The teacher becomes the student
Teachers are usually the ones instructing in the front of the class, but most will agree, that continual learning is one of the hallmarks of a great educator. And while there is a lot to be learned from seminars and lectures, “they say that sometimes the best PD (professional development) is right down the hall,” says Instructional Coach AJ Pettway.
Enter, Instructional Rounds, a learning concept taken from the medical field where residents rotate and observe different professions at work. This concept translates well to the classroom as every teacher has their own subject, styles, and strengths to learn from.
Pettway took on the task of launching the inaugural session of Instructional Rounds. A small group of 3-5 teachers visited and observed two classrooms, followed up by a debrief among the group. The entire session, including the debrief, took place within the span on a single class block. Finding ‘extra’ time in the schedule, especially towards the end of the year, is always a challenge, but containing the experience to the length of a block makes it more accessible to a teacher with that block free.
When considering the idea, Pettway thought about a few questions, “How often do teachers get to see their colleagues in action in the classroom, and how might the culture of learning and collaboration among teachers be influenced by non-evaluative peer observations?"
"Observing other teachers is so powerful! Entering the classroom in a non-evaluative way forces me to reflect on my own practice and makes me so grateful for the other educators we have as resources in the community,” says Music teacher, Kristina Rey. “Observing classes across curriculums is especially interesting and makes me more thoughtful about how the learning process in my subject area relates to others."
Because the observations are for self-reflection and not a critique, the goal is for the host teacher to feel comfortable teaching with guests.
"As a host teacher, this was a super easy experience that felt safe and supportive. It required no advance planning on my part and helped me think a little more deeply about how my interactions with students aligned with the theme for that observation round," says Emma Ross, Science teacher.
The first round of observation included math, science, experiential education, and music teachers and focused on observing one aspect of teaching and learning: questioning and feedback. The diversity of disciplines only served to enrich the conversations between teachers during their debrief. Everyone left the session feeling like they could have talked for twice as long about what they observed, and many were excited to take new ideas to their own classrooms.
Pettway hopes to plan more of these voluntary sessions in the future. As for this week, it was a successful first round full of lots of learning.