97904 USER GUIDE CONDUCTING CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS ANALYZING CLASSROOM DYNAMICS AND INSTRUCTIONAL TIME USING THE STALLINGS “CLASSROOM SNAPSHOT” OBSERVATION SYSTEM Adapted for use by the World Bank Education Global Practice 2015 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS WHY OBSERVE CLASSROOMS USING THE STALLINGS METHOD? 3 INTRODUCTION TO THE STALLINGS INSTRUMENT 5 CALCULATION OF GROUP SIZES 6 RECORDING A SNAPSHOT 8 MATERIALS 10 ACTIVITIES 11 CALCULATIONS 23 PRACTICE EXAMPLES 24 APPENDIX 1 : CLASSROOM DEMOGRAPHIC COVER SHEET 26 APPENDIX 2 : CLASSROOM OBSERVATION CODING SHEET 27 2 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL SECTION I: WHY OBSERVE CLASSROOMS USING THE STALLINGS METHOD? The “Stallings Classroom Snapshot” instrument, technically called the “Stanford Research Insti- tute Classroom Observation System” was developed by Professor Jane Stallings for research on the efficiency and quality of basic education teachers in the United States in the 1970s. (Stallings, 1977; Stallings and Mohlman, 1988). The Stallings instrument generates robust quantitative data on the interaction of teachers and students in the classroom, with a high degree of inter-rater reliability (0.8 or higher) among observers with relatively limited training, which makes it suitable for large scale samples in developing country settings. (Jukes, 2006; Abadzi, 2007; DeStefano et al, 2010; Schuh-Moore et al, 2010). The instrument is language and curriculum-neutral, so results are directly comparable across different types of schools and country contexts, and a growing body of comparative country data from the US and developing countries is available. The Stallings instrument generates quantitative measures — at the classroom, school, and school system level — of four main variables: • Teachers’ use of instructional time • Teachers’ use of materials, including information and communications technology • Core pedagogical practices • Teachers’ ability to keep students engaged Key features of the Stallings instrument make it well-suited to large scale use in developing coun- try contexts. However, several factors need to borne in mind when interpreting its results. First, there is clear potential for Hawthorne effects, as teachers are aware of the observer (and sometimes pair of observers) physically present in the classroom – unlike the latest observation methods being used in the United States, which place a video camera in the classroom for extended periods so as to minimize these effects. One operating assumption, therefore, is that Stallings observations cap- ture teachers’ performing at their very best – or production possibility frontier — which is in fact useful to measure. A second issue is the potential noisiness of the variables being measured; if the same teacher were observed on different days or with different student sections on the same day or with a different cohort of students the following year, how consistent would the measured performance be? Initial studies in the US called for visits to each classroom on two different days. To lower costs, the protocol followed by the World Bank prioritizes observing large cross-sections of classrooms – on average five different classrooms in each school over the course of a single school day — rather than repeat visits to the same schools and classrooms. Results are not assumed to be valid for individual teachers and the World Bank research protocol preserves the anonymity of individual teachers. But the method generates robust, representative results the school, region and school system level. 3 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL A third issue is the non-random assignment of teachers to classes in most of the school systems observed. Even when students are not explicitly ability-tracked, classroom assignment rules may de facto result in some teachers facing much more gifted or docile students than others. Thus, when we evaluate the correlations between teacher practices and student learning, we cannot be sure of the direction of causality. Are students learning more because their teachers are managing the classroom better? Or are teachers able to manage the classroom better because their students are more motivated? Finally, what makes the Stallings instrument versatile and robust across different grades, subjects, languages and countries is that it does not try to measure the content of what is being taught – either the depth or sophistication of the curriculum content itself or the teacher’s mastery of that content. Two sixth grade classrooms in different countries could appear identical in terms of the classroom dynamics measured by the Stallings instrument, even though one is teaching a much higher level of science content than the other. Similarly, a teacher’s practice may look highly interactive, while he or she is making factual errors that are not captured in the Stallings data. Therefore, it is clear that the dimensions of classroom practice captured by the Stallings instrument are not a complete measure of the quality of teacher-student interaction and cannot be expected to explain all of the variance