Leading Instructional Rounds And Reaping Their Benefits

By Diane Burns


Instructional rounds have been regarded among the best tools that institutions and districts can use to enhance collaboration as well as pedagogy skills for its teachers. Leading instructional rounds should ensure that the main focus is not to provide feedback to the teacher under observation. Rather, focus should remain on comparing the skills used in provision of instructions.

Participants stand to reap incredible benefits by participating in the observation and plenary debriefing. The reason you visit as a team is to capture as much as possible from the target teacher and also collect diverse views. The plenary debriefing session is used to report on individual observations and compare notes. When each teacher is making reflections on the day, he or she will also have learnt something.

It is advisable that each teacher joins the rounds at least once each semester. Leadership for the team should be left to a highly respectable and seasoned colleague. In fact, the responsibility should lie on an instructional coach or administrator. Since these are senior teachers, they should still maintain the intention as learning and not criticizing teachers under study.

It is important that the teacher being observed be a volunteer. You may also consider a rotating routine so that everyone is observed at a particular point. The environment should be as natural as possible to avoid misleading observations being made. Choose the best in the school or district so that other people can take lessons from them. Any class can be a venue for observation.

The team making the rounds should remain as small as possible. Preferably, they should be between four and a maximum of six. Explain to your class that they will receive visitors. When students are learning in an environment with strangers, they will not respond naturally. However, when they are aware that learning is taking place, they will be supportive of the process.

The entry and presence of observing teachers is designed to cause the least possible disruption and distraction to instructions. It is preferred that the teachers occupy the back of the class. They observe and take notes of what is happening, especially use of instructional materials and methods of delivery. The team may also share areas of observation so that one takes communication and others consider the use of teaching aids, among other concerns.

The round should last between 10 and 15 minutes. This is sufficient time to make observations that will inform your decision making. There is no rubric where scores are entered. The main aim must remain to learn. You should therefore take notes and compare what you observe. Thank the teacher and student once your session is over and exit the class.

Keep observations made within the team. Even the comments participants will make during debriefing must remain within the group. The natural design of rounds is that even the teacher does not receive any feedback. However, some may ask for it. That is the only moment the feedback should be given. Pulse and Delta approach is preferred during evaluation because it helps you identify the strengths that can be emulated and weaknesses to be avoided.




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