"Give 'Em the Old Razzle Dazzle"--Surviving the Lesson Observation Process in Further Education

Autor/inn/en	Thompson, Carol A.; Wolstencroft, Peter
Titel	"Give 'Em the Old Razzle Dazzle"--Surviving the Lesson Observation Process in Further Education
Quelle	In: Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 19 (2014) 3, S.261-275 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1359-6748
DOI	10.1080/13596748.2014.920565
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Postsecondary Education; Observation; Educational Quality; Measurement; Teacher Evaluation; Qualitative Research; Semi Structured Interviews; Adult Educators; Teacher Educators; Administrators; Lifelong Learning; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes; United Kingdom (England); United Kingdom (London) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Post-secondary education; Tertiäre Bildung; Beobachtung; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Messverfahren; Teacher appraisal; Lehrerbeurteilung; Qualitative Forschung; Adult education teacher; Adult education; Adult training; Teacher; Teachers; Adult educator; Erwachsenenbildner; Erwachsenenbildung; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Teacher education; Education; Lehrerausbildung; Lehrerbildung; Life-long learning; Lebenslanges Lernen; Lehrerverhalten
Abstract	This paper examines the key role that graded lesson observations have within the measurement of quality in the post-compulsory education sector. Using semi-structured interviews, it looks at their impact on participants and also their execution in light of their stated purpose to "improve teaching and learning". The sample selected included teachers, quality managers and initial teacher educators and covers a geographical spread from the north Midlands to London. The findings suggest that the lessons observed bore scant resemblance to the day-to-day teaching of participants. Instead teachers talked of the need to "put on a show" and how they treated the annual observation with a mixture of trepidation and cynicism. The realisation that observations failed to measure what they were designed to measure was shared by other participants with quality managers, ostensibly the people who were employed to raise standards, also acknowledging the limitations of the process. The observation process was designed to reward outstanding practitioners, however, teachers talked about their reluctance to strive for outstanding grades due to the perceived onerous duties associated with achieving a top grade. Instead teachers talked about the way in which they aimed for a grade two in order to maintain a low profile. Despite the widespread cynicism amongst all participants, there was a universal belief that some form of measurement was needed to ensure that standards were maintained. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10