in the day. To her, it\u2019s simply \u201cessential\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong> Ambartosik<\/strong> wished that\u00a0teachers had the opportunity to observe regularly (of course it\u2019s quite rare to be able to do this). I think many of us feel this way.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Finally, <strong>Olya<\/strong> shared a link to a \u201creally useful\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7rxsUCRY8A\">talk on peer observation\/coaching from IATEFL 2015<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And here are some extra resources on observation that weren\u2019t mentioned, but fit right in:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/oupeltglobalblog.com\/2017\/03\/09\/5-activities-for-peer-observation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Martyn Clarke\u2019s \u201c5 Activities for Peer Observation\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eltexperiences.com\/2015\/05\/26\/10-tips-for-lesson-observations\/\">Martin Sketchey\u2019s blog post on observation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.professorjackrichards.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Practice-Teaching-A-Reflective-Approach-Chap-7-Classroom-Observation-in-Teaching-Practice.pdf\">Chapter on observation in teaching practice from Jack C. Richards<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/demandhighelt.wordpress.com\/observation-tasks\/\">Observation tasks from the Demand High blog<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/oupeltglobalblog.com\/2013\/11\/26\/class-observation-beyond-the-obvious\/\">Class observation \u201cbeyond the obvious\u201d from the OUP ELT blog<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Finally, here\u2019s Jo Gakonga\u2019s video on Observation:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/erC9N2sME-o?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-ratio=\"0.5979142526071842\" data-width=\"863\" data-height=\"516\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">See you at the next #ELTchat?<\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=281&amp;h=327\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 281px) 100vw, 281px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=281&amp;h=327 281w, https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=562&amp;h=654 562w, https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=129&amp;h=150 129w, https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=258&amp;h=300 258w\" alt=\"eltchatlogo\" width=\"311\" height=\"362\" data-attachment-id=\"5088\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaxims.com\/2017\/03\/11\/another-eltchat-on-observation\/eltchatlogo\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=281&amp;h=327\" data-orig-size=\"622,723\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"eltchatlogo\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=281&amp;h=327?w=258\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/muddlesintomaximsdotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/eltchatlogo.jpg?w=281&amp;h=327?w=622\" \/><\/h2>\n<div id=\"jp-post-flair\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is a\u00a0brief summary (mostly a glorified cleaned up transcript) of the #ELTchat on February 15th, 2017 Summary contributed by Mathew Noble on his blog &#8211; reproduced here with his kind permission or so we hope&#8230;. ~ : ~ &nbsp; &nbsp; The February 16th #ELTchat was on the topic \u201cclassroom observations and how we can&hellip; <br \/> <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2017\/03\/26\/7762\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7762\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}