Observing in-practice teachers while on placement is an important component of student learning during the placement element of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. However, knowing what to look for when observing and how to make sense of what one sees is a skill that demands much of student teachers (Johnston, 2020; Nuthall, 2007). Indeed, both the challenge and value of having student teachers observe experienced teachers lies in making the implicit knowledge and choices of those in practice explicit to those setting out.
To address this challenge for students on a secondary ITE programme in Religious Education (RE) at a Scottish university, the course leader (Scholes) coordinated a tutor-supported observation visit with a local teacher (Whyte), having established a connection via a national subject network (STARME, Online). The visit involved two students (including Lovett) observing three lessons back-to-back with the course leader and engaging in reflective dialogue. This saw the course leader explain elements of the lesson and address student questions to make the implicit explicit.
All involved considered the experience to be a valuable approach and have offered reflections below:
Lovett: For someone like me who had no experience being in a school after they left their own education, it was valuable to see the pace and make-up of a day in the classroom. There are certain things that can only be learned by being immersed in the classroom. It’s not the same as talking about it in university; there’s a whole “role” you need to take on. Seeing that being presented by the teacher and explored with my tutor was useful and it helped to quash the uncertainties of the unknowns of placement.
Whyte: Participating in this project allowed me to reflect on my own teaching practices. The experience highlights the significance of active observation, facilitated by mentor-initiated discussions, in bridging the theory-practice gap for student teachers. This approach transformed potentially passive observation into an active opportunity to help translate educational theory into effective classroom practice.
Scholes: Students were better able to connect content covered in the university to tangible examples and think through the implications of choices in their planning. The small numbers involved and collegial approach with the local teacher help make this possible, but with careful planning, this could be easily scaled up or supported by technology.
Ensure that the course staff have a good working relationship with the teacher(s).
Consider numbers and timings. Observing more than one lesson helps to see transitions and different groups of learners.
Ensure there is open and honest discussion and dialogue following the observation so that beginning teachers can ask questions that may seem ‘obvious’ to those already enmeshed in teaching.
Consider how technology (recordings or streaming) might support larger cohorts or more creative approaches.
Johnston, D. H. 2020. School Placement: Problematising Notions of the ‘Good’ Placement. In R. Shanks (Ed.) Teacher Preparation in Scotland. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Ltd: 111-123.
Nuthall, G. 2007. The Hidden Lives of Learners. Wellington, NZ: NZCER Press.
STARME, Online. Scottish Teachers Association of Religious and Moral Education. Online: https://starmeorg.wordpress.com/