Summary

         Classroom observations are essential to professional development. "The essential purpose of classroom observation is the collection of data that teachers can draw upon to critically analyze, learn about, reflect on, and improve their instructional practice” (Roberts & Pruitt, 2009).  Walkthroughs should be frequent, some short and other times lengthier, and are a great tool to gather information for professional development topics, one on one with teachers to discuss curriculum and instruction, and for formal teacher evaluations (DuFour, R., & DuFour, R., 2009, p.322). Using the data collected from walkthroughs, leadership can incorporate professional learning experiences that support instructional improvement. The basic structure of a walkthrough consists of one teacher teaching a lesson and another teacher observing and recording these observations to find evidence of student learning. Classroom observation processes must be conducted in a context that enables the participants to freely analyze what occurs in the classroom and to generate strategies that lead to an improvement in instruction (Roberts & Pruitt, 2009, p.174). Glatter, H. (2022) explains the steps to conduct an appropriate walkthrough. First, student goals have to be identified and research is done to find activities and practices appropriate for student learning. With this research, teachers are to develop a detailed lesson plan that includes tasks, anticipate responses, instructor moves, and evaluation questions. When incorporating the lesson in the classroom it is crucial to determine the knowledge the students have of the material being taught. This means the teacher has a full understanding of the topic being taught and is capable of expanding student knowledge through personal stories or examples. Before jumping straight into a lesson, it is important to see what they know beforehand and what areas they are not proficient in and focus on the areas to improve the student's overall knowledge of the topic. Questioning students about what they know already to keep that information relevant while still developing the areas they need improvement in is a beneficial tool that we should use in the classroom. Additionally, when determining how to incorporate the lesson, educators should make sure they are following the state standards and their lesson aligns to those standards. Once the educator determines the standards and the layout of the lesson, they are then able to develop different strategies and methods to teach the lesson. This is where differentiation is key to finding different methods of instruction to make content accessible to the different learners in the classroom. 

         Once lesson plans are ready, the teaching and observing process happens with a series of data-collection visits to a classroom, on the selected dates agreed upon during planning.  While one teacher does a lesson another teacher observes and records evidence of student learning. The observer should adhere to the behaviors agreed upon during the planning meeting and collect objective and unbiased data (Roberts & Pruitt, 2009, p.177).  The team then will discuss the data and explore whether the students achieved their goals. Based on the data collected, the team revises the lesson to improve its effectiveness moving forward, making the appropriate changes (Glatter, H., 2022). All written reports should be free of inferences and value judgments and should record word for word the teacher's directions and the students’ queries about the teacher's directions (Roberts & Pruitt, 2009, p.177). At this point is where specific professional development can come in. Once the proper changes have been made to the lesson, it is then retaught and observed once more, and data is collected again. The team reflects on the results and generates a report to share professional knowledge with peers, school leadership, and other educators (Glatter, H., 2022). 

References:

DuFour, R., & DuFour, R. (2009). Revisiting professional learning communities at work (2nd 

ed.). Solution Tree Press.

Glatter, H. (2022). Using Lesson Study to Improve Teaching and Learning. Community College 

Research Center. Using Lesson Study to Improve Teaching and Learning

Roberts, S. M., & Pruitt, E. Z. (2008). Schools as professional learning communities (2nd ed.). 

SAGE Publications.