When observing teachers, our natural tendency is to keep our eyes on the action. This “action focus” is a natural function of our brain’s attention systems. We are drawn to focus rst on what is moving, what is changing, or what is happening. Noticing action is an important element in survival and, of course, survival is the brain’s rst task. Collecting artifacts, recognizing patterns, and analyzing cause-effect in “classroom action” are important elements in a skillful observation.
The action in the classroom tells a compelling story, but an incomplete story. In a novel, the reader must appreciate the setting to fully understand the action of the characters. Likewise, keen observers of instruction must train themselves to also look beyond the action and focus also on the classroom environment…
Recent Comments