Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
An instructional round is a way for teachers to learn from each other to improve instruction and consequently learning. This can be done by collaborating and observing colleagues. I have learned many things over the years from my colleagues. One example is recently our transitional kindergarten teacher taught me about patience. Through my observation of her, she showed me that through patience and perseverance her class responds to instruction with more effort and fun. Watching her helped me to understand the kids in her class better so I could teach better and ultimately have more fun and learning happening during class. Instructional rounds are one of the most important teaching strategies for any teacher. Learning through other people gives you different ideas and strategies to help your own class progress and learn. I think in my school it would be a tremendous help especially for our younger generation teachers. I also feel that our younger teachers could help the older generation learn more about things like technology which we were never prepared for when we began teaching instructional rounds are a win win for any school. I think more often the older teachers resist because they think they know what’s best and maybe feel like it’s too late for them to learn. We have had and do have such teachers like that in my building. I honestly don’t know how to break that barrier when some teachers mindset is closed to learning new things, ideas and strategies. Our school has gotten to the point where it’s pretty much forceful. We were all given the task of lining up a time to go to another classroom and observe. We needed to take away at least one thing that we could us in our own room. I loved that time! There’s never enough time to collaborate with colleagues.
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is an opportunity for teachers to learn from each other by observing one another in their classroom environments. I don't have a specific experience in instructional rounds but in the coaching world these things happen all the time. Coaches clinics, digital platforms etc., they all allow us to peek into the worlds of other coaches. I think instructional rounds would definitely improve the overall culture of the school if implemented. I think the main things that cause resistance are social anxiety and competitiveness. I think a shared vision led by administration is essential for this to be effective. Having this approach with a shared vision, values and plan will help break down the barriers for teachers and open up a new avenue of support and creativity.
I never actually had the experience of being a part of any instructional rounds when I was teaching, but I really wish I would have had that opportunity! I believe teachers should want to share ideas and collaborate with other teachers on ways to bring new ways to present materials and not worry about someone "stealing" their lesson plans, but that was not my experience. Sharing and building lessons together should be common practice.
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when a teacher has the opportunity to watch other teachers' practices through classroom visitations and teacher interactions. It's a way to improve our teaching skills by sharing ideas and working as a team to solve problems. I've been teaching for many years and can be a little set in my ways. But I work closely with another younger teacher everyday and am constantly learning new ideas from her to help me update my teaching practices. I can see why some teachers might resist this idea, especially older ones, like myself, who may want to stick with "their way" of teaching. I'm not sure how to remove that barrier, aside from insisting they open their minds to new ideas and giving them the opportunity to do so.
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when teachers learn from each other! Teachers are given opportunities to watch others teach to gain perspective and ideas. I formally taught in a district in which peer observations were required. These peer observations were to be like an instructional round. Huge barriers created situations in which educators resented the observations. Time was one barrier. Teachers could only observe during their lunch or scheduled prep times. This limited what and who a teacher could observe and created situations in which teachers were very resentful of the process. Another barrier was due to some internal operation difficulties, staff members had become protective of curriculum, students, and classrooms. This mindset limited the flexibility needed for the process to be successful. I feel that one way to eliminate some barriers is to ensure a school staff climate of trust and respect.
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round, as stated in the text, is a powerful tool for the discovery and sharing of best practices. Collaboration with colleagues is one of the most important aspects of a teacher. I know I've come across some teachers who are set in their ways and do what they have always done. I think if we make the collaboration piece "fun," like some sort of game, more teachers would get involved/
ReplyDeleteI have not been involved in instructional rounds since I started my student teaching. Our school has a shortage of teachers so it is highly unlikely that I will be given an opportunity in the near future. I do think it is a good idea and a lot can be learned from watching how other teachers handle their lessons and discipline. I keep an open mind and this would be a good way to learn new teaching methods.
ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are opportunities where teachers can observe other teachers and their classrooms and learn new techniques and hopefully be inspired to try new ideas. I am lucky in my teaching situation, I have 5 co-teachers. We team teach every day. I love seeing how they teach and have learned so much from observing them. I am the long timer at STARBASE, I have been there 29 years. Throughout my teaching career, I have had the opportunity to visit several other STARBASE sites around the country and observe their teachers and the lessons taught. That has been one of the best learning experiences of my career. I have been the mentor for all the current teachers at our site and I know they have learned from me and then added their own spins and made our curriculum their own. We have a set curriculum set by a National Curriculum committee which is aligned to 5th grade standards. We are not allowed to change the prescribed lessons, but we can add our own tweaks. That's where it's really great to have a team that you can collaborate with and share ideas.
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when teachers have opportunities to observe and learn from other teachers. I just returned to teaching after taking 3 years off. In my new building, most of the special education staff is within the same wing so I get the opportunity to observe others frequently. I changed to secondary when I came back which is a whole new set up/schedule than elementary. I have learned how to schedule content areas and make it productive for my students who have a lot of accommodations and needs. Instructional rounds could improve understanding of different content areas and the strategies to use with students who have a variety of needs. I think the two biggest barriers for teachers are time and willingness to go outside of their comfort zones. In order for time to not become an issue, participating in an instructional round cannot add more to a teacher's plate such as sub plans or required documentation. As for willingness to go outside of their comfort zones, I believe admin needs to create an environment that is comfortable and expectations in which there is no opportunity for judgement. It isn't just the teachers observing, but those being observed.
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAt my district they allow teachers to do instructional rounds where we can go and watch other teachers while they cover our classroom. This is great because it gives us opportunities to see how other teachers teach, how other teachers run their classrooms, and learn new strategies. The last time I went I was able to observe a teacher a grade below me and a grade above me to help me better understand what my students had learned and what they needed to master in order to be proficient in the next grade. Some teachers may resist this process because they don't want to change their ways of teaching, or it could be that they are not comfortable with their colleagues coming in and observing them.
