Using scales for observing is a simple technique but it can have many applications. For example, it can focus on areas such as pace of the lesson at a certain stage (slow<—> fast) or how controlled or teacher-centred a lesson is every ten minutes or so (free<—> controlled. Other areas that lend themselves to this type of observation include spoken error correction (immediate <—->delayed), teacher talking and students talking (teacher talk<—->student talk), pace (slow<—->fast), practice activities (free<—>controlled) and teaching of grammar (guided<—>unguided). Usually I insert a scale into my written notes on a lesson as and when it sees helpful. Alternatively, if you are running training courses with trainees observing each other, I sometimes use a proforma similar to the one below. I’ll ask one observer to focus on one area of the lesson (e.g. role of the teacher in terms of facilitator <—> ‘preacher’) and ask another observer to use the scales for something else. That way, the group builds up a picture of the lesson from difficult perspectives.
With this type of proforma, you write the two opposites at the top and then use this as the basis for the scales throughout.
| Time/Stage | …………… ………..…..<—————————————->
|
What was happening? |
| <—————————————-><—————————————->
<—————————————-> <—————————————-> <—————————————-> |
How else do you use scales when you observe?
Brian Stewart, teacher expert on ACT SAT
December 23, 2011
The scale idea is a great tool — easy on the evaluator and much more descriptive for the teacher.