Title : Using Observational Data to Provide Performance Feedback to Teachers: A High School Case Study
Journal : Preventing School Failure
Author : Geoff Colvin, K. Brigid Flannery, George Sugai, and James Monegan
Year : 2009
Volume : 53
Number : 2
Page : 95-104
Overview:
Educators face problem in improving both academic achievement and social behaviors of students. Thus this research has been carried out in order to assist educators in finding ways to help in student management improvement, by improving educators’ instructional practices. One useful strategy is to conduct classroom observations and provide performance feedback. This strategy is to focus on classroom instructional settings, instructional practice and classroom student behavior.
Some literature reviews has been done prior to this research. For instance, under some government acts, attention was being focused on identifying the most effective ways in increasing students’ academic achievements. Previous studies analysis has shown that school achievement improvement is always associated with the development of supportive infrastructure and the efficiency of classroom instructional practices. The key to develop efficient instructional practices is to provide teachers with performance feedback.
This research is being conducted by using classroom observation method to assess the relation between the classroom level of engagement and students’ social behaviors and the instructional practices used by their teacher, meanwhile giving performance feedback on effective instructional practices to improve the class engagement and their social behaviors. The participant of this research is a male teacher who is having problem in maintaining attention of his students and reducing side talk during his science class. He claims that he has tried all methods but none of the method seems to work on this particular class.
An observation of a 45 minutes block period on that particular ninth-grade science class after lunch has been conducted. A few steps of classroom observation instrument have been developed which includes identifying research-based effective instructional strategies, relating students’ engagement in instructional practices, relating teacher practices and students behavior, adjusting observation procedures, documenting and providing clear feedback to teacher. Data has been gathered in 3 variables, which are the setting of the class period, teacher’s behavior and class engagement. General information are being collected using a cover sheet, where a reference chart identifying the codes of the context of the teaching, teacher’s action and class behavior is built and all the coded options are being well defined. A recording form is being used to record the classroom observation for each of the ten intervals during 1 visit. Altogether 3 classroom visits has been done. 4 sets of 10 intervals observation have been conducted during each visit.
2 observers have been arranged to conduct observation in three separate classroom visits to field-test the observation instrument. They both discuss about the observation items, complete their observation and then meet up for discussion on observation result. By making comparison in and between these observation sessions, the consistencies, reliability, variability, and spread can be assessed. As for this research, the reliability coefficient of 93 % has been achieved through all the observations done.
After each round of observation, a review of the observation is being done by the teacher and observers to analyze the data collected and develop an action plan to modify instructional practices. The teacher is then continued on with the cycle of action research by implying action plan strategies which are developed from the first round of observation, into the process of teaching. Second round of observation is done by researchers, feedback session is being conducted together with the teacher and new summary statements are made based on the first and second observations done. The result shows that the students’ engagement in class has increased whereas off-task behavior has decreased. The action plan is then being modified again to get better improvement in classroom teaching and learning process. The third round of observation is being conducted. Thereafter, data examination and discussions have been done during the third feedback session. Analysis of data has shown that the overall class engagement, teacher behaviors and setting variables have been improved throughout the process of action research. Besides, students’ problem social behavior has been decreased and teacher’s instructional practices have been improved to be more efficient as well. Therefore, no further observation is being scheduled. Instead, the teacher has been suggested to carry on with weekly review on the effort done on this action research to keep continuous classroom improvement.
A 2nd piece to share…Another 1 more pending.
Journal : Preventing School Failure
Author : Geoff Colvin, K. Brigid Flannery, George Sugai, and James Monegan
Year : 2009
Volume : 53
Number : 2
Page : 95-104
Overview:
Educators face problem in improving both academic achievement and social behaviors of students. Thus this research has been carried out in order to assist educators in finding ways to help in student management improvement, by improving educators’ instructional practices. One useful strategy is to conduct classroom observations and provide performance feedback. This strategy is to focus on classroom instructional settings, instructional practice and classroom student behavior.
Some literature reviews has been done prior to this research. For instance, under some government acts, attention was being focused on identifying the most effective ways in increasing students’ academic achievements. Previous studies analysis has shown that school achievement improvement is always associated with the development of supportive infrastructure and the efficiency of classroom instructional practices. The key to develop efficient instructional practices is to provide teachers with performance feedback.
This research is being conducted by using classroom observation method to assess the relation between the classroom level of engagement and students’ social behaviors and the instructional practices used by their teacher, meanwhile giving performance feedback on effective instructional practices to improve the class engagement and their social behaviors. The participant of this research is a male teacher who is having problem in maintaining attention of his students and reducing side talk during his science class. He claims that he has tried all methods but none of the method seems to work on this particular class.
An observation of a 45 minutes block period on that particular ninth-grade science class after lunch has been conducted. A few steps of classroom observation instrument have been developed which includes identifying research-based effective instructional strategies, relating students’ engagement in instructional practices, relating teacher practices and students behavior, adjusting observation procedures, documenting and providing clear feedback to teacher. Data has been gathered in 3 variables, which are the setting of the class period, teacher’s behavior and class engagement. General information are being collected using a cover sheet, where a reference chart identifying the codes of the context of the teaching, teacher’s action and class behavior is built and all the coded options are being well defined. A recording form is being used to record the classroom observation for each of the ten intervals during 1 visit. Altogether 3 classroom visits has been done. 4 sets of 10 intervals observation have been conducted during each visit.
2 observers have been arranged to conduct observation in three separate classroom visits to field-test the observation instrument. They both discuss about the observation items, complete their observation and then meet up for discussion on observation result. By making comparison in and between these observation sessions, the consistencies, reliability, variability, and spread can be assessed. As for this research, the reliability coefficient of 93 % has been achieved through all the observations done.
After each round of observation, a review of the observation is being done by the teacher and observers to analyze the data collected and develop an action plan to modify instructional practices. The teacher is then continued on with the cycle of action research by implying action plan strategies which are developed from the first round of observation, into the process of teaching. Second round of observation is done by researchers, feedback session is being conducted together with the teacher and new summary statements are made based on the first and second observations done. The result shows that the students’ engagement in class has increased whereas off-task behavior has decreased. The action plan is then being modified again to get better improvement in classroom teaching and learning process. The third round of observation is being conducted. Thereafter, data examination and discussions have been done during the third feedback session. Analysis of data has shown that the overall class engagement, teacher behaviors and setting variables have been improved throughout the process of action research. Besides, students’ problem social behavior has been decreased and teacher’s instructional practices have been improved to be more efficient as well. Therefore, no further observation is being scheduled. Instead, the teacher has been suggested to carry on with weekly review on the effort done on this action research to keep continuous classroom improvement.
A 2nd piece to share…Another 1 more pending.
The comparison on the similarities & differentiations on samples, setting, procedure & analysis data are to be followed.
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