An instructional round is an opportunity to visit, watch, and learn from other teachers. Our district used to do instructional rounds. We were allowed to go into other classrooms and watch them teach something we were interested in learning about. It was a great opportunity to watch someone else teach the content you are teaching to give you new ideas that you can implement in your own classroom. Some teachers were hesitant to allow others to watch. It made them feel uncomfortable having other adults in the room. They didn't want to feel judgement if something didn't go well or they made a mistake. My district doesn't do that anymore. However, we do have some excellent instructional coaches that love to come into our classrooms to teach and share strategies to help us with our instruction. They do an amazing job at giving us ideas and making us feel comfortable with our curriculum! I also take the opportunity at indoor recess to look at how other classrooms are set up. I've gotten a lot of great ideas doing this!
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteThis is an approach where teachers learn from other teachers. They are able to go into other teachers rooms observe them in action and hopefully learn something from them. I think this idea is a good one, however I have watched the extreme negative impact it can have when it is a forced requirement in a school. In this particular setting the kindergarten teachers were required to go do peer observations of the other kindergarten teachers. They however were not given a sub to go watch the other teachers, they had to use their lunch time, or their prep time in order to do so. Some of the other teachers did not want to be observed, did not want to share what they were doing and they felt like they were being "watched." Whereas other teachers were open and welcoming. It created a very negative environment for everyone. Where I benefitted as a special education teacher...I was able to go into these classrooms freely and do push-ins with my students. In my situation it was a natural part of my job and I was able to see some amazing teachers do some really incredible teaching. I gained so many good insights into classroom management, ideas on how to do the same curriculum as everyone else just a little differently. My opportunity was non-threatening because I was just doing a push-in. They didn't realize I was observing everything they were doing as teachers and learning from them. The current setting I am in has TOSA. These teachers are supposed to go into classrooms and observe. The teachers they observe are continually told they are not being evaluated, and not to worry about it. But, it is very intimidating on both accounts and not very natural. I again have the benefit of being a special education teacher so the TOSA individuals do not come in our rooms.
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are so important in education. It's free professional development, an opportunity to build relationships with colleagues, and a chance to try something new. I am part of a two person professional learning community in 8th grade social studies at my school. I have the chance to learn from my teaching partner most days when we spend out planning period together. It's such a gift to split the work, share ideas, and work to find the best solutions for kids together. Teaching can feel like an island at times and the more work we do with instructional rounds and PLCs, the better. Our schedule does allow for instructional rounds, I believe teachers just have to be conscious of doing it. It's easy to get busy and not take the time or believe someone's classroom won't be beneficial to another. However, the more we work together, the more productive our teaching is for the students. I believe barriers to this are removed when teachers are willing to be vulnerable about their weaknesses, celebrate other teacher successes, and be honest about areas of improvement to take a chance and try something new in the classroom. Worst case scenario? We try again.
An instructional round to me is a way for teachers to learn from other colleagues and improve or get ideas on ways to improve their own classrooms by watching how their colleagues do day to day activities. The best example I have of learning something through instructional rounds was during my student teaching I was able to observe a man who was a much better welder then I was. The way he ran his class looked more like running a fabrication shop, students were presented a project and then allowed to go make it while he was the supervisor of the shop and able to help. Watching how this was run made a huge impact on my teaching style and was how I tried to run my welding classes. I think instructional rounds can improve learning at any school. Being a teacher is being a life long learner and there is always a different way to teach something or a different way to approach a subject. Watching how colleagues teach and use their own strengths can be an amazing way to inspire yourself. I think so many teachers resist this process for two reasons. The first being a lot of older teachers get into the thought process of this is how I’ve always done it and I’m not going to change. The second barrier to me is teachers are afraid to open their doors to colleagues sometimes for fear of being judged on how things are done. I think the best way to change these are to start having it be a mandatory thing to observe another teacher at least 2 times a year, this then makes it non optional to go watch another teacher. I just finished the 10-minute In-service book study and one of the ways they did this was to have a signup sheet which allows teachers to give a heads up on what they are teaching as well stops random drop ins from other teachers which can help them feel more comfortable with it.
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when an administrator or another teacher observes in another's classroom for the sake of learning rather than judging, grading or evaluating. Also being in allied health as an athletic trainer, I equate it to the rounding that doctors do with patients when they come round to their rooms to learn how they are feeling or what their vitals are at at that particular day or time. The hospital at which I am also employed in town also does a monthly employee rounding session where the supervisor meets with each employee to see how they are doing and if there is any equipment or process of which they are in need. They also ask if there is someone they would like to recognize or if there is anything they want the the supervisors to learn.
I think this is a great concept and way for others to learn from the teaching of others. In my substitute teaching, I have learned several different things from many teachers when I have been working. This includes ideas for different projects or way to manage the classroom.
Some teachers may feel that they are being judged or observed. They may feel threatened if the tone and environment is not set correctly.
An instructional round gives teachers the opportunity to observe each other’s practices through classroom visits and discussions. It’s a great way to improve teaching skills by sharing ideas and collaborating to solve challenges. As a new teacher, I truly enjoy spending time in other teachers' classrooms and engaging in discussions because it’s so valuable to see and hear different teaching styles. This experience helps me incorporate new techniques and refine my own classroom environment and practices. Observing other classrooms and strategies offers many opportunities for growth. While I understand why some might resist this process, I believe it would be extremely beneficial for our teaching practices.
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of an instructional round, is having a 'window' into other classrooms in your school or other schools. It is the opportunity to observe another classroom other than your own.
It's been a while since I've observed another teacher, between my own preparations for my classes and teaching my classes, the opportunity hasn't evolved. In one school I worked at, I was offered the opportunity to learn from another teacher who used an online math homework program. He was so excited about it and sent emails to nearby schools inviting us to come and see what he was doing. I didn't get to see his class in action, but his 'first hand account' of the program and his excitement, excited me. He wasn't getting money for promoting the program, he just wanted others to share in his 'joy' for this program. I got the program for my students and implemented it into my classroom. For my students who didn't 'go for 100' it was frustrating, but for those who did, they thrived.
I think teachers who resist learning from others are afraid they will feel pushed into some practice that they are unwilling to even try. They might be afraid to admit that their classroom management needs improvement seeing how the exact same students behave in other classrooms. They just might be afraid that seeing something better might make them realize they can be better (and should strive to be better). On the contrary, they don't want to let people into their classroom because they are afraid they might be critiqued by their peers and feel inferior.
