Looking For Learning
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Students are increasingly using new tools in 21st century classrooms as technology use continues to grow without signs of slowing. Classroom observation can help administrators understand tool use and learning in modern classrooms. This guide provides administrators with strategies for observing technology integration and student learning with new tools.
Looking For Learning
- 1. Looking for learning in 21st century classroomsAn administrators guide to classroom observation
- 2. New tool use is growing in classrooms
- 7. No signs of slowing
Editor's Notes
- #2: Looking for Learning in 21st Century Classrooms A leadership guide to supporting and coaching best practice technology use across the curriculum. Administrators are given the charge to foster professional development of teachers through classroom observation, walk-through’s and overall supervision. In recent years, technology has changed significantly and the world has altered alongside that change. Education has begun the process of including technology, but finds variety in teacher expertise and practice. What questions can supervisors ask of their teachers to best promote technology-use to improve learning? Here are some helpful guiding questions. What to look for in classroom observations and visits: Physical layout of the room o Does the room layout hinder or support collaboration? o Can students hide behind their laptops? o Can the teacher easily walk around? o Are power cords being managed effectively? o Does the room layout promote student accountability? What is the technology being used for? o New way to do old things? o Doing something that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible? o Making tasks efficient to foster deeper understanding? How is the classroom managed? o What are the tasks that are engaging (or not engaging) students? o How are students made accountable for their own learning? o How are students kept on task? o If students are using the internet for research, how are they being guided? o Are they being pointed to the TYS online library? Why? Why Not? If the projector is on does that mean the SMART board is being used? o Is the teacher interacting with the SMART board? Why? / Why not? o Are the students interacting with the SMART board? Why? Why not? o How is the SMART board enhancing learning? o If the SMART Board were removed could the same lesson have be taught? Post-observations questions to ask teachers: On use of technology: In what ways did the technology enhance the learning? What technology skills did you expect students to have in order to be successful? o Did they have them? Did you teach them? What technology skills did you expect students to acquire if successful? o Did they get them? How did you know? When student were searching the internet in your class, how were you able to assess their success? o Did you frontload some searching techniques prior to their search? o Did you provide them with the sites in advance?