About lesson observations and Ofsted' reporting

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About lesson observations and Ofsted' reporting

Post by debbie »

http://new.livestream.com/L4L/tdt

Teacher Development Trust

The role of lesson observation in England's schools


This is well worth a couple of hours viewing time if you are involved in lesson observations in schools - be it as the observer and/or the observed.

It is worth watching whether you are a teacher, senior manager, headteacher, governor, advisor or inspector. Please watch both videos to get a fuller picture from a research perspective as the bottom video is the one with some interesting issues raised by some studies (which are rare) and their statistics.

There is a big debate taking place via twitter with regard to the role of Ofsted inspection in England - plus the general role of lesson observations which are the expectation in schools in England - as to whether they are fit-for-purpose - and whether they are too high-stakes.

I myself know of unacceptable regimes of lesson observations which are extremely traumatising and high-stakes - career breaking instead of career-making.

This is more often the case in schools which are under 'special measures' or 'requires improvement' - places where teachers need the maximum support - not the maximum pressure.

In my opinion the observer needs to be just as accountable as the observed - and yet I know of no mechanism for teachers to truly bring to account those who may have observed subjectively and unwisely and in a basically inhumane manner with careers at stake and actually teachers' health and well-being.

I am suggesting that teachers who are not at all effective and/or who are simply not the right kind of teacher that the pupils require and deserve in the class should carry on teaching regardless - but I do think that there are too many anecdotes now (and I've seen this myself) whereby people with the authority over, in effect, people's health and careers are themselves not suitably trained, astute - or they don't have the 'people-skills' to conduct observations fairly, professionally and humanely.
Last edited by debbie on Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Debbie Hepplewhite
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Post by debbie »

http://teachingbattleground.wordpress.c ... t-2-weeks/

Scenes from the Battleground - 'Andrew Old's' blog

'Andrew Old' has focused on the issue of Ofsted observations and reports for some time - possibly with some effect on how Ofsted inspectors are to observe and consider teaching and learning.

Once again, I think this raises important issues around lesson observations - points well worth considering and discussing with colleagues.

It is also well worth considering providing feedback to those in authority who conduct lesson observations as to 'their effect'.

It is also worth writing professional reports with your experiences if you consider that you have been subjected to very poor quality experiences from lesson observations and feedback - especially where this is genuinely high-stakes career-breaking level.

I agree with the idea that teachers need to take some ownership of this issue and not just 'be done to' as is happening in many cases.

Schools really need to be happy places as well as places of good teaching and learning.

Arguably, this is much more difficult if the teachers themselves are unhappy and feel wrongly treated and judged.

Please do contribute any thoughts and experiences and suggestions you may have to this thread.
Debbie Hepplewhite
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Post by debbie »

http://www.learningspy.co.uk/learning/cult-outstanding/

The Cult of Outstanding

David Didau - author of the Learning Spy blog - more thought-provoking issues on the subject of lessons - what really makes them outstanding - or not?
Debbie Hepplewhite
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Post by debbie »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMixjUDJVlw

Robert Bjork - Disassociating learning from performance
Performance is something that one can easily measure. How well does a person remember some facts? How well can an athlete perform a particular task? Learning is something that needs to be inferred from performance - it cannot be observed directly. There are many instances where learning occurs but performance in the short term doesn't improve, and there are instances where performance improves, but little learning seems to happen in the long term. Dr. Bjork tries to disentangle these two concepts and emphasizes that relying too heavily on short-term performance improvements leads to suboptimal learning.
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Post by debbie »

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunda ... vement.ece

Do classroom walkthroughs lead to higher student achievement?
But informal classroom walkthroughs — the most common activity — were negatively associated with student achievement. This was especially true in high schools.

In a follow-up analysis, the researchers evaluated these data in light of what the principals said about how teachers view classroom walkthroughs.

The negative association with student achievement was most evident where principals believed that teachers did not view walkthroughs as opportunities for professional development. (Other reasons for walkthroughs might be to ensure that a teacher is following a curriculum, or to be more visible to faculty.)

Although the researchers suggest that their results should be considered exploratory, they do suggest a general principle of instructional leadership that fits well with one overarching principle of learning: Feedback is essential.