I think administrators just need to provide the opportunities for us to learn from eachother. Maybe once a week, they cover a class and let that teacher go 'do some rounds'. It doesn't have to be well planned, just a window into other classrooms. It will show our students that we are a united group of teachers, here to support and learn from one another.
Instructional rounds are an opportunity to see what other teachers are doing and hopefully learn something new to implement in your own classroom. I haven't had very many opportunities to sit in other teacher's classrooms lately, but I think one of the times I learn the most is in the teacher's lounge during lunch. We talk about how our day has been and can bounce idea off of each other. I think instructional rounds would be beneficial in so many different ways. Sometimes it is hard to find motivation to come up with "new ideas" and so we can get so worn out in our own rooms doing the same thing, but if we had time to sit in on other teachers lessons would probably find an easy way way to implement something new!
ReplyDeleteI think some teachers could be hesitant because they don't want to feel judged or critiqued. Perhaps when we visit other classrooms we could also help with the lesson so we are doing things hands on instead of just observing.
Instructional rounds are observations that educators make in their building by watching other teachers. Our school is very small but we are encouraged to visit other classrooms in our content area. It helps as a middle school teacher to observe the high school teacher so I can give my students recommendations for next year. I also enjoy the observations so that I can improve my teaching styles. I’ve seen some great units being taught & can develop my own based on their ideas. I can also build my practices on how the concepts were taught in the lower elementary. There can be some resistance but it really is good practice to visit other classrooms. Sometimes I’ve witnessed jealousy which is crazy but the average teacher will accept the observations if the attitude among other staff members and administrators encourages us. It becomes acceptable and an enjoyable experience. It may take some time to develop positive attitudes but it can be accomplished.
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when teachers get to visit other classrooms and experience the way a colleague runs their classroom to take away ideas about their content, management, or routines. I was able to do this a few years ago, as our district allows a 1/2 day of visiting a classroom when you move grade levels. I also spent some time in colleagues classrooms this year when I had a student teacher and needed to leave the room at times. Our school has advocated to be able to do this next year in lieu of one of our staff meetings, and then we'd spend a PLC+ discussing the different things we saw and learned. We're all really excited about the opportunity! I love seeing how others do things and find ways of thinking that I wouldn't have considered.
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn Instructional round is when teachers or administrators visit classrooms to observe instruction, gather evidence, and reflect on practices with the goal of enhancing student outcome. The last time I learned something from another staff member in my building was a new activity for the students to play. Instructional rounds could help our teachers from going from class to class to let others know what they are covering in a certain subject it might also give others a different way of teaching if somethings isn't working well. Some teachers might resist this because they are set in their ways and feel that everything is going well already. I think if admin would make it a mandatory thing to do there wouldn't be any barriers left.
In the context of the book, an instructional round is when teachers visit each other's classrooms to get a sneak pick of their teaching methods and instruction. I think this is a great idea, and would love to do this at my school. We do something similar, called EdCamps, where teachers share about topics related to instruction, integrating technology, curriculum, learning games, etc.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we do this during our staff meetings or inservices, so we don't actually see teaching in action with students. Our new staff observe their mentor teachers once during their first year, but that's mainly it. In fact, in our district, an instructional round is actually something our principals do as part of our yearly teacher evaluations, also known as a "pop in".
A prohibiting factor to incorporating the author's style of instructional rounds would be having teachers willing to let others observe them in their classrooms. I know that I personally get very nervous being observed, even after doing this job for several years. However, both of the teachers I have mentored emphasized that observing a class period was the most helpful of all our mentor/mentee activities. I think if it was kept as a volunteer basis, and as long as the observing teacher didn't have a hassle getting coverage for his/her own students, this practice would be very beneficial.
An instructional round is learning from observing and asking questions of other teachers. My first year in the district, I was allowed to observe a couple of teachers during instruction and really enjoyed picking up some skills they had that I could apply to my own class. I am very comfortable asking questions and asking for advice from more senior teachers so I'm sure the last time I learned something from a colleague was last week! I am lucky enough to teach in the same district as my mother, who is currently retired but teaching full time because of the teacher shortage and her love for education. I feel like everyone should sit for a class in her classroom. I hear on a daily basis how amazing my mom was as a teacher from my older kids, and how they felt like they belonged and were included and they loved learning. I think everyone can learn something from her classroom. Some people have a hard time taking constructive criticism or coming to terms with what they could improve upon in their own classrooms. It can be hard to admit when someone else is doing something better than you. Additionally, some teachers are set in their ways. Such barriers could maybe be removed by taking baby steps toward this process.
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ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when a teacher goes around observing other teachers and learn from what they are doing and how they are doing it. When I was first teaching and allowed the opportunity to observe other teachers in their classrooms, I remember getting strategies for classroom management and how to engage students. It is so important to learn from others. None of us are great at everything or have all the ideas. Collaboration is key. If teachers are allowed to observe one another on a regular basis, it will improve everyone in the school and create a greater sense of community within the school.
ReplyDeleteI think some teachers are resistant to this idea because they either don't want to collaborate and share their ideas, or they feel threatened by it. They may be worried about being critiqued. These barriers could be removed by trying it and working together to build trust and be able to encourage one another to make individuals feel valued and appreciated and share in celebrating the great things that are happening in our school!
An instructional round is the opportunity to observe the staff in your building doing what they do so you that you can find ways to improve what you do. These are required in our building, and I love them! They help us connect as a staff, and find wording and projects that we can carry over into different classrooms. Some teachers are against it because they think it will be a waste of time, but once they get into another classroom, and really open up to the new experience, they see how beneficial it truly is. Our staff helps each other out by covering during our Planning periods sometimes if a teacher really wants to see a fellow teacher during a time when they would normally be teaching. This helps brings us closer together as well.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am constantly learning from my fellow teachers. Just the other day I observed an interaction between one of our teachers with a student that is usually quite difficult. He was totally disrespectful and out of line. However, instead of getting upset right away or lecturing him, she pulled him aside to ask how his day was going. Afterwards, she addressed the behavior, but she put him and his well being first. Something so simple as to pause to check on the student before discussing the behavior was game changing. I am totally using this!
