What do we see when we observe?
Observations are weird. I don’t think they give the observer a clear idea of what happens in the class, though I guess as well it depends on who/what they are observing.
I’ve done a couple of observations this week and they were an opportunity for me to see some of the students at the school where I am the Academic Co-ordinator. Yes, it was also an opportunity for me to see my colleagues in action and pick up some new ideas, but I wasn’t there to judge them or their teaching, but rather observe the students.
What did I see? An hour-long class which gave me a very rough idea of the students and a fairly patchy idea of the class dynamic. “Foreign bodies” in the classroom have that effect – classes which are disruptive and inattentive become the perfect example of what teaching is all about; whilst normally angelic students turn into crazed maniacs.