Rationale: The Collaborative Classroom Observation Research Report invites you to examine your teaching practice with the help of a partner teacher. Ideally, this offers both of you an opportunity for collaboration, reciprocity and collegial support as you attempt to practice what you have learned through our program in your respective teaching context. This activity is meant to be affirming, rather than critical, and be undertaken in the spirit of partnership and inquiry. It is also meant to give you an opportunity to practice the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Approach (ICA) and to reflect on the possibilities and challenges of this process.
Partnering: While it would be ideal if you could partner with someone else in the ICCATs program, this is not always possible. Many of you are not in the same schools, which would make it difficult to observe each other. Therefore a partnering teacher could be just about anyone. I would prefer it if it was someone in a similar content area who has ELLs in their class. For example, if you teach science, it would be a good idea to observe another science teacher who teaches ELLs.
Tasks: You will visit and observe a partner's classroom. You and your partner will then exchange thoughts about your observations. Finally, you will write a research report of your observation.
Process
Observation:
Review the SIOP protocol familiarizing yourselves with the eight components. This will form the basis for the strengths/limitations portion of the report.
Contact your partner during Week 5 or earlier and make arrangements to visit one another's classroom to observe one lesson. Ask your partner to provide you with a copy of the lesson plan that s/he will follow the day of your observation.
Arrive in your partner's classroom 5-10 minutes before the start of period and touch base with each other regarding any last minute changes/details.
Take notes during the observation using the SIOP as your guide.
Make an appointment to discuss the observation with your partner. This is not optional. Your partner will be able to fill in the gaps that exist in any kind of observation. The purpose of this discussion is to share insights from your observation in a friendly and supportive manner. You will have the opportunity to discuss the protocol; offer suggestions for augmenting teaching practice; and get new ideas for your own classroom. To make full use of this opportunity, the final component of your report will be to indicate how you could incorporate a new idea(s) that you received from observing your partner into your own content area/ESL teaching. For example, you may want to adapt an activity or use a style of discussion which worked particularly well in your partner's lesson. Solicit feedback from your partner to discuss how best to implement this new idea(s).
Write the report.
Product
Paper:
1. Length and format: The body of the paper should be 4-5 pages in length not including references, single-spaced.
2. Content:
a. Setting: Briefly describe the focus of the lesson; the grade level and classroom environment; and the students in the class. (about half a page)
b. Lesson Strengths/Potentials: Identify and weave in concepts of sheltered instruction that you see evident in the instruction. (about 1 page)
c. Areas of improvement: Using the SIOP guidelines , identify areas that your partner may want improve/enhance in the future. (about 1-2 pages)
d. Teaching ideas: Identify and describe teaching ideas noted in the observation that you would like to borrow and incorporate into your own lesson plans in the future. (about 1 page)
e. Reflection: Provide a detailed description of the debriefing session with partner including a description of what you learned from this observation about your own classroom teaching. (about 1-2 pages)
3. Research component: For sections b-d of this paper, please include and weave in information encountered in readings and cite its sources in the text and in the reference section. Use APA conventions for writing, citing and referencing throughout the paper.
4. If plagiarism is evident in the paper, it will be returned without a grade and the student will receive appropriate sanctions for the offense.
Rubric for Classroom Observation Research Report
Items evaluated
Points
1. Clear, comprehensive explanation of classroom setting
4
2. Clear, precise identification of lesson strengths & potentials
6
3. Identification of areas of improvement in the lesson and explained with clarity and precision
6
4. Identification and description of ideas from partners classrooms to be borrowed and incorporated identified and described in detail and with precision
6
5. Observation debriefing well-described and explained, including lessons learned about own classroom
8
6. Information from discussion resources and readings woven in well in numbers 2-4 (sections b-d in assignment)