As a former art teacher, I was the only art teacher in the building but not the only elementary art teacher in the district. I believe it is important to meet and share what you are doing in your classroom with your colleagues--what is working and not working. I learned new ideas from other regular ed teachers as well. I appreciated new graduates with new ideas and being able to try something different or more relevant to current times. Unfortunately, we were not always given time during the school day to do this, but we would meet on our own time after school or on a Saturday to catch up and collaborate.
ReplyDeleteI witnessed a rough school year with my adoptive daughter in kindergarten with a teacher who was on her last year of teaching before retirement. She was an old school teacher with teaching methods that did not evolve with the times. If you didn't fit into her molds of traditional teaching, you were going to struggle and that's what happened to my daughter. She hated school and cried and didn't want to go. She has a trauma background and this teacher yelled when kids did not listen. My daughter's response is to shut down when people yell. She also is a sensory seeker and needs to move constantly. She needs alternative seating or something to stimulate her or breaks. Her needs were not met. The teacher told me if she didn't do math and reading every day of summer she would not be ready for first grade. I did nothing with her because at that point, any mention of school brought tears and kindergarten of all years should be a year of fun. I expected going into first grade I would hear about how behind she is and she needed services. We showed up to conferences and she was meeting expectations of a first grader and she loved going to school. The difference? A young teacher with enough experience to have good classroom management but also recognize different learn styles. I feel like I had a new daughter and I wish teachers who never change the way they teach would be open to new ideas and move outside their comfort zone.
An instructional round is a time to observe other teachers in your building. It is a time for you to learn something new. Whether it be something from the curriculum, a classroom structure, utilizing a new piece of technology, or a skill like engagement or patience. We are currently trying to implement this at our building. It is called "Learning Walks" and there is a list of teachers and times that they welcome you to come observe something that they feel they are teaching well. It is a great time to see what other grades are doing and taking notes on things that are working. It keeps education fresh with constant ideas being shared and showed.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the barrier surrounding instructional rounds is that educators can often feel shy about their classrooms. For myself, I know that if kids walk in I am fine, but there is something about other adults coming in that makes me feel more nervous. A way to break down some of the barriers would be to have the person observing write a small note only noting positive things that they saw. It would give confidence to the person being observed. Another obstacle is scheduling. It would be great to be able to take a few hours each semester by having a substitute in your room and have that dedicated time towards seeing colleagues teach.
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when teachers have the opportunity to observe fellow colleagues in their classroom to learn new teaching strategies or get ideas for their own classrooms and teaching opportunities.
The school I am teaching at does not do instructional rounds; however, I think this is a great idea and something that could really benefit both teachers and students. Sometimes as teachers we get stuck in a rut and this would help to inspire and create new learning opportunities for our students. Not only for lessons, but to ignite a spark in oneself - to inspire. to movitivate. to spread a positivity.
I am constantly brainstorming and running ideas by my fellow colleagues. I teach in a small rural town where we only have one class per grade so we don't have lead teachers or team planning days. Even though we don't have teams, we rely on each other for ideas on how to make a lesson better or advice on different things throughout the day.
Some teachers might resist instructional rounds because they do not like to be "watched" when teaching - they may feel like we are judging them or scrutinizing the way teach. To break these barriers, teachers need to feel comfortable and know that they are likely inspiring another teacher to implement something new in their classroom.
Instructional rounds are kind of like friendly classroom visits where teachers get to learn from each other. It can be very beneficial because afterwards, everyone talks about what they saw, what worked well, and how we can grow together. Just the other day, I went into the kindergarten room to talk with the teacher. During my time there, the class was doing centers and I noticed she used visual timers to help her students move between activities independently. It was a simple tool, but it made a big difference in helping her class transition calmly. Instructional rounds could help us see things our coworkers are doing and give us fresh ideas to try in our own classrooms. Sometimes we get too focused on our own room that we forget we have help right next door. Watching someone else teach can give new strategies for classroom routines, managing behavior, or engaging our students in play based learning.I think some teachers might feel nervous or self conscious about others coming into their room. Others might worry that it's just another thing added to their already full plate. I think it important to make sure everyone knows this isn’t about evaluation, it is about learning and sharing ideas with each other.
ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are a great way for teachers to observe and learn from each other. I actually learned a lot from the SPED teachers in my new district this year. This school year, I moved to a new district and started out as the internal sub. Not long into the year, there was a need for a long-term sub in the DCD room, and I stepped in. I was a little nervous because, even though I have taught at an ALC for a long time and have experience working with students on IEPs, I had never been a full-time SPED teacher before.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, the principal reassured me that I would have a strong support team to help with lesson planning and IEP goals, and they really came through. The group I have worked with has been awesome, and I have learned so much from them. I have seen how subjects like economics can be taught in a more functional, hands-on way. One example is when I took students down to the school concession stand, where they got to take turns ordering and acting as the cashier. In English and Math, we have been reading recipes and creating shopping lists, which has been a great way to build real-world skills.
I believe that every teacher can benefit from instructional rounds. The staff I work with are incredibly creative and talented, and they have so many ideas and strategies that are worth sharing. Even if you are observing a different content area, there is still something valuable to take away. Whether it's a teaching strategy, a relationship-building tactic, or a new classroom management approach, there’s always something to learn.
I think some teachers may resist the idea of instructional rounds because they feel confident in what they already do. They might believe their current methods work best for them and their students. One way to break down that barrier is to present it as a leadership opportunity, position them as the veteran teachers that newer staff can learn from. When people feel valued and respected, they are more likely to open up. Teaching can be isolating at times, and it’s easy to get stuck in your ways. Instructional rounds give us a chance to grow, collaborate, and get inspired by each other.
An instructional round is teachers getting to learn from each other by visiting classrooms and getting time to spend collaborating. The last time I learned something from a teacher in my building was a new way (to me) to review math and have rewards for students. It was an activity that I will implement in the future. I do need to observe it as I found out about it on a bus ride home from coaching a basketball game. This just shows that getting time to work together can happen anywhere and be very beneficial! I think instructional rounds would be great because we all have ideas to share and tips to give, but it is hard to fully understand or see them in action without observation. Having instructional rounds would bring it full circle and help eliminate uncertainty for teachers wanting to try an activity they heard about. Actually getting to see it in action will help them be more confident in trying it out! Some teachers may resist this process for many reasons. Sometimes, they may not be confident in themselves or may feel judged. Other times they may not want to have others observe because maybe they don’t actually spend a lot of time being engaged with their students, which would be unfortunate. Some of these barriers could be hard to remove. For those that are reluctant to have others observe them due to confidence, maybe having a teacher they are close with observe them a few times first would help build their confidence.
ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are a professional learning practice where teachers observe their colleagues in action to learn from different teaching styles and strategies. In our school, this includes visiting other teachers' classrooms for about 10 minutes, 4 times a year, followed by a “walk and talk” with an administrator. The purpose is not to evaluate but to gain insight, gather fresh ideas, and reflect on one’s own teaching. Instructional rounds create a collaborative culture where educators can see what is working in other classrooms and consider how those approaches might be adapted to improve student learning.
ReplyDeleteI recently was able to observe how a colleague used nonverbal cues and proximity to redirect student behavior without interrupting instruction. While I know that strategy, it was a great reminder of the power of subtle strategies and really cool to see how well it worked on this challenging student.
Some teachers may resist the process because it takes away from their planning time or involves observing content that doesn’t directly apply to what they teach. These barriers can be addressed by creating focused observation questions, such as “How is student engagement maintained?” or “What strategies are used for checking understanding?” These kinds of questions help teachers see beyond content differences and recognize universally effective techniques.
Instructional rounds are when teachers get to visit and observe other teachers. When I worked in my previous district this is something we could do, even for a couple of hours at another school. It’s an amazing way to see how others run their classrooms. You get to see the language other teachers use to engage students, get their attention, guide them. It’s fun to see new things and keeps ideas fresh. I think there are many teachers who wouldn’t want a peer watching them and that could be because they are lazy and not good teachers or they are just worried about someone judging them. I am all for having other teachers come to my class and I wish I had the polo now where I am at to visit other classes.
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is a process where teachers observe one another’s classrooms in a structured, non-evaluative way to reflect on teaching practices and student learning. The goal is to learn from one another, identify effective strategies, and foster a culture of continuous improvement—not to critique or judge. I recently observed a science teacher who used student-led labs and reflection journals. Watching her class helped me rethink how I structure my kitchen labs. I now incorporate more student voice and encourage them to reflect on their teamwork and time management in writing. Some teachers may resist due to Fear of being judged or exposed, Feeling too busy or overwhelmed, Not understanding the purpose of rounds. Lack of trust or previous negative experiences. They also may be lacking confidence in their own routines and classroom management. My school requires instructional rounds which we call observation opportunities quarterly. These can promote Promote collaboration and reduce teacher isolation
Highlight best practices and allow for shared strategies, Support a growth mindset by making learning visible, and Create opportunities to focus on school-wide goals, like engagement or differentiation. It can also help build relationships among staff members.
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when teachers can observe and learn from each other in a teaching environment. The last time I learned something from a teacher in my building was actually from my teacher husband. It happened just a few weeks ago as the school year was wrapping up. He and I are both math teachers and nerd out on data. Our students had taken both the NWEA and State Tests. We were having a random conversation about different ways to use the data and how to share those scores/information with our students. He gave me a great idea that I am going to steal from him next year about his one on one meetings he has with each student. I always share scores, but it is so quick and not as meaningful as what he does. So I am going to steal his one on one meetings for next year.
I think instructional rounds can improve teaching and learning at our school big time - especially in the middle and high school. It seems that the older the students get - the more teacher just stick to themselves and do their own things. Observing other teachers and their ideas could spark other great ideas.
I think some teachers resist the process because it can be intimidating having another professional in your room. It can be hard to feel 'judged' for what is going on in your classroom. Also, like Mr. Brewer said - no one truly likes constructive criticism. I think the mindset of the teachers in the school would really have to change. It would need to come from leadership with a strong understanding that observations are for the kids! Being able to observe others and collaborate with others would help us to be better teachers which would be better for our students. The biggest way to remove the barrier is to instill that it isn't about us - it's about the kids and our students!
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are where teachers learn from one another by observing each other in the classroom and then discussing what they saw. We try to do some of it at our school, but do to our small size, we mainly do newer teachers and it seems like elementary does it more often than other staff. I am fortunate that I have worked with most of the staff for a while and we are comfortable sharing lessons and ideas especially when we can connect lessons between different disciplines. For example both the English teacher and I require the students to read a history book of their choice, and they can use the same book for both classes, this increased participation.
The only downsides I can see are if they are not confident in their teaching or classroom management, or if they are reluctant for some reason to share their lesson plans. I always welcome the time spent talking with my colleagues, you never know when together you come up with something that will help your students.
ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are opportunities for teachers to observe their colleagues in the classroom setting. They share ideas and collaborate with each other to create meaningful opportunities for students.
I learn something new everyday from my teaching partners. I am blessed to go into the classroom and provide instructional assistance to all the students in the classroom setting as the Title 1 teacher in a Schoolwide Title program. One example of this daily learning is when my teaching partner introduced her students to the butterfly method for comparing fractions. This was a wonderful trick that made comparing fractions a breeze!
Instructional rounds allow teachers to collaborate to share effective learning strategies to engage students and ensure mastery of skills. This is essential for helping students become successful, independent learners.
I believe that teachers resist because they are insecure in their teaching. They don’t want others to judge their lessons. Also, they may be set in a particular way of presenting information. Change is hard for some people.
The best way to eliminate uncertainty is to create a teaching environment where students and staff are encouraged to take risks. In addition, teachers should feel comfortable pouring over student data to ensure that they are providing students with the most effective tools possible to master skills..
An instructional round is a way for teachers to learn from each other. I have learned a lot from my 2nd grade team members. Getting to watch my next door teacher during her writing lessons really helped me with my lessons. She helped me become a better teacher by using the tips and tricks she had learned throughout her years of teaching.
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I think teachers resist this because it is uncomfortable to have our teaching methods judged, and to be told there are other techniques that might be more effective.
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ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are when colleagues learn from each other. A couple of years ago we did something called a Pineapple board and teachers were able to sign up to go watch other teachers during instruction time. Our classes were covered by anyone who had a break at the moment that was willing. I was able to watch a guided reading group in 1st grade and some other grades do a morning meeting. I was able to implement certain takeaways from the 1st grade reading lesson and we now implement a morning meeting in Kindergarten.
