Among
koans that apply to education is “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is
there, does it make a sound?” The power of observation to improve teacher
efficacy and the quality of classroom instruction is well accepted, as
evidenced by the Measures of Effective Teaching Project from the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation (2012).
My interest in this subject was prompted
by my participation in the coordinators council of Charter Operated Programs, a
SELPA of sorts representing 14 charter organizations within the Los Angeles
Unified School District. Recently, the council was considering expenditures for
purchase of a commercial technology based platform for classroom walkthroughs.
Classroom
observation is important for improving teacher effectiveness, coaching
opportunities, as well as measuring student behavior. New tools are available
for classroom observation, from web-based software that can be installed on
smartphones to cameras and software that give 360 degree recording of
classrooms for analysis and review. Teachscape Reflect was created to
facilitate the Measures of Effective Teaching project. Teachscape developed
panoramic video capture sharing and scoring tools. The framework for evaluation
can be customized by each district, but the system comes preloaded with
Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for
Teaching. Framework is an observer training and assessment system that
incorporates more than 100 master-scored videos to develop observer skill and
expertise.
While
many of these technology-based tools for observation are commercially available
and require district funds, there are free web-based tools that can be
utilized.
Google docs and forms can be uploaded
with other free web-based tools, and allow input of data into spreadsheets for
further analysis (TICAL, 2010).
The
challenges posed by using technology such as that offered by Teachscape and
other providers is assuring that the principles of effective feedback guide the
framework for data collection and reflect the pedagogy of each school. Teachers
could develop a “Big Brother” resentment of video-based scrutiny, and
introduction to these tools should be done carefully.
Competence with technology is now considered a foundational competence for school psychologists (NASP 2008). In NASP’s Best Practices entry the Pfohls provide a general overview of technology that helps orient school psychologists to the basics. They highlight important organizations and resources such as the Association for Advancement of Computing in Education and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Technology.
It is very important that school psychologists are aware of the latest innovations in adaptive technologies that can benefit students with disabilities. And school psychologists will play an important role in advocacy for students when the “haves and have-nots” issues of access threaten academic success.
The
rapid development of technology requires frequent monitoring for effective
school psychologists to remain so. Of particular interest is the growth of the
visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects of technology, and potential
applications for powerful interventions that are engaging to the latest
generation of learners. Advances in assessment, opportunities and challenges of
record management, analysis of the vast amounts of data that can be collected
-- all these can make seeing the
forest for the trees a challenge for today’s school psychologist. Thus
professional memberships, continuing education and small learning communities
are essential.
References
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, (2012). Gathering feedback
for effective teaching: Combining high quality observations with student
surveys and achievement gains. Retrieved from
website: http://www.metproject.org/downloads/MET_Gathering_Feedback_Research_Paper.pdf
The New Teacher Project, (2012). 'met' made simple:
Building research-based teacher evaluations. Retrieved
from website: http://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP_METMadeSimple_2012.pdf
Pfohl, William F., Pfohl, Virginia A. (2008), in Best practices in school psychology V. NASP
Sherman, M.
(2008). Peering behind the Classroom Door. Techtrends:
Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 52(6), 53-54. Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ838499&site=ehost-live&scope=site
TICAL: Technology
information center for administrative leadershi (2010). Retrieved from http://portical.org/tools/gf/
Waters, John K. (2011). 360 DEGREES of reflection. T H E Journal,
38(5), 33-35. Retrieved
from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=60780497&site=ehost-live&scope=site
