Monday, June 26, 2017

Why Instructional Rounds Are Prudent

By Joyce Williams


There are countless number of practices that schools can make use of to help improve the quality of education they provide to students. One of the most important exercise that is usually recommended for learning institutions is carrying out instructional rounds. These rounds usually encompasses a team of teachers making rounds from one classroom to another to try and access or rather make observations of what is going on around in the classroom with each of the teachers making their observations and putting it down.

Basically, it involves a lead teacher, who is responsible for overseeing the entire exercise. The leading teacher should be someone, who other teachers look up to and respect. A group of selected teachers, who are volunteers, then make tools into different classrooms to take a look at how things are being run. As the observations continue to take place the teachers take note of everything that goes on. The notes made from these observations are then discussed and analyzed in detail.

To ensure the exercise is effective, it is always advisable that the number of teachers in the group should not exceed five. Early preparation is done for the students. They are usually informed of the events that would be taking place so that they may maintain a normal routine; hence, ensuring that the correct observations are made.

Once the exercise is done, the teachers analyze and discuss on the observations made. They are all given equal opportunities to present what they observed during the tools. They closely evaluate all the observations all the while noting both the positive and negative details. The lead teacher just as in the making of the rounds is also in charge of the discussion.

The rounds offer a lot of benefits to any institution by equipping and bettering skills of a teacher. From the observations made, the teachers are able to address so many issues. They also discover a lot of new useful information. The exercise also helps the teachers assess themselves and compare their methods of teaching to those of others.

Another added advantage of carrying out these kinds of tools is that it promotes interaction among teachers. They get to know each other better and are also able to learn a lot from each other. They also help build and improve on another. For instance, if a teacher points out a mistake committed by a fellow colleague, he has to offer ways in which he thinks could be done to overcome such issues.

It also provides a platform where most of the problems affecting the classroom can be aired and addressed. Solutions to underlying problems are obtained during the discussion period. Strategies are also put in place on how best to handle such challenges. Brainstorming comes in handy because a variety of solutions are placed on the table and the best ones selected. This in turn produce long lasting positive outcomes.

In conclusion, it is fair to state that the tools are of great value. This is clearly seen from the number of positive impacts it has on any school. Therefore, it is encouraged that learning institutions employ the culture of this practice. It is a friendly experience and the most should be made out of it.




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