Schools are full of people with a lot of great ideas! If you are lucky enough to work at a school with helpful people, you are one lucky duck! I am very lucky to work with amazing colleagues. I have see some teachers who are not willing to share their expertise or their resources. I feel like a team who shares well together are in it for the children and become strong teams. As for trying to change and remove barriers between certain colleagues, I say just kill them with kindness!!
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteWe did this at one school I was at. I got to observe a friend of mine and there were 17 adults in the room. She was introducing a new math technique and she grouped the students and gave them a problem to try to work through. It was hard because it was new and some students wanted to give up early. But this teacher was fabulous with wait time. After what felt like an eternity, one group excitedly announced they had figured it out. The greatest part was that she had randomly selected the groups and all the SPED kids ended up in one group. They figured it out. After they explained their method, the entire class cheered for them. I learned so much from her that day.
There were teachers in the building that wanted no part of having others observe them. I think they feared being judged. My principal didn't force them. She just kept fostering a safe environment in our school and most eventually came around.
Instructional rounds are when teachers get to learn from each other, gather new ideas and learn how to incorporate them into our own classrooms. Teachers get to share and collaborate. I would love to be able to incoporate this at our school. I think we could benefit greatly from getting to see what works in others' classrooms and ask questions about how to implement strategies.
ReplyDeleteI think some teachers would resis this process because of the fear of being judged or questioned. We are human and don't like to feel like we are failing or not doing a good job. I think in order to remove these barriers, the grounds would have to be established ahead of time that this is not a place to judge. If teachers really didn't want to participate, they shouldn't be forced but maybe by placing an focus on collaboration and building each other up, this fear could disappear.
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when educators observe and learn from other educators. Usually, educators visit the classrooms of other educators and watch specific skills, routine, or process being taught, but other times you are observing classroom management skills.
The last time I was involved in an instructional round was 2 school years ago. I had the opportunity to enter a 1st grade classroom to observe how a procedure was being taught and to see what the students were able to do on their own so that we could continue the procedure and practice in 2nd grade. It was helpful as the students entered 2nd grade as they did not have to relearn a new procedure or skill, but instead, pick up from where they left off. Similarly, it was nice for the 2nd grade teachers as well, knowing we did not have to devote too much time to teaching the procedure or skill. This helps the students get to their learning more efficiently, as well as educators and their teaching.
I believe some teachers resist the process because they either don't want to be watched for fear of judgement or the observing teacher may feel they already know everything and they aren't going to implement the procedure anyway. The way to "fix" these feelings is to build a safe and collaborative culture in the school where cliques and favorites do not exist, but instead, promotes trust, respect and support of all people.
Although I am not an educator (school nurse here) I am familiar with the idea of instructional rounds - learning from other teachers by observing in their classrooms. The teachers in my school and district are lucky because they do get these opportunities. Once or twice a year teachers in my building get to sign up for things they want to see in other classrooms/grade levels (morning meetings, math instruction, small groups, etc), and they also get the opportunity to host something they feel really good about. Beyond that, our instructional coach will take individuals or small groups of teachers to other buildings, both inside and outside of our district to observe the great things happening there! I have heard from teachers that it is really eye opening to see how others are doing things and ways other buildings operate, as they end up bringing fresh ideas back with them. Teaching does seem to be a solitary thing at times, when you are "alone" in your classroom, and I am sure some people get stuck in their own way of doing things. Personally, I love to observe 2 of my very talented special education teachers. I have learned so much from them in they way they talk to, interact and challenge the students they work with.
ReplyDeleteThink Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is learning from other teachers by observing their classroom. Everyone has a different way of teaching and doing things within the classroom. Just because somebody does something differently, doesn't mean it's wrong. Teacher's are required to teach academic subjects, but can be done in different ways. I think this is something people avoid doing in fear of being judged by coworkers. We are creatures of habit and going outside of our comfort zone is sometimes hard and getting over that stigma of feeing judged or made fun of for doing something we can all learn from one another. Something I picked up on from observing a colleague was a simple question of do you have any worries or concerns on your mind and that question has led to many conversations that have been tough, but good for students to be able to talk through.
What is an instructional round?
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when you get to leave your classroom and observe in order to learn from other teachers in their classrooms.
Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building.
I can't put my finger on the last specific time, but I eat lunch with 5-8 other teacher everyday and we talk about what we do in our classrooms. Not all the time, but a lot of the time we talk about lessons we taught, or how we handled a situation, or ask for advice on what to do in certain situations. The last time I watch another teacher teach was probably 8 years ago when I was a student teacher.
How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school?
I believe instructional round could improve teaching and learning at my school by growing each of us as educators. Seeing the way other teachers run their classroom could spark new ideas for us to try in our own classroom, or possibly notice we do thing similar and maybe that routine needs a change. There are so many benefits from learning from other teachers in all ways.
Why may some teachers resist this process?
Some teachers may see it more as an evaluation than just simply gathering ideas from what they do. I know when someone is watching me teach, I want to be perfect. That isn't how life is though. Some teachers like to keep to themselves and feel pressured when others are watching them.
How could such barriers be removed?
I think if clear expectations and boundaries are set ahead of time, that would help teacher feel more comfortable with others coming in and learning from them. I also believe that once it became a normal thing, teachers wouldn't see it as a bad and dark task, it would become part of routine. It could start out with the teachers that are willing to participate, then that would probably grow and grow until everyone is doing it.
Instructional rounds is when you are able to observe other classrooms to help you learn from others. These rounds could give teachers in our schools ideas for ways to help engage students with different teaching tactics. Some teachers may resist this process because they have a limited ability to change or look outside the box. Some may see it has an evaluation instead of the true intention. Barriers could be removed by starting with a very simple process and encourage teachers to try this method but do not make it a requirement.
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ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are when teachers go and observe other teachers or colleagues to get ideas and strategies for their own classroom. When I went and observed another teacher in my same (subject) area it was refreshing! It was nice to see how that teacher handled certain situations that I can relate to in my alternative education department.
Instructional rounds can improve teaching and the structure of schools because of how much teachers can collaborate and get new ideas for their own classrooms. It helps spread awareness of how other teachers teach in the classroom. Perhaps it can help with teacher confidence!