in teacher effectiveness (whether measured as value-added learning gains or average student learning performance) across different classrooms. But World Bank studies using the Stallings instrument to date have established that the four main dimensions of teacher practice that it does capture show consistent correlations with student learning results, both in cross-sectional and value added learning analysis. (Bruns and Luque, 2014) The simplicity and robustness of the data generated by Stallings classroom observation studies has also contributed to its influence with policymakers. Several Latin America and the Caribbean countries have institutionalized annual Stallings observations in a representative sample of schools in order to track progress in raising teachers’ classroom effectiveness; it has had an impact on the design of in-service training programs for teachers and school directors in virtually every country that has carried them out; it has stimulated changes in the way teachers are screened pre- employment in some systems; and it is increasingly being used in impact evaluations of programs and policies aimed at raising teacher effectiveness. Use of the Stallings classroom snapshot in more than seven countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region in recent years has generated a global data base of more than 18,000 different classroom observations in more than 3,300 schools. These data are analyzed in the World Bank publication Great Teachers: How to raise student learning in Latin America and the Caribbean (Bruns and Luque, 2014). They provide valuable reference benchmarks for any country or education system that uses the Stallings instrument following the protocol outlined in this guide. 4 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL SECTION II 1. DESCRIPTION OF THE TOOL 1.1 What does the classroom snapshot tool do? The classroom snapshot records the participants, their activities, and the materials being used in the classroom, at ten separate instances throughout a class period. 1.2 Why is it called the classroom snapshot? The classroom snapshot records people and activities in a classroom as if they were being photo- graphed during one brief instant, hence the word “snapshot”. Each “snapshot” observation lasts for a duration of 15 seconds. 1.3 What is coding? Coding (or to code, as used in the rest of this manual) is the process of observing the classroom and recording observations on the snapshot coding grid. The term “code” literally means to mark a circle at a particular point on the grid to indicate what was observed during the snapshot. 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE CODING SHEET The Stallings coding sheet is in the form of a grid. During each classroom observation that you conduct, you will have a packet of ten such sheets, so that you can code ten different snapshots during the class period. Looking horizontally across the top of the grid you will see 6 different materials that are commonly present in the classroom and are used by teachers as instructional aids, plus a final column labeled “cooperative” that is explained later. Looking vertically down the first column, you will see 14 activities. Most activities have a T and an I line associated with them. The T line is used to indicate activities that the teacher is involved in; the I line indicates activities that involve the student. The 1, S, L, and E markings (see Box in this section for definitions) refer to the number of students who are engaged in the activity being observed. Refer to Figure 1, below for an excerpt of the classroom snapshot coding sheet. FIGURE 1: Excerpt from a Classroom Snapshot Coding Sheet 5 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL 3. DEFINITION OF GROUP SIZES 1: 1 is a single individual, teacher or student S is a small group of students. For any class size, if you observe students in groups of 2 to 5, S:  code them as a small group L is a large group of students. For any class size, if you observe students in groups of 6 to (E-1), L:  code them as a large group. Remember: A large group is not the entire class. E: E is the entire class including the teacher IMPORTANT CODING RULES  can only be marked one time on each coding sheet. The teacher is engaged in only one 1. T activity at any instant.  indicates that everyone in the class, including the teacher, is involved in the same activity. If 2. E you mark E, do not make any other mark on the coding grid.  he first 6 activities are “instruction”, whereas the bottom 8 are considered either classroom 3. T management or off-task. If you observe an activity that is not related to the academic content of the lesson, it can only be coded in the bottom part of the grid (below the black bar). 