The CIA of self-observation
There are dozens of sources extolling the virtues of self-reflection and self-observation, but this article in the EFL Magazine sums up the outcomes in the most memorable and pithy way: “If someone...
View ArticleAn actor’s life for me
If all the classroom’s a stage, and you a mere player, perhaps this list will help you reflect on your role: choose the statements that describe you the most and see what score you get. “I usually...
View ArticleDo you pineapple?
I just love, love this idea of Pineapple Observation Charts. You don’t have to be a recognised expert on everything, just choose an exciting/experimental activity you would like to show to a colleague...
View ArticleSecret admirers can help us learn
A wonderful article from Edutopia about the effect positive peer observation can have on the atmosphere in the classroom. The idea is that students are given a random name of another student and have...
View ArticlePassion or proficiency?
Here is an inspirational post from David Geurin about the importance of focusing on the emotional element of learning. He lists several steps towards creating a ‘passionate learning culture’: be a...
View ArticleThe sunny side of the Hawthorne effect
Another term that emerged in IATEFL discussions, the Hawthorne effect, is given new life in Larry Ferlazzo’s blog. He refers to an article by Joanne Yatvin called ‘Letting teachers re-invent their own...
View ArticleObserved lessons as an experiment
If you are interested in supporting teachers, you might want to check out this article for a different approach on lesson observations. The managers at one school decided to frame all lesson...
View ArticleLeaning into negative feedback
Here is another inspirational post about taking negative feedback constructively. (There’s more reading about this on my blog, e.g. about deflective reactions or the feedback loop – perhaps there’s a...
View ArticleA lesson: what a good one looks like
What makes lessons less effective than we would like them to be, whether we observe, teach or take them? It could be the absence of any of the ten important elements listed in this great post by Tom...
View ArticleResearch about instructional coaching
This article by Sam Sims got me really interested in alternative forms of CPD (and by alternative I mean anything other than one-off INSETT). We often talk about evidence-based professional...
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