Some teachers might resist because they like to stick to their own routines and procedures that they do. Perhaps it works for them and they do not want to change a thing. Or they simply do not want to be observed by others. I would encourage teachers to try and observe each other and see how they like it! Get some feedback!
Instructional rounds is learning from other teachers and observing how they conduct their classrooms.
ReplyDeleteI work with a teacher that uses gallery walks. I like this lesson strategy and I am constantly asking him how I could also use it. He gives me ideas for my own content area and I try to adapt his ideas in order to use gallery walks in my classroom as well. He has been a great inspiration for me and he helps me out a lot.
Think Opportunity, Not Obligation: What is an instructional round? Describe the last time you learned something from a teacher in your building. How could instructional rounds improve teaching and learning at your school? Why may some teachers resist this process? How could such barriers be removed?
ReplyDeleteIn my neck of the woods, an instructional round would be a peer observation. It is when a teacher observes another teacher teach a class with the intent to learn from the other and to give feedback to the teach on what was observed. It is not meant to be punitive or something that the observed teacher is supposed to fear. It is to take the best practices from one teacher and pass that knowledge on to the other teacher. I observe one teacher a year. This year I had two teachers observe me. Schools can improve by doing this because the observer gets to notice the procedures and practices in real time. You can have a built in cheerleader. If you have a class that is more challenging, you could seek advice from someone who is observing you. You could specifically ask the observer to notice the things that you would like to change so that the person pays better attention to it since it is on your radar. A teacher who is insecure about her teaching skills may resist this idea because it can be intimidating. No one EVER know how students will behave on any given day. You could have the best planned lesson and intentions and a student could vomit 2-3 feet from you because you are scurrying to get the trash can to him in time. (Ugh!) You never know. I think in order to mitigate those feelings of unworthiness, teachers have to be reminded that it is a great bonding experience when you invite a colleague to observe you, that this is only being used to share ideas and not to judge or criticize. Trust needs to be built within the teachers to make this effective.
An instructional round is when teachers are allowed to observe other teachers teach. I learn from teachers in my building quite often. We have a common team time/planning time. We do necessarily do instructional rounds, but we do collaborate. I am able to collaborate with the two other 7th grade science teachers in my building. We do that 2 times a week in our PLCs. I collaborate with my team members three times a week. We allow the free exchange of ideas. I can say I learn from my fellow teachers. The reason why some teachers might resist instructional rounds is because they might feel their methods work. Why change them? Another big reason for teachers to resist instruction rounds might be due to the fact time is a factor. When are they going to find time? Instructional rounds are something added to the ever-growing list of demands. Teachers may also feel their methods are getting judged. To remove the barriers time needs to be awarded. The intent and goal needs to be communicated. Schools need to start small. If it is done deliberately it would be a useful tool.
ReplyDeleteInstructional rounds are when teachers are given the opportunity to visit other classrooms and see how things are done and see new ideas in action. This year I was able to do an observation and found that some of the things that I do are the same, but I found a new way to conduct a review for tests similar to Wheel of Fortune in picking students to answer review questions. Something so simple, but something that I never thought of because I was used to doing things my way. I see instructional rounds as a way to get new information/ideas from the younger teachers and open up the lines of communication with them. I feel some teachers see instructional rounds as an intrusion into their room and may feel like they are being watched. I am not sure how to remove the barrier, other than teachers being open to change and not so protective of the way their room is run and the teaching methods used. I found it was not so bad and look forward to more this upcoming year.
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when teachers are able to visit other classrooms and observe other teaching styles/activities. I conducted instructional rounds at another high school within our district. I was able to observe three different teachers this afternoon and reflection afterwards with our instructional coach. One of my favorite things to observe is opening activities to fit off the lesson. I'm always looking for ideas on how to start class without just jumping into content. Instructional rounds can improve teaching by just showing teachers other activities and styles of teaching. It offers fresh perspective and shows how different activities can be done within the classroom. This can help teachers who are stuff and want to implement more fun into their classroom. There are some teachers who resist instructional rounds because they don't want to try new things because they are "comfortable" with their activities/content. They don't want to put the work into creating something new. Many of these barriers can be removed through collaboration. Meet with other teachers who teach the same classes and share resources. We are all in this together and we all want our students to succeed. We are not reinventing the wheel. Take the resources that are out there and adjust them to your liking and what fits your class the best. You do not have to start from nothing. Technology has given us so many tools to use, so we should use them!
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is when teachers have discussions with other teachers or observe other teachers teaching to learn new activities or instructional methods to use in their classrooms. The last time I learned something from a teacher in my building was when I was having difficulty with student engagement and I needed some new activities. She showed me a couple of things that she uses, and I was able to take them and adapt them for my classroom. My students loved them, and these new activities increased student engagement. Instructional rounds could improve teaching and learning at my school by helping teachers to learn new activities or instructional methods to try with their students. Some teachers may resist this process because they don’t feel they have time to go and observe other teachers during their day, and they don’t want to give up their planning period to do this. This barrier could be removed by scheduling several instructional rounds on the same day and bringing in a substitute teacher to cover so teachers could go and observe without giving up their planning period.
ReplyDeleteAn instructional round is a way for teachers to learn from other teachers by observing what they are doing in their classrooms. My school district did implement instructional rounds or iRounds as they called them a few years ago. I can't say that they have been removed but I do not think they are happening as often as they were at the beginning. Here are some barriers that we encountered. First and probably the biggest barrier was that teachers did not want to be observed by colleagues. I think they did not like the added pressure of "preforming" for others (many times a group of other teachers and sometimes administrators or instructional coaches). Although it was not meant to be that way, I think many teachers still felt that pressure. Second, they were worried that it was evaluative. The presence of administrators caused the feeling and even though teachers were told it was not evaluative it was still not received well. Another barrier was time on the part of the teacher who was observing. Many times you had to complete an iRound during your planning time which caused teachers to shy away from the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteA way that the instructional rounds might have a better chance is if the administrator covered the class of the teacher that was going to be observing. That way, teachers don't miss plan time and the administrator is taken out of the evaluative position. It would feel less formal and more of a learning opportunity.