6 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL 4. PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETING THE DEMOGRAPHIC PAGE A sample Classroom Observation Demographics sheet is presented in Appendix 1. This will be the first page of the observation booklet for each classroom. On this page the observer records useful additional information about the observed class. The first part of this page (date, school name and code, grade being observed, subject being ob- served) should be filled in before the first observation, as it is typically determined by the sampling frame. The official start and end times of the class and the actual start and end times are important items to note precisely. The number of students and their gender are also important. Beyond these items, the Classroom Observation Demographic sheet may be adapted to collect data of particular research or policy interest – eg, whether students have books, uniforms, whether there were any incidents of conflict, whether students were prepped for standardized tests, etc. There is typically some space at the bottom of this page for the observer to register general impressions of the class- room or any comment that he/she believes is relevant to the study. 5. PROCEDURES FOR TIMING THE SNAPSHOTS In order to determine the exact times for each of the snapshot observations, divide the total class time by ten. For example, in a 60 minute class, you should take a snapshot every 6 minutes for a total of 10 snapshots. Determine the exact time of each of the ten snapshots and write them on each snapshot page before you begin your observations. After the class begins, wait 3 minutes before taking the first snapshot. (Refer to the Snapshot Time Increments table above for exact timings). Remember that the time to record each snapshot is very short; 10-15 seconds – just the amount of time it will take you to do one 360 degree visual sweep of the classroom. To mini- mize coding errors, you should first write some brief notes in the box on the Coding sheet about what you saw the teachers and students doing. You will then have several minutes – until the time of the next observation – to think carefully about how to code what you observed. You should carry a copy of this Guide with you, so you can refer to it in cases of doubt. You should continue to take a snapshot at the designated intervals for a total of 10 snapshots. (Note the interval between the final snapshot and the end of the class will be shorter than the other intervals.) 7 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL 6. RECORDING A SNAPSHOT At the exact time of the observation, locate the teacher, and then scan the classroom going 1.  clockwise around the room. Remember to begin your scan by locating where the teacher is. 2. If the teacher is in the classroom: a. What activity is she/he involved in? Find the corresponding activity row. b. What material is being used? Find the corresponding material column. What size group of students is the teacher working with, or is the teacher doing something c.  separate from the students? Fill in a bubble on the T line that indicates the activity, materials, and the student group with 3.  whom the teacher is clearly involved. By doing this you have coded the teacher. To code the remaining students, scan the room going clockwise to account for all of the 4.  students in the classroom. Typically, there will be some students involved in activities other than the one the teacher is leading. There can be multiple small or large groups of students involved in distinct activities, such as texting, doing homework, reading, chatting with other students, looking out the window, sleeping. Continue scanning the room and recording what different students are doing until you have 5.  coded the activities and materials of all students. 8 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL If you observe any unusual behavior or activities, please note it in the log at the bottom of the 6.  snapshot. Quickly review your snapshot grid to make sure you have only coded the teacher in one 7.  activity, (there should only be one T circled on the page), and that your circles are filled in clearly and neatly. Make sure that you code only what happened at the moment of the observation. For 8.   example, if after 6 seconds, the teacher changes the activity, you will not change what you coded before. Never forget that the first step is to locate the teacher and the first seconds of the observation focus on what the teacher is doing at that instant. Do not record any more observations until the time of the next snapshot. 9.  7. OBSERVER BEHAVIOR On arrival at the school, the observer should contact the school principal and give a brief 1.  explanation of the study (goals and method).You should emphasize that the observations will not be used in any way to evaluate individual teachers’ performance and there are no consequences for any teacher who is observed. Neither teachers’ names nor any other identifying characteristics will be noted. The research aims is to identify effective teaching practices that can be shared across classrooms and schools. It is not intended to judge teachers and schools. When entering a classroom (before the scheduled class time), you should introduce yourself 2.  quickly to the teacher and inform her/him that this observation is part of a study and not an evaluation / monitoring of the teacher’s performance. He/she will not be identified in the study. Enter the classroom early, come prepared with all the observation materials, and finish any 3.  