1 |
Remember, the classroom is the most important place in the school and your interactions with students matter more than anything else. You are the one in control. |
||
2 |
Be yourself. Be confident in your professionalism. Remind yourself that you do the best for your students every day. No need to change. |
||
3 |
Show your visitor just how well your students are learning and progressing, how well they understand their own learning and use learning skills, and how well disposed they are to learning. |
||
4 |
Stick to your normal routines. Your students know these and are more likely to show their best when things run normally. |
||
Do you remember how you felt the last time an inspector visited your classroom? Many of us will remember the things we didn’ t do and we’ ll forget the things that went well. Do you remember the last time you went on a learning visit to a colleague’ s classroom? You probably felt privileged seeing first hand that most special of human interactions between teacher and student. You probably thought first about what the teacher was doing and how he / she did things differently to you? Maybe you got some great teaching ideas from the visit? Did you look at the students’ learning and progress? When we see colleagues in action, we often compare their teaching to our own. Inspectors, though, see learning as key and look for the causes of its success.
Having experienced both roles, I know the excitement of visiting the classroom never wanes. Inspectors have the privilege of seeing first-hand the thrill when a student finally gets it,
|
the unscripted relationships in group work, the moment a child’ s natural curiosity leads to a new discovery, the noise and bustle- all founded on the complex dynamics of unpredictable human emotions. Real, live learning as it happens, with a teacher responsible for it all and it truly is a privilege!
Why then, as teachers, might we feel different when an inspector arrives in class? Do we begin to doubt our own professional judgment in the way we have shaped learning experiences for our students, or worry about our students’ reaction to the visitor? Maybe we think the inspector has a different agenda to our own or intends only to find fault? As an inspector, I think anxiety might stem from the teacher wanting to do her / his best for students, colleagues and the school. That’ s a symptom of admirable professionalism!
As an inspector, I would love to share the following top tips that teachers should keep in mind the next time they are up for inspection.
|
56 78910 |
‘ Open up’ the multi-dimensional complexities and dynamics of your classroom by explaining what is going on. Like you, the inspector wants to be confident that student outcomes are improving.
Be well organised. Have students’ coursework readily available with examples on display, and do not forget the homework.
Make sure your plans and assessment records are up to date. The inspector may well need to see these to learn how your students are progressing.
Be proactive to ensure that the inspector understands the full range of attainment and support needs in your class and learns just how well they are addressed.
Make the inspector feel welcome and, when feasible, encourage interactions with your students. Don’ t allow the inspector to feel isolated in the corner of the room just watching. Remember that your students are confident in explaining their learning.
Ask the inspector how it went and offer to provide any additional information later.
|