Another idea is to put teachers into situations where they are teaching in the same room as one another. This is when I have learned the most from my colleagues. In my position I travel to many other rooms throughout the day and teach small group lessons at the same time that the teacher is teaching a small group of her own. We see and hear each other teach day in and day out and are able to collaborate and "steal" ideas from each other. It makes such a difference for new teachers as well.
Instructional rounds provide teachers with the opportunity to experience their peers firsthand. This type of experience has a variety of purposes from refreshing your style of teaching, gaining insight into the wonderful things your peers are doing in the classroom, or just gaining experience from others' style of class management, differentiation, and relationship building strategies.
ReplyDeleteI participated in instruction rounds this past year as part of a personal growth plan of action. I had the opportunity to shadow two wonderful teachers in our school, one in my content area, and another in the English department. From a fellow history teacher, I witnessed fun relationship-building rapport and took away a nice idea for hexagonal learning. From the English teacher, I reaffirmed the value of holding students accountable and chasing what Hamish calls their 100.
Instructional rounds can offer opportunities for mentorship to new teachers. I think this would much more valuable than spending hours working on SLO's. While data is important, we learn most by doing and experiencing. I learned more by taking over a classroom than I did in all my years of undergrad and grad school. Why wouldn't this be the same for new teachers. Also, it's a way for more seasoned teachers to refresh their ideas and passion for teaching.
I believe some teachers are set in their ways, or they feel that they are too busy with their own classroom and planning to spend time in another teacher's classroom. Maybe they feel they are being called to task on shortcomings in their teaching or being constantly compared to whichever teacher happens to catch admin's attention. Finally, I agree with Hamish that many people are uncomfortable with constructive criticism regardless of the intent. How do we remove these barriers? Let teachers, new and veteran, know it's ok to experiment, to share, and to grow. Let them know it is ok if not everything works as long as we learn from our mistakes and keep the student's best interests in mind. We encourage our teachers to never stop learning to and to reach out for help when they need it without suffering from anxiety to have to the best.
Instructional round is like networking with other teachers, but instead of just talking and having a meeting you get to actually go into their class to see how they do things. While in their room, you try to visualize how you could incorporate things they do well into your own teaching style/classroom. I've done this a few times at my old school, and it was such a great way to see firsthand what other great teachers do and a great way to start the communication process with other teachers you would never had the chance to talk with. The last time I learned something from a teacher was when I was doing an instructional round. The teacher was very big into Kagan, and had the students all working together, moving around the room and the students were all laughing and learning at the same time. I instantly talked with that teacher at the end of the day and together we came up with ways that I could recreate that strategy into my class. Instructional rounds are one of the easiest ways for teachers to work together to come up with new and exciting lessons/strategies. But, some teachers fear this because they feel like they are going to be judged and talked about what they do in their room. They might completely change how they teach when someone is in their room observing, because they don't want to be judged. In my school, we had to observe at least 1 teacher per quarter. We didn't need to write about what we saw, we just had to talk with that teacher at some point and talk about their lesson. So even if you didn't want to be part of the instructional rounds, it was required. I think our principal made people feel better about doing these round because we only talked to the other teacher and nobody else. We weren't writing a paper, we weren't talking with the principal about what we saw. It was kept between the teacher and the observer. Nobody is there to judge, just to learn.
ReplyDeleteInstructional Round is an excellent way for teachers to learn from others. I remember the first year we were doing Love and Logic as our class disciple. I was struggling in the 5th grade class. I went into a 1st grade class to ask Mr. R for advice. He was in the middle of a lesson so I just observed. We spoke at lunch then when his kids went to the library, he came into my classroom and spent the next 30 minutes working magic. My kids responded to everything he said and did. I thought the kids were too old and he had them eating out of his hand in less than 3 minutes. The rest of the year was easy and I was so thankful Mr. R helped me that day. Total training was only one hour - me watching for 30 minutes in his class, then 30 minutes in mine. Awesome years.
ReplyDeleteInstructional Rounds are taking the time to look into other teachers classrooms for ideas and communicating with other teachers to learn how they do things. You are then able to take away some ideas to implement in your own classroom. It is set up with co-workers to be a positive time to learn not a judgemental interaction.
ReplyDeleteThe last thing I learned from a teacher was how to communicate with my student who has autism and is nonverball. She taught me that instead of trying to get him to label items or answer the question, what is this? I need to say, "I see ___" and he can then fill in the phrase or as time goes on he will repeat me and say "I see +what he is labeling. This worked amazingly not only for labeling but for identifying colors, shapes , letters and numbers. We knew he had the knowledge but couldn't get him to say it when we asked it as a question.
One way that I could see instructional rounds improving learning and teaching at my school is to see how the SPED teacher for kindergarten students works with the most significant autism students. What is important to her, do they need to be able to attend to circle time? Is work at the table more important? How does she do their work with them?
The other way that I can see it being beneficial is if I take the time to visit the junior kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms and communicate with those teachers to learn what is most important to them for my students in the first quarter of kindergarten. What can I learn that I didn't already know?
I will make this a goal for this school year, as last year was my first year at this school so I will know teachers better now.
Some teachers can resist instructional rounds because it takes time out of their day and might take extra time at the end of the day. Teachers might also feel uncomfortable having you observe their classroom (first year teachers).
To make teachers more comfortable with instructional rounds and remove the barriers I will ask teachers that I have already communicated with and kindergarten teachers that have been teaching for a few years so they feel comfortable with their curriculum and processes. In order to do instructional rounds with the kindergarten SPED teacher I will need to wait until 2nd semester as this year will be her first year at our school.
An instructional round is when a teacher has the opportunity to watch other teachers' practices through classroom visits and diffferent teacher interactions. This is a great way to improve our teaching skills by sharing ideas with each other and working together as a team to problem solve. As a music teacher we get to meet together as a team only a few times a year. We do share ideas with each other which I love. It is important to bounce ideas back and forth of what works, maybe what doesn't work. Everyone can learn and grow from observing other educators. This year, I had the privilege to work with a younger teacher. I saw they were struggling with their discipline. I could relate since I had also struggled with this when I began teaching. It was nice to show him different techniques that proved to be useful to him. He was also able to teach me different new things on the computer that this old bird would never have learned otherwise. Everyone can grow and learn from watching others.
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