Once a teacher has been trained and posted to his or her work station that should not be the end of their learning process. They ought to constantly engage in other simple learning processes that will help them remain relevant and adopt new and better teaching methods. This is possible with the development of the instructional rounds program where teachers learn from their colleagues.
The rounds cannot be used every now and then since in that case there would be nothing new you are learning from your colleague. However, they are organized once a semester or once a year where there is bound to be something new to learn. It is also meant to give the other teachers to practice the positives that they have observed from their counterparts.
The schools that participate in such rounds usually have some lead teachers whose mandate is to make sure the small groups formed perform the rounds and benefit maximally from them. They have to make sure that the group runs under some set rules which have to get followed to the letter. The groups are formed on a voluntary basis and judging is highly discouraged. Teachers whose classes perform best start by being observed by others so that they can be sure to learn something.
Smaller groups for conducting the rounds are preferred. A group of three to four teachers is okay not counting the lead teacher. The teachers have to alert their classes that they will receive other teachers in their class room for the exercise. The students have to understand that the teachers are learning from each other, just like what students do.
The rounds take place during actual learning time. They walk in a few minutes after the class has started and they slowly and quietly settle at the back of the class. There are seats preserved for them. Taking notes is an important part of the lesson. Some are selective in what they observe while others make a general observation of everything going on.
The rounds take no more than fifteen minutes to avoid too much disturbance to the students as well as so that the teachers can go back to their classes. The teachers need to take notes for future reference and also so that they cannot forget any point during the discussion. Moreover, they have to be very keen on what is going on since they have to try by all means to get something good from the lesson.
As soon as the observation period is over, they have to meet and discuss what they noted down. They take turns to each bring out their points and finally the lead teacher summarizes the discussion. The discussion is not to portray the teacher negatively but to encourage them to continue with their strong points and drop the bad ones. For this to be possible, rules have to be set and followed.
The positives have to turn out more than the negatives, otherwise this will discourage the teachers from participating. Rules are very important in such a forum as there are some teachers who might choose to annoy others just for the sake. Those who cannot follow them ought to be ejected from the group before they destroy relationships between them and their colleagues.
The rounds cannot be used every now and then since in that case there would be nothing new you are learning from your colleague. However, they are organized once a semester or once a year where there is bound to be something new to learn. It is also meant to give the other teachers to practice the positives that they have observed from their counterparts.
The schools that participate in such rounds usually have some lead teachers whose mandate is to make sure the small groups formed perform the rounds and benefit maximally from them. They have to make sure that the group runs under some set rules which have to get followed to the letter. The groups are formed on a voluntary basis and judging is highly discouraged. Teachers whose classes perform best start by being observed by others so that they can be sure to learn something.
Smaller groups for conducting the rounds are preferred. A group of three to four teachers is okay not counting the lead teacher. The teachers have to alert their classes that they will receive other teachers in their class room for the exercise. The students have to understand that the teachers are learning from each other, just like what students do.
The rounds take place during actual learning time. They walk in a few minutes after the class has started and they slowly and quietly settle at the back of the class. There are seats preserved for them. Taking notes is an important part of the lesson. Some are selective in what they observe while others make a general observation of everything going on.
The rounds take no more than fifteen minutes to avoid too much disturbance to the students as well as so that the teachers can go back to their classes. The teachers need to take notes for future reference and also so that they cannot forget any point during the discussion. Moreover, they have to be very keen on what is going on since they have to try by all means to get something good from the lesson.
As soon as the observation period is over, they have to meet and discuss what they noted down. They take turns to each bring out their points and finally the lead teacher summarizes the discussion. The discussion is not to portray the teacher negatively but to encourage them to continue with their strong points and drop the bad ones. For this to be possible, rules have to be set and followed.
The positives have to turn out more than the negatives, otherwise this will discourage the teachers from participating. Rules are very important in such a forum as there are some teachers who might choose to annoy others just for the sake. Those who cannot follow them ought to be ejected from the group before they destroy relationships between them and their colleagues.
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