conversation with the teacher before the official class starting time. Sit at the back of the classroom or at a point where you can have a good view of the entire 4.  class without disturbing the students. Allow three minutes to pass after the bell rings (or the official start time of the class) and record the first Snapshot. Make sure that when you code, you circle the appropriate letter. Make your markings dark and 5.  visible and check your coding grid for errors when finished observing. Exit the class quietly after your 10 snapshots are complete and the class period has ended and 6.  proceed immediately to the next classroom you are to observe. 9 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL SECTION III CLASSROOM MATERIALS Descriptions of the materials used in the classroom snapshot No Material: No material of any kind is being used in the classroom at that moment. 1.   Textbook: This category refers to any printed materials that students do not write in 2.  directly. This category includes textbooks, anthologies and periodicals. This can also include photocopies, magazines or newspapers. 3.  Notebook: This category refers to any materials that students work with and write in. For example: notebooks, work¬books, worksheets, journals, slates, or blank sheets of paper on which students work problems, write answers, or write essays and stories. This category also includes materials such as pencils, crayons, or erasers. 4.  Blackboard: Blackboard, chalkboard or whiteboard. 5.  Learning aides: This category includes visual aids and manipulatives that teachers use to accompany instruction and enhance student understanding. Learning aids include maps, charts, photos, posters and flipcharts as well as any manipulatives such as materials used in science experiments, rulers, compasses, currency, calculators, blocks, flash cards, sticks or human bodies. Note that electronic calculators are coded as learning aids and not ICT. ICT: This category includes any electronic learning aides such as digital whiteboards, 6.  projectors, radios, televisions, videos, computers and laptops. Note that digital whiteboards are coded as ICT, even if teachers use them exactly the way they would use a traditional blackboard. 7.  Cooperative: This category is not a material, even though it is under the material heading. Use this category when students work together on a common task in small/large groups to produce a common product. Cooperative work necessitates an exchange of ideas between at least 2 people. Just because students are working in groups does not make the activity cooperative. The cooperative category has the priority over all other materials. This means that if the students are using their notebooks while working cooperatively, or using science equipment or laptops, you should code the material as cooperative and not notebooks, learning aids or ICT. 10 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL SECTION IV CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES Activities 1-6 represent instructional activities. Activity 1: Reading Aloud The teacher or one or more students are reading aloud. One or more students are reading from a textbook, blackboard, their own writing, or reproduced material. The teacher or student may also read aloud while the rest of the class follows along in their own texts. When Reading Aloud is tak- ing place, do not automatically code this as E (Entire Class Reading Aloud). Rather, observe how many children are actually Reading Aloud versus being Uninvolved. Coding guide: • Even if one person reads at a time, all students who are involved (ie, listening actively and not engaged in parallel activities) are coded as engaged in the reading activity (with the teacher). • This activity is usually coded on the T line. It can be coded on the I line using the 1, S, L, if the teacher is not involved in the reading activity and the children are reading aloud to each other. • Reading in unison is also coded as reading aloud. In this case, after coding the activity, mark the box that says – check if choral reading. Examples: The entire class is reading sentences from the blackboard. The teacher reads a sentence aloud 1.  from the blackboard and all the students read aloud in unison while the teacher points to the words on the blackboard. Coding: Locate the teacher first. She/he is reading with the students. Since the entire class is involved in the reading aloud activity, choose Activity 1 – Reading Aloud. On the T line of this activity, choose the appropriate material being used, in this case blackboard. Since the entire class is involved, circle E on the T line under the blackboard column. Since the class is reading in unison, check or mark the box that says choral reading. Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) 11 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Activity 2: Demonstration/Lecture The teacher, television or some form of media is informing, explaining or demonstrating academic content to a student(s). Generally this category is used when the teacher is presenting new aca- demic content to the students (i.e. the activity is teacher-led) – although a student presenting to the class would also fall into this category. Coding guide: • Code this activity if a teacher models a procedure or shows student(s) how to do something (a science experiment, math problem, use of materials, how to sound out a word). • Code this category if the student(s) are learning a new song. • If the teacher is not present in the class and if a student is conducting the class or playing the role of the teacher, code on the I line. Examples: The teacher is explaining a history lesson to a class of 40 students. She is using a map to point 1.  to regions as she describes them. The entire class is listening to her explanation. Coding: Locate the teacher. She is lecturing to the entire class. Hence the activity you choose is Activity 2 – Demonstration/Lecture. On the T line, find the appropriate material. Since she is using a map as a learning aide, choose learning aides. Mark E in this column, since the entire class is involved. Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) Activity 3: Discussion/Debate/Questions and Answers The students and/or teacher interact in an academic discussion i.e. a verbal exchange of ideas or opinions. Coding guide: • It may be coded in the cooperative group column to show that a cooperative group is discussing an assignment. 12 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Examples:  ix groups of five students are working on a group assignment to create a map of countries in 1. S Latin America. Each group is exchanging ideas of what to include, but the product will be one map per group. The teacher is explaining a problem to one student in another corner of the room; they seem to be using the student’s notebook. Coding: Locate the teacher. She is with one student. She is discussing the math problem with her or checking whether she has done her problem correctly. The activity being undertaken is Activity 3, Discussion. Code 1 under the notebook column since they are using the student’s notebook. As you move clockwise around the room, you see six groups of 4-5 students discussing their home- work. Mark L on the I line under cooperative. Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) Activity 4: Practice & Drill Activities that are undertaken with the objective of memorizing material such as multiplication tables, vocabulary or spelling words. Coding guide: • If the teacher is leading practice and drill, code on the T line. • Code on the I line if two or more students are practicing addition facts, spellings words, the alphabet, or any rote learning activity. • If students are singing a song they know already or have been taught already, code here. • Pay close attention to whether the students are repeating or reading. If the students are repeating after the teacher, code this as practice/drill; if they are reading along with the teacher, code this as reading aloud. Examples: The teacher is in the front of the class and she is pointing to the blackboard. She is reading 1.  the multiplication table for 2 aloud and asking the class to repeat the table multiple times. The entire class repeats after her. 13 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Coding: Locate the teacher. She is in front of the class and involved in practice & drill. The entire class is repeating the tables from the blackboard. Under the activity column, choose Activity 4 - Practice & Drill. Use blackboard as the material and code E. Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) Activity 5: Assignment/Class Work One or more students are writing papers, solving problems on the board, or are involved in any other classroom work. Silent reading is also coded as class work. Coding guide: • Code here if students are completing assignments. • Code using the blackboard as a material if the teacher has asked a student to solve a problem on the board. • Code this activity in the T line if the teacher is actively monitoring the class work or assignment. • If students are reading a comic book when they should be doing an assignment, code them as uninvolved. • If students are taking a written test, it should be coded here. Please note in the comments box if a test is being administered. Examples: The teacher is watching a student solve a problem on the board. The other students are all 1.  observing the student at the blackboard. Coding: Locate the teacher. He is monitoring the student solving the problem on the board. The entire class is silently watching. Under the activity column, choose activity 5 - Assignment/Class Work. Select black board as the material since the student is working a problem on the board and code E on the T line since the teacher and students are all engaged in the same activity. 