Theory in Practice: Thoughtful Observer

In completing Clinical Practice 3, I thought the article “Mini-Observations-seven decision Points for the Principal provided some helpful points before conducting our own observation. One of the recommendations was to be a thoughtful observer by slowing down, listening to the teacher and observing the students and their work. Marshall (2009) also mentioned that elaborate checklists or rubrics could be distracting and taking notes could greatly impact teacher stress or the quality of the lesson. I thought I would try this out or Clinical Practice 3. As a teacher being observed over the years, I can completely understand that stressful feeling when an administrator jots down meticulous notes. It can be distracting trying to figure out if they thought my lesson was a huge flop. Or even worse that they missed an entirely great teaching moment because they were busy writing down notes from an earlier part of my lesson. Unfortunately, I had huge challenges with trying to keep mental notes in my head of important points and fighting the urge to write down important points /notes as I was conducting the observation. Luckily, I was just observing one of the videos in our blackboard shell. At the end of the lesson, I realized I was so caught up in trying to practice being a thoughtful observer that I didn’t really have enough specific examples to answer all the prompts for our narrative reports. I was able to re-play the video and I took notes on each of the prompts so I could address each of the prompts with specific evidence. This made me realize that this is a skill that I would like to work on as an administrator so I do not cause any additional stress. I think next time; I might have a short checklist and then jot down notes right after the lesson outside the classroom. I am curious to see how others conducted their observations and if you ran into any challenges similar to mine? How did you gather your observation data to write a meaningful summary report and recommendation? Did you practice any of the recommendations as a thoughtful observer or did you take notes during the observation or used a different strategy? Marshall, K. (2009, Feb 03). Mini-Observations' Retrieved April 21, 2017, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/02/04/20marshall.h28.html.