Tutoring or Torturing? Ways to get the message across to the teachers.

Classroom observation is an essential tool for promoting effective teaching, since the role of the observer could be instrumental in shaping and developing a new consciousness in teachers, who, in turn, could contribute to the understanding of people in education. But how can we ensure its effectiveness?

Bearing in mind that observers are teachers themselves is not enough to dispel the stressing feeling. In fact, an awful lot is at stake when a supervisor observes a teacher in a language teaching operation. No matter how informally or casually the classroom visit is presented, the teacher is aware that his/her performance is under review. In order to create an uplifting rather than a demoralizing impact on the teacher’s self-image and professional standing, it is vital that those who conduct observations should carry them out in as supportive and constructive a way as possible.

Among the many principles for effective supervision the value of pre-observation is usually underestimated. In a busy day a pre-observation discussion might seem something of a luxury. However, it can be just as important in some ways as the actual observation itself. It is a chance for the observer to hear and understand the “teacher’s story”. Giving the teacher the opportunity to talk about the class, the students and the lesson to be observed helps many teachers feel more relaxed about the visit. At the same time, this can be beneficial for the supervisor as well, since a better understanding of the teacher’s personality and classroom approach will enable him/her to provide feedback which is relevant and useful, assessing both the teacher’s personal outlook and the teaching event.

As far as the teachers themselves are concerned my advice is that you can definitely incorporate your EFL repertoire or part of it in a forty-five minute pedagogical potpourri, as far as you can be flexible enough to follow, critically assess and exploit your material. My opinion is that the observed lesson should be a positive experience, if approached with the right attitude, and can begin to make your planning and professional life easier by reinforcing good habits for approaching lessons.

Ζερβού Ελένη, Καθηγήτρια Αγγλικών