Tuesday, January 27, 2015

What To Expect From Classroom Walkthroughs

By Janine Hughes


Different students can have their own preferred mode of learning. Some learn best while in groups while others can perform best on their own. Placing them all in one class can be a challenge to the teachers who have to select a certain mode of teaching at a time. This is one of the reasons why observation from the higher ups are done from time to time.

While practiced by many, this is not considered as a formal means of evaluation though. For one, the ability of classroom walkthroughs to improve the overall performance of a mentor remains debatable. Also, they are optional. The institution may or may not do it. Below are some factors that are looked into during these visits.

Classroom participation. During these visits by institution heads, they take note of the level of participation by the students. Active participation is a mark of understanding. It also means that students love to interact with the others. How the teacher manages to make his class interactive is a very good thing to note down.

Lesson plans prepared by teachers. The observers need not to take a peek at an actual written lesson plan. Judging from the delivery of the lesson, he can see the contents of the discussion and its arrangement. It will also give him an idea of the speed by which students are taught and whether or not it is effective.

Motivational practices. Setting the right mood for the class can matter a lot in the long run. This will determine whether or not the facilitator can retain the attention of the students. His personal level of energy and the methods he employes to encourage participation are important things to note down.

Comprehension level. Quizzes, oral recitation and all other means to gauge the level of comprehension by the students fall on this. There are times when written and oral exams are not as effective as practical activities. These techniques are all examined in this part.

Feedback mechanism. A teacher needs to be open to questions and should ask his students from time to time whether they have certain clarification. If there are, then he should be ready to address them. This fosters healthy interaction from both sides and participants will be more encouraged to ask if they know that their mentor is open to questions.

Professionalism. Of course, the overall bearing of the mentor matters. From his punctuality to his ability to handle the behavior of the class, his level of professionalism will be measured. This factor is important since participants are most likely to respect those mentors who show them a good example.

Walkthroughs may not be used for evaluation. But they are certainly useful when it comes to improving the overall quality of the lesson delivery. A good practice from someone may be recommended and used by the others to test if it works with another group.




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