The Teachers’ Corner:

Last week we talked about the tendency for teachers to ask perceived higher learners more difficult questions and about the tendency for teachers to give perceived higher achievers more time to answer questions.  TESA includes an expectation that teachers will pair up and observe in their partners’ classrooms.  Here’s an abbreviated set of suggestions on how this could happen.

Option 1: “Blind Observation”

The partners go into each other’s classroom.  They are given a seating plan as a basis for observation.  The observer does not know who the perceived low achievers and perceived high achievers are.  Using the seating plan, the observers note the following:

1. How many questions are asked to each student,
2. How many of those questions per student are higher order or lower order,
3. How long does the teacher allow a student to respond.

Once the observation (30 minutes) is over, the two teachers get together and the observed teacher identifies the perceived high achievers and perceived low achievers.  From the data, they can determine if there was equal distribution, equitable use of higher versus lower orders of questions to both perceived higher and lower achievers and equal wait time for responses.

Option 2: “Focused Observation”

As above, the partners go into each other’s classrooms but this time the seating plan identifies both the perceived high achievers and the perceived low achievers.  As above, the observer focuses on the three questions noted above and records for 30 minutes.  Again, they analyze the data.

Option 3: “Third Party Observations”

This is an option that Bendel Services has added to the range of observation techniques.  It involves a third teacher who knows nothing of the TESA observations.  The teacher is simply told that the two observers are going to be looking at three specifics of teacher behaviour but they do not give any more detail at this point.  The teacher to be observed is asked to give each teacher a seating plan but one teacher receives a seating plan with the perceived higher and lower achievers identified.  The other receives a seating plan with no labels.

Again, the observation takes thirty minutes.  After the observations are over, the three teachers look at the results and see if there are differences in the observation data.  It would be very interesting to see if the expected TESA teacher behaviours are in evidence (distribution of questions, difficulty of level of questions and latency) in a similar fashion in both observation reports.  This may reveal which of the two methods (“Blind” or Focused”) would be the best method to use.

Whatever the data reveals, however, the observations may increase the consciousness of all three teachers in equalizing the opportunities for all students.  If that is accomplished, TESA has served its purpose.  Why not give it a try?

Dr. Dan

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