Collaborative Classroom Visit Process
In a Collaborative Classroom Visit, a group of two instructors and a Discussion Project facilitator observe classroom discussion and provide the instructor with feedback. Those who are observed will have the opportunity to have their peers give them specific input on their instructional practices. Those who are observing will have the opportunity to see their colleagues sharing instructional practices.
The purpose of Collaborative Classroom Visits is for instructors to support each other in developing their skills in the incredibly complex art and science of teaching.
Collaborative Classroom Visit Process
- Prior to a classroom observation, all participants meet to determine the lessons’ goals and how observers can best provide pedagogical feedback to the instructor.
- A team of three observers are present in the classroom in which the instructor asks for feedback. Observers take notes with attention to the instructor’s requested observation focus.
- Observers meet to discuss key takeaways and key points of the lesson.
- The full group reconvenes to reflect on how the lesson went, the strengths of the lesson, and feedback on the instructor’s requested focus. All members of the Collaborative Conference Visit team process in writing what they have learned.
If you would like more information on Collaborative Classroom Visits or you are interested in scheduling one, please contact us!
And please note this testimonial from a Discussion Project participant:
I would recommend the CCV to anyone interested in improving their teaching! For me it had two primary strengths: For one thing, just knowing that observers would be in my classroom and then going through the experience led me to new insights about my teaching — it was a sort of catalyst that caused me to think about my class not only through my own eyes, but also through the perspective of someone in the class. I also realized more clearly what my own goals were and the ways in which I was and wasn’t meeting them. In addition to gaining a sharpened perspective on my own teaching, I gained the observers’ perspectives on the class — they were able to notice and document aspects of the students’ engagement and experience that I would not have seen without their feedback, and they provided me with their own reactions which also enriched what I learned from the process. I would honestly characterize the CCV as an enlightening experience of my teaching, and I can’t imagine anyone not benefiting significantly from going through it. –Rhonda Rheinholz, Psychology