14 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) Activity 6: Copying Students are copying from the blackboard. The primary purpose of the activity is to transfer the text on the board verbatim to the students’ paper or copybooks. Coding guide: • If students are interacting with the material to learn or practice concepts (eg, copying and then solving math problems, conjugating verbs), then code this in Activity 5 - Assignment/ Class Work. • If the teacher is monitoring the student(s) while they are copying from the blackboard, code the teacher and student(s) on the T line • If the teacher is writing non-instructions on the blackboard that are not related to academic work (eg, the date and time of the class picnic), and the students are copying this information at their seats, code the teacher in the Classroom Management Alone activity and code students in the copying activity. Use the copying category only if the teacher is writing lesson related material on the board. . • Always code the material used by the teacher to teach the lesson. For example, if the teacher is writing a text on the black board while the students are copying in their notebooks, code the teacher as copying and the black board as the material being used (since it is what the teacher is using), and not notebooks. • If the teacher has finished writing the text on the board and is monitoring the students as they copy it into their notebooks, code the teacher as copying but code notebooks/writing materials as the material since that is what is being actively used at the moment of the observation. Examples: The teacher monitors the students as they copy a text from the blackboard into their 1.  notebooks. 15 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Coding: Locate the teacher. She is monitoring the class, in the activity of copying. Therefore you must choose Activity 6, Copying. The whole class is copying into their notebooks, hence; choose E on the T line with notebooks as the material.  ote: Activities 7, 10, 11 and 12 are classroom management activities. They are N not instruction, but are still considered time on task, as classroom management is a necessary part of the schooling process. Activity 7: Verbal Instruction The teacher is verbally explaining assignments for the students to complete, either during the day or as homework. Coding guide: • The teacher is verbally explaining assignments for the work expected during the day, or for homework. He/she is explaining the procedures to be followed, the amount of work to be finished, or rewards for completing the assignment but is not discussing the content of the assignment. • Code any discussion of grades and clarification of behavior expectations here. • Use this code when the teacher’s explanation does not focus on the academic content, but on the information that students need to carry out the assignment. If the teacher is using the blackboard to give instructions, that is, she is writing instructions on the board and also explaining and all the students are copying in the notebooks. Code copying as an activity and notebook as a material Examples: The teacher is explaining the homework assignment for the next class. All students are 1.  listening and writing the instructions in their notebooks. Coding: Locate the teacher. She is at the front of the class giving the homework assignment. The entire class is listening to the teacher explain the assignment and writing it down in their note- books. Under the activity column, choose verbal instruction. Select notebook as the material since the students are writing in their notebooks and code E on the T line since the whole class is involved. 16 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2)  Note: Activities 8, 9 and 10 are considered “off task” behaviors for students. Activities 8, 13 and 14 are considered “off task” behaviors for teachers. Activity 8: Social Interaction Two or more students are talking or laughing about non-academic activities. The teacher is socially interacting with the students. Both verbal and non-verbal interactions are included in this catego- ry; what is essential is that there is a non-academic interaction between at least two people. Coding guide: • Code here if students are passing notes, moving around the class, shouting, or in any other way disrupting the class. This category could include physical interaction – shoving, hugging — between students as well as verbal. • If the teacher is engaged in social interaction with students, mark this on the T line. • If a teacher interacts socially with visitors to the classroom, (not the students), do not code here. Code Activity 13 - Teacher Social Interaction or Teacher Uninvolved. Examples: The teacher is giving a lecture on verbs and writing on the chalkboard. The majority of the 1.  students are listening at their seats. Eight students in the back of the room are talking to each other and laughing. Coding: Locate the teacher. He is lecturing the students on verbs while using the chalkboard. The majority of the class is listening to his lecture. Choose Activity 2 - Demonstration/Lecture. Select the blackboard as the material since the teacher is writing on the board and code L on the T line since a large group of students are listening. Eight students are talking and laughing together so choose Activity 8 - Social Interaction. Code L on the I line since a large group of students (six or more) is interacting socially. 17 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) Activity 9: Student(s) Uninvolved This category is coded when one or more students are not involved in instructional activities. For example, if a student is staring out the window, resting his/her head on the desk, or sleeping, this is coded as Student(s) Uninvolved. Coding guide: • If the teacher has not specified an instructional activity, and all of the children are waiting, then code the students on the I line. Code here students who are waiting to take an exam or waiting for instructions. • Code students who are walking in and out of the class for reasons that are unclear as uninvolved. Students being sent out of the room by the teacher for disciplinary reasons are coded under Activity 10 (Discipline). Examples: The teacher is leading the class in a recitation. She says a few words and then asks the class to 1.  repeat. The students listen to the teacher’s words and repeat after her. Three students walk into the classroom late during the activity. Coding: Locate the teacher. She is leading a recitation with the class. The class is repeating after the teacher. Choose Activity 4 - Practice & Drill. Select no materials since there are no materials being used. Code L on the T line to represent the large group of students involved in the practice & drill. 3 students entered the class during the time of the practice drill. Code these students in Activity 9 - Student(s) Uninvolved. Code S on the I line to represent the small group of students not involved in the classroom activity. 18 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) Activity 10: Discipline One or more students are being reprimanded for poor behavior or are being sent out of the room for disciplinary reasons. Coding guide: • This category may include corporal punishment. Examples: The teacher is reprimanding the entire class for not learning their French homework. The 1.  students are all sitting sullenly with their heads bowed in shame. Coding: Locate the teacher. He is reprimanding the class. Choose Activity 10 – Discipline and code E on the T line since the whole class is being disciplined. Figure: Section extracted from the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Appendix 2) 19 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Activity 11: Classroom Management Teachers and/or students are involved in classroom management: passing out papers, changing activities, putting away materials, preparing to leave. If the students are helping the teacher to pass out papers or clean the blackboard, use Activity 11. If the teacher is sitting at his desk alone grading papers or is cleaning the blackboard, and the stu- dents are not involved, use Activity 12 - Classroom Management Alone. Coding guide: • If students are performing classroom management activities without the teacher’s involvement, code this under the I line in Classroom Management. • If the teacher is taking attendance, code this as classroom management. Examples: 1. The teacher is distributing papers to the students and asking them to pass out the papers to the other students. The students are helping to pass the papers out. Coding: Locate the teacher. She is distributing papers. Choose T on the classroom management line, not the classroom management alone (Activity 12) line, since the students are involved with the teacher. Since all the students are involved with the teacher, mark E as shown below. Activity 12: Classroom Management Alone The teacher alone is involved in classroom management: passing out papers, changing activities, putting away materials, preparing to leave. Coding guide: • If students are performing classroom management activities without the teacher involved, code this under the I line in Classroom Management. This category is only for teachers involved in classroom management without the students. • If the teacher writes the date and lesson title on the board while the students sit and wait, code the teacher as classroom management alone and the students as uninvolved. 20 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Examples: The teacher is putting away the class textbooks in the cabinet. The students are all chatting 1.  amongst themselves. Coding: Locate the teacher. She is putting away the manuals in the cabinet by herself. Choose Activity 12 - Classroom Management Alone and code the T. The rest of the students are talking amongst themselves. Select Activity 8 - Social Interaction and code L on the I line. Activity 13: Teacher Social Interaction or Teacher Uninvolved The teacher and another person (parents/visitor/community members/another teacher) are interacting. The teacher is in the classroom but not involved in any academic activity and is not engaged with the students. Coding guide: • Circle T (Activity 13) to indicate that the teacher is not working with the students. Examples: The teacher is talking with the school secretary about the upcoming marriage of their mutual 1.  friend. The students are all copying the day’s lesson from the blackboard in their notebooks. Coding: Locate the teacher. He is chatting with the secretary about a subject not related to the class. Choose Activity 13 - Teacher Social Interaction or Teacher Uninvolved and code the T. The students are all copying the lesson into their notebooks. Select Activity 6 – Copying, and code L on the I line with notebook as the material. 