Diagnóstico contable

The second step in the peer review process is the classroom visit. The observer should arrive at least 5 minutes before class, or arrange with the teacher to meet beforehand and walk to the classroom together—it is not appropriate to arrive to class late. The teacher should introduce the observer to students at the beginning of class and explain to them the nature of the observer’s visit. Optimally, the observer should sit in middle rear of the classroom to get the best view of both the teacher’s actions and the students’ classroom behaviors. In addition to attending to particular issues that may have been

81 discussed during the preclassroom visitation meeting, the observer should pay attention to matters related to the teacher’s delivery of content, physical presence, and social presence.

Delivery of content involves the manner in which the subject matter is presented during the class session and can be assessed through consideration of the following questions:

• Does the class begin and end on time?

• Does the teacher provide any sort of introduction to the subject matter or review material presented in the previous class session?

• Is the material presented at the appropriate level given the nature of the subject matter and the level of the class?

• Does the teacher communicate clearly with students—does the teacher explain jargon? • Is the presentation logically organized—does the teacher employ useful transitions and

examples to link or explain key points?

• Is the pace of the teacher’s delivery about right—does it seem too fast or too slow? • Does the teacher pose clear and interesting questions to the class?

• Are students' comments and questions repeated so that the entire class is able to hear them?

• If the teacher uses Power Point or a similar technology, is the font size legible and are the slides visually clear? Does the teacher avoid reading directly from the screen?

• Are appropriate demonstrations of the class material employed and, if so, are they related unambiguously to the subject matter?

• Does the teacher employ active learning techniques?

Physical presence centers on how teachers use their body language as a context to emphasize important points or to develop and maintain students’ interest in the content. Aspects of the teacher’s physical presence to which the observer should pay particular attention include:

• Eye contact with students • Facial expression

• Movement about the room • Posture

• Professional attire • Hand gestures

• Voice—volume, inflection, and pace of speaking

Finally, social presence is the extent to which the teacher interacts appropriately with students. Factors that the observer should consider when assessing this category of variables include:

• Composure and confidence during the class session

• Reinforcement of student comments and questions with appropriate praise and language • Level of engagement—does the teacher hold the students attention and interest?

• Respect for students • Use of students’ names

Observers, especially new observers, often find it helpful to bring an observation checklist with them to the classroom visit to serve as a reminder as to what teacher characteristics and behaviors and other aspects of the teaching situation they should be attending to during the visit. The checklist also provides space for the observer to jot down notes. Table 1 shows a sample of one such observation checklist

82 developed by the second author, who still uses it even though he has conducting peer reviews for over 20 years.

Table 1

A sample observation checklist used to help peer reviewers identify specific teaching behaviors and practices while observing a teacher.

Observation Checklist Scale: 1 =Very Poor; needs serious substantial improvement

3= Good; needs a fair amount of improvement 5 = Excellent; needs little improvement

Content and Delivery 1 2 3 4 5 N/A Comments

Appropriate use of time (begins/ends on time) Provides overview of topic/daily goals

Appropriate level (depth & breadth) Clarity (prepared/explains jargon) Relevance (stays on topic)

Knowledgeable & answers questions well

Logical flow (organized & effective transitions) Pace of presentation/speaking

Poses appropriate & clear questions Repeats students’ questions/comments Uses of relevant examples

PowerPoint (avoids reading off screen) PowerPoint (grammar & spelling) PowerPoint (font size & visual clarity) Use of demonstration/links to concepts Use of active learning techniques

Handouts (useful in understanding topic) Provides conclusion/take home message

Physical & Social Presence 1 2 3 4 5 N/A Comments Makes eye contact with students

Facial expression Movement about room Posture

Professional attire

Uses appropriate hand gestures Voice—audible

Voice—variation in inflection & tone Composure/confidence

Reinforces student participation Has rapport with students

Engaging (interesting and informative) Demonstrates enthusiasm

Demonstrates respect for students Uses of student names

83 Other Comments:

________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ Buskist (2000) has noted that teachers, especially new teachers, often commit particular errors in their teaching. Keeping an eye out for these mistakes may help observers spot and later offer corrective feedback for these mistakes. Based on his peer review/observation of new graduate student teachers and assistant professors, Buskist identified 10 common—but easily correctable—mistakes:

• Arriving late to class

• Starting the class “cold”/not providing an overview of the day’s topic (launching abruptly into the subject matter without reviewing previous and related material)

• Returning tests/assignments at start of class (which puts some students in a “bad mood” and interferes with their paying attention for the remainder of the period)

• Reading directly from notes or PowerPoint slides • Including too much information on slides

• Talking too fast

• Not using transitions between subtopics (not linking one topic to another in ways that help students see the connection between them)

• Not making eye contact with students (an important aspect of developing rapport with students)

• Not calling students by name (another important aspect of developing rapport with students)

• Not repeating student comments/questions or not rewarding student comments/questions with verbal acknowledgement or praise.

These qualities and behaviors are present in any teaching situation in manifold combinations and permutations—no one teacher will be exactly like another, although they both may be excellent (or poor) teachers. Thus observers should keep an open mind as how these qualities and behaviors may play out in any given classroom session and should not enter the classroom observation with a preconceived notion of what they expect to observe.