Class visits by management can run two ways in schools. They can be something that helps your school meet standards and give staff good professional development, or they can be something dreaded that creates fear in your team. We might feel that the aim is to raise standards, but go about it in a way that demotivates staff, whether we intend to or not. 

 

Class visits, when done correctly, can have a real positive impact on your school. They can help teachers develop their skills, open them up to new ways of approaching teaching, and make your teaching teams feel like their school is a place of growth for staff, where they can confront their weaknesses and come out as stronger educators. Many international schools have ‘to create lifelong learners’ as an objective, but fail to ensure that this also applies to their staff. So, how can we go about turning the feared class visit into something that is seen as a positive for all involved? Over the years, I’ve seen this done well and also done very badly, so here are my tips for turning your class visits into a positive profession development experience. 

 1. Get Your Paperwork In Order

 

Notes from class visits shouldn’t be scrawled in a notebook or trusted to memory. Make sure you spend time before the year starts preparing standard documents and forms that will aid you in the process. I would always have a checklist for when I was in class, and then another form for a full written reflection to be done afterwards. It really helps everyone do their best if you send out the forms for staff to see before you begin entering classes. After all, the aim isn’t to trick staff and find mistakes, but to guide them to meet standards and ensure everyone can do their best. Let them see what you will be filling out, as this let’s them know what you’re looking for and allows them to make changes before you point them out. 

 

 

 

2. Be Upfront With Your Team

 

A lot of the fear that comes with class visits is just the fear of the unknown. As a teacher, I was always worried that the visit was because I had made a mistake somewhere or that it was to look for shortcomings. Tell them why you are going, and what the outcomes will be. They should know that this is a standard thing and that everyone will be getting them on a regular basis, and that regardless of your personal relationship with them, you will treat every individual’s visit the same. A great way to warm staff up to the idea is to start giving positive feedback before class visits even begin. Send short emails saying you passed by and noticed something great in their class. Warm them up to the idea of feedback before you set foot in their classes. It is really important to assure them that nobody will have their contract terminated over a single class visit, and that all details will be kept confidential. 

 

 

 

3.  Involve Your Team In The Process

 

Class visits run better if teachers feel like they are involved in the process. Many schools run their observations in a very one-sided way where they turn up, write down their notes then act on them. If the aim is to make staff nervous then this is a good way to go, but it delivers very short term results. They may change the one thing you point out, but it takes away the opportunity for staff to reflect on their own skills and make long-term, self-directed change. 

 

At the beginning of the year, I like staff to fill out a self-assessment of their own teaching, using basically the same template I would use for class visits. From there, we would meet and discuss their findings, and staff would set personal goals for the term. This involves them in their own development and makes them feel more a part of what’s going on, reducing fear. 

 

I would also do two types of class visits – ones where the staff choose the lesson to be observed and one where I would just pop in without notice. When staff choose a lesson for you to see, it allows them to show you their very best. If they feel they have a really great lesson that shows how amazing they are, let them show you. This is a great way to start your lesson observations and gives staff some control over the process while also building their confidence. 

 

Allowing staff members to visit each other’s classes and complete the form can also be a great asset to your program, whether you make it a necessary part of your plan for all staff or simply allow anyone who might be interested to take part. 

 

 

 

3. Have A Solid Plan 

 

You must have a proper process in place before you begin class visits, and again, staff should be privy to this. Mine looked like this:

 

1. Teachers complete a self-evaluation form.
2. One-on-one meetings are set with every teacher to discuss the self-evaluation and set goals for the term.
3. Lesson observation dates are set
4. After the observation, management completes the paperwork in a timely manner and then sends it out to staff for them to see. 
5. A follow-up meeting is set to discuss the findings, in which additional goals can be set if needed. 

 

It may seem time consuming, but anything worth doing is worth doing properly. Again, you could just storm into lessons and then give findings in email, but the aim is to help teachers grow and to do this, you need to invest time. Make sure you stick to the same process every time, and that your feedback is given in a timely manner. Set yourself goals in terms of sending out feedback, and never ever fail to turn up to an observation or meeting. 

 

 

 

4. Remember That You Are The Bridge To The Owner/Board

 

Your words mean a great deal when you speak with your superiors on behalf of, or regarding staff. The aim of lesson observations is to help staff improve and also to keep your team together, as staff that feel they are growing are more likely to renew their contracts. Unless you have a staff member who is really going against school policy, your aim should be to keep them and help them improve. When you meet with your manager or send reports, be careful regarding the language you use. ‘Failed to meet standard’ might mean that it’s something your team member is working on, but to a director who doesn’t know much about teaching, this might be understood as the team member being a poor educator. You should always be honest, but make sure that you report your findings in a way that your meaning is properly understood. Support your team.

 

 

 

5. Embrace Technology 

 

An exciting new way to do observations is to allow staff to record one of their lessons and then send you the video. You may not have time to visit every class multiple times in the term, but you can visit once and then have teachers record a lesson and send it to you. This is a great way to do it for a number of reasons. Some staff may be extremely nervous when you are in class with them, and as a result make silly mistakes that they wouldn’t normally make. This takes away that fear and gives a more realistic representation of what’s going on in class. If you have done observations before, you’ll also know that students behave very differently when HT is in class. When they are being recorded, you can see a more realistic view of how the teacher manages behaviour. Having a lesson recorded also gives you the freedom to fit in your observations around your schedule. You can even watch them at home if you fancy, allowing more flexibility. 

Remember the aim of lesson observations isn’t to find mistakes, but to give specific areas for improvement. The words you choose in your reports and when meeting to discuss the observation afterwards are extremely important. It isn’t an exam or a test to keep their jobs. They already have their jobs, and so have already met the basic standard to work in the school. The aim is to help them grow beyond that, and to create a school culture of lifelong learning.