Instructional leadership activities that offer meaningful feedback to teachers may help. Those that don’t, will not.
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Post by debbie »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is31rrXubQ0

RSA Teach First - What makes a good teacher?
Published on 3 May 2012

In the opening debate of a new series of Education Matters Debates with Teach First Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI, Matthew Taylor, Peter Hyman, Ndidi Okezie and Gillian Hargreaves ask: what will it take to ensure that every child, regardless of socio-economic background, is taught by a "good teacher"?
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Post by debbie »

http://www.teacherdevelopmenttrust.org/ ... on-grades/

Mary Myatt's follow-up blog posting with links to information about lesson observations and developing good practice.
If there was any doubt about the inaccuracy of lesson observations, they were squarely squashed by Prof Robert Coe during the lesson observation debate organised by David Weston from the Teacher Development Trust and Sam Freedman from Teach First. It is not possible to judge accurately the quality of teaching from a twenty minutes lesson observation. So why are lessons graded?
Further blog postings about lessons at Mary Myatt's professional site:

http://marymyatt.com/about
Debbie Hepplewhite
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Post by debbie »

http://cazzypotsblog.wordpress.com/2014 ... ent-words/

Very sensible posting at 'cazzypotsblog' - well worth reading if you're a teacher in England and subject to Ofsted inspections! :wink:

Ofsted: Same Old Tune, Different Words?
On 22nd January, HMCI published information for OFSTED inspectors as to how they may go about judging the standards of teaching now that they are, in theory, no longer able to dictate a preferred teaching style.

They said:

“There is so much more that could be said about teaching without infringing the professional judgement of teachers to decide the most appropriate style of teaching to get the best out of their students.”

Many SLT in a large majority of schools are constantly on high-alert, always anxious to know what OFSTED are looking for. Therefore, it is almost certain that the following advice, or similar guidance, will form the basis for internal observations too. Let’s look at the list and see how little it infringes on our professional judgement: how much freedom it allows us to decide our own style of teaching:
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Post by debbie »

http://teachingbattleground.wordpress.c ... to-answer/

Update on Andrew Old's questions for Ofsted:
Ten Questions OFSTED Need to Answer
January 21, 2014
Debbie Hepplewhite
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Post by debbie »

http://helenmyers.blogspot.co.uk/2014/0 ... l.html?m=1

Extremely important message from Sir Michael Wilshaw to Ofsted inspectors regarding the style in which lesson observations are reported - courtesy of Helen Myers' via her blog. :shock:
Message from HMCI - Sir Michael Wilshaw

Over the last 18 months, I have emphasised in a number of speeches that Ofsted is not prescriptive about the way that teaching is delivered and does not recommend a suite of preferred teaching styles. Inspectors should only be concerned with the impact that teaching has on children’s learning, progress and outcomes. Our new guidance on the inspection of teaching in schools reinforces this. I quote:

'Inspectors must not give the impression that Ofsted favours a particular teaching style. Moreover, they must not inspect or report in a way that is not stipulated in the framework, handbook or guidance. For example, they should not criticise teacher talk for being overlong or bemoan a lack of opportunity for different activities in lessons unless there is unequivocal evidence that this is slowing learning over time.

It is unrealistic, too, for inspectors to necessarily expect that all work in all lessons is always matched to the specific needs of each individual. Do not expect to see ‘independent learning’ in all lessons and do not make the assumption that this is always necessary or desirable. On occasions, too, pupils are rightly passive rather than active recipients of learning. Do not criticise ‘passivity’ as a matter of course and certainly not unless it is evidently stopping pupils from learning new knowledge or gaining skills and understanding.'

Nevertheless, I still see inspection reports, occasionally from HMI, which ignore this and earlier guidance and, irritatingly, give the impression that we are still telling teachers how to teach. Let me give you a few examples from recent reports I have just read:
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Post by debbie »

http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... CMP=twt_fd

It seems that this is about which organisation will inspect the 'Free Schools'!
Ofsted chief 'spitting blood' over attacks on schools watchdog

Sir Michael Wilshaw says Michael Gove risks damaging standards by undermining his authority and attacking Ofsted ideology
And here are Tom Bennet's thoughts (via onlineTimes Education Supplement) about Sir Michael Wilshaw's apparent upset:

Pale Rider, black mood: why Wilshaw's fury is misplaced

http://community.tes.co.uk/tom_bennett/ ... W4.twitter

Further developments - Gove backs Wilshaw:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... CMP=twt_fd
Michael Gove denies link to anti-Ofsted campaign and backs chief inspector
Education secretary praises Sir Michael Wilshaw after Ofsted chief hits back at criticism from rightwing thinktanks
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Post by debbie »

http://twdlearning.com/2014/01/25/job-application/

A teacher reflects on a definition of outstanding from the teacher's perspective.

The very fact that a teacher writes such a blog posting as this is clearly heartfelt - and probably reflects the feelings of many teachers who are over-observed and observed in a way which is overly formulaic and too high-stakes:
There is no such thing as an ‘outstanding lesson.’ My vision for outstanding teaching is keeping teaching consistently good. That, in my mind, is the true definition of outstanding. Not one off judgments or 3 PM showcase lessons per year, but teaching consistently well over time. Ensuring students maintain sustained progress rather than rapid progress, which incidentally, the latter comes at the expense of the former. I feel that fads and fashions do not truly benefit students in the long term and that if we, as teachers simply do what is best for the students we are faced with, without shoehorning in initiatives to check other audiences’ boxes or tick sheets, students will make outstanding progress.
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Post by debbie »

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/educa ... 99632.html

New unannounced one-day inspections to start in schools immediately.
The new-style inspections, lasting just one day with inspectors arriving unannounced, can be triggered either by parents’ complaints about behaviour or criticism of standards in previous inspections.

Sir Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of education standards watchdog Ofsted, vowed to tackle what he called “a culture of casual acceptance” of low level disruption in schools in introducing the organisation’s annual report in December.
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Post by debbie »

This blog posting makes interesting reading:

http://www.learningspy.co.uk/education/ ... ence-hope/
Liam Collins argues persuasively that in a 5 period day, even the best teachers are capable of teaching a full range of lessons from inadequate to outstanding. Anyone can have a bad day, or a good one. He found that the correlation between lesson grades and exam results was poor: teachers who delivered outstanding performances in lessons did not produce outstanding outcomes. And vice versa.

In his most recent Ofsted inspection, Liam explained to the lead inspector that he did not grade lessons. Instead, a member of his senior team would be walking the school, dropping into lessons every lesson, every day. But, said the lead inspector, one of the teachers you have identified as being ‘good’ has just been seen teaching an inadequate lesson. Liam’s response is wonderful: don’t you think we know our teachers better than you could ever hope to know them from a 20 minute observation? Eventually, they concurred, agreeing that his systems for quality assurance made graded lesson observations unnecessary.

Where does that leave the excuse that we have to grade lessons because Ofsted require us to do it?

This is my bottom line: a belief in the validity of lesson grading is akin to a belief in witchcraft. And for all the difference it will make to improving teaching and learning, you might as well be doing Brain Gym.
I think head teachers should be comfortable and welcome (by staff and pupils) to walk the school daily and be a true/practical 'lead teacher' in the school.

I think that Ofsted-type formal lesson observations turn the image of head teachers (or senior managers) into 'stealth inspectors' and it does presume that Ofsted lesson-observations formulas are the correct ones to improve teaching - I don't agree.
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Post by debbie »

This is a very interesting development as Michael Cladingbowl HMI writes a piece acknowledging the ongoing online debate about Ofsted and inspections!


http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-netw ... mentpage=1
The future of Ofsted: where next for school inspection?

As debates about inspection intensify and commentators call for an observation revolution, Ofsted's Mike Cladingbowl asks for your views on how inspection should develop
Mr Cladingbowl states:
It's fair to say the debate has reached a new level of intensity since December, when we updated Ofsted's school inspection guidance to reiterate that we have no preferred teaching style. Since then, there's been a fair amount of online debate from teachers, heads and commentators on Ofsted's role, the way we inspect and what we look for – and what we don't – in teaching. I welcome this: it shows how passionate people in our schools are about raising standards and underlines how important it is that Ofsted gets it right.
I comment:
Dear Mr Cladingbowl,

You state that Ofsted supports no particular teaching style and yet you provide video footage of particular teaching styles on the official Ofsted site.

This is bound to influence teachers and raises questions as to a possible contradiction in terms of your claim for Ofsted's current approach towards teaching.

As the Ofsted inspection process is judgemental and extremely high-stakes (and within very short inspection timescales) and not advisory, this is bound to create an unhealthy stressful state of affairs for the teaching profession.

Sincerely,
Debbie Hepplewhite
I, and others, have been jointly corresponding with Mr Cladingbowl over the past year about the presence of video footage showing very poor phonics practice.

We have spent a huge amount of time in to and fro correspondence to no avail.

And yet here is Mr Cladingbowl asking for people's views.

Will it be a case that even when they get people's (well-justified) views it will make no real difference? :?

http://debbiehepplewhite.com/?p=48

http://www.syntheticphonics.com/EN_Repo ... ilms_4.pdf

By the way, I believe schools and others can provide any video footage they like whatever the content - but that Ofsted should not show video footage as it may influence what teachers provide.
Debbie Hepplewhite
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