21 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL Activity 14: Teacher out of the Room Choose this category if the teacher is not present in the room when you are taking the snapshot Coding guide: • Circle T to indicate that the teacher is out of the room. Examples: 1. The teacher left the room to go get some chalk. The students are all chatting amongst themselves. Coding: Locate the teacher. She is outside of the classroom. Choose Activity 14 - Teacher Out of the Room and code the T. The students are all talking amongst themselves. Select Activity 8 - So- cial Interaction and code L on the I line. 22 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL SECTION V CALCULATIONS Activities are grouped into four categories Activities are grouped as: a) Learning Activities b) Classroom Management c) Teacher Off-Task d) Student Off-Task. a) Learning Activities: 1. Reading Aloud 2. Demonstration/Lecture 3. Discussion 4. Practice & Drill 5. Assignment/Class Work 6. Copying b) Classroom Management: 7. Verbal Instruction 10. Discipline 11. Classroom Management 12. Classroom Management Alone c) Student Off-Task: 8. Social Interaction (with other students) 9. Student(s) Uninvolved 10. Discipline d) Teacher Off-Task: 8. Social Interaction (with students) 13. Teacher Social Interaction (with someone other than students) or Teacher Uninvolved 14. Teacher out of the Room 23 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL SECTION VI CODING EXAMPLES The teacher gives directions to a group of 5 pupils. 20 pupils are idle, and three play with their 1.  chairs. A group of four students is solving a math problem on the blackboard. The teacher is watching 2.  them. The rest of the class is solving the same problem on their slates. All students are singing an “alphabet song”. The teacher is singing with them 3.  In a science class, the teacher is using a large picture chart to talk about snakes. The entire is 4.  class listening to the teacher except two students who appear to be looking out the window. The teacher is at her desk and appears to be grading papers. Students are sitting in groups of 5.  4-5. There are 5 groups in all. Two groups are working on an assignment at their desks; the other three groups are talking and laughing. In a class of twenty students, almost everyone is repeating verb conjugations from the 6.  blackboard as the teacher points to the writing. One student is staring at you, the observer. The teacher is in front of the class and is giving instructions to students on what to do next. All 7.  the students are listening to her. Class has begun, (according to the time in the class schedule), but the teacher is nowhere in 8.  sight. Some students are sleeping on their benches; others are running around the class. The teacher is writing at the chalkboard. The students are writing the assignment in their 9.  notebooks.  he teacher is listening to one student, who is standing, read from the blackboard. The other 10. T students are listening to the student as well.  he teacher is writing on the blackboard. 15 pupils copy in the exercise book and five 11. T students are not copying because they do not seem to have a pencil.  he teacher is explaining to the students the political system of Brazil. He is using a big poster 12. T which shows the pictures of different government officials. The majority of the students are listening to him. Three students are looking at comic books and four others are talking amongst themselves.  he teacher is writing a math lesson on the blackboard. Eight students are playing cards in one 13. T corner. 30 students are waiting for her to finish writing the lesson.  e students are writing an essay in their notebooks. The teacher is reprimanding two students 14. Th who are not doing their work. One student enters the class late.  he teacher is asking a question and pointing to a student to give an answer. The student is 15. T standing and responding to the question. The rest of the class is listening. 24 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL  n the back of the class, the teacher is speaking with a school administrator about a party. 26 16. I students are reading silently. Two students are looking out the window and 11 students are talking or laughing amongst themselves.  he teacher and the school director are talking about the exam. Most of the students are 17. T reading in their seats. Three students have finished their work and are erasing the blackboard.  he teacher is helping several students do their assignment on a piece of paper. The rest of the 18. T students are writing with pen and paper at their seats.  he teacher is explaining a math problem. She is using little stones to demonstrate how to do 19. T addition. All the students are watching her.  he teacher is using bottles and water to show how a water filter works. All the students are 20. T listening except two who are talking to each other. 25 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL APPENDIX 1: SAMPLE CLASSROOM DEMOGRAPHIC COVER SHEET 23. Comments 26 CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONAL MANUAL APPENDIX 2: CLASSROOM SNAPSHOT